After coaching for 31 seasons himself, it’s fair to say Mike Golden knows what a coach looks like.
And when Golden was coaching Al Washington in the early-2000s, he had an idea that’s what he was looking at.
“Yeah because he was such a leader,” says Golden, who coached Washington at Bishop Watterson High School. “He was really a fantastic leader, whether a friend was a starter or a fourth-string player, he was awesome with everybody.
“He just led with his enthusiasm. He wasn't afraid to encourage everybody out loud, which is rare for high school kids. He was very vocal, but always in a very positive way.”
Washington was also a standout on the field who helped lead Bishop Watterson to the state title game as a senior.
“He was a fantastic player,” says Golden. “He was All-State both his junior and senior years at Bishop Watterson and he was Defensive Player of the Year in the state of Ohio in our division. So, he was a great player, obviously.”
After a successful playing career at Boston College, Washington got into coaching with stops at Rensselaer Poly Tech, NC State, Slippery Rock and Elon before returning to his alma mater.
After six years back at BC, Washington made stops at Cincinnati, Michigan and Ohio State coaching defensive line and linebackers before being hired as Notre Dame’s defensive line coach this offseason.
Golden didn’t need to provide Washington with much guidance along the way.
“Al's not somebody who needs a lot of advice except to just keep hanging in there and things will go great,” says Golden. “I knew it would all work out here in the last month or so because he's such an infectious personality that you'd love to have him on your staff. He's a great student of the game. He loves talking about every little detail.”
Golden, who was selected to the Ohio High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame last sumer, announced his retirement following the 2021 season at Bexley High School,
Before retiring, he had the opportunity to see his former pupil on the recruiting trail.
“I think he's awesome,” says Golden. “He's recruited some other kids who I've coached. Having coached Al, obviously he had an in with me, but he's just an excellent recruiter.
“He could just sit down with a kid and the kid knows he is real genuine. It's just so positive and there's so much enthusiasm that kids really just love talking to him.”
Golden is convinced the arrow is still pointing up on Washington’s coaching career.
“I'm so proud of him. It's a wonderful thing. You go up and down a little bit with things as you're watching, but I couldn't be prouder. And I'm not surprised where he's at and I think someday he'll be an awesome head coach too. I really do.”
