Scott Sinclair's family ready to see him succeed at Georgia
ATHENS -- Butch Brooks liked what he saw in Scott Sinclair so much that he went out of his way to introduce him to his daughter.
Brooks, the longtime high school football head coach at Washington-Wilkes, first met Sinclair, Georgia's new strength and conditioning coordinator, when the two were working together at Georgia Tech from 2001-03. Brooks was the director of football operations and Sinclair was hired as an assistant strength coach.
Brooks took a liking to Sinclair, with their friendship blossoming after rooming together at the 2001 Seattle Bowl. Instead of his daughter Farrah -- technically his step-daughter but referred to as his daughter -- introducing her father to a suitor, Brooks said he reversed the roles and introduced the two, playing matchmaker with the hope of sparking a relationship.
At one point, Brooks had to call Sinclair into his office to make sure it was going the way he hoped.
"I told Scott, 'Are you going to date my daughter or not?' He said, 'Yes, I am,' " Brooks said.
The two began their relationship and later married. Yet another football-minded male was joining the family, as Brooks' other daughter Lara married Don Norton, the football head coach at Johnson County.
Brooks obviously has a long track record in football and has a good understanding at what goes into the makeup of a successful coach.
As it pertains to Sinclair, Brooks hasn't seen too many people work the way he does when it comes to developing athletes in the weight room.
"He always stayed up on his job," Brooks said. "He always studied and went to improve himself. He went to all these clinics every time he got a chance. He has a great connection with the kids. He's always been able to connect with them, even though he's tough on them."
Sinclair was recommended to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart by numerous people in both the states of Georgia and Alabama. Sinclair, who had spent his three previous seasons at Marshall, was quite surprised and excited to hear from Smart, Brooks recalled.
It's no secret Smart originally tried to bring Alabama strength and conditioning coordinator Scott Cochran with him to Georgia. When that didn't work out, Smart turned his attention elsewhere and soon learned about an up-and-comer who had been a part of two turnarounds at Central Florida and Marshall.
After the Knights went winless in 2004, Central Florida's teams went on to accomplish three 10-win seasons while Sinclair worked under close friend and colleague Ed Ellis, who will return the favor and be an associate director of strength and conditioning under Sinclair at Georgia.
Before Sinclair arrived at Marshall, the Thundering Herd were 17-20 in head coach Doc Holliday's first three seasons. After Sinclair joined the staff in 2013, Marshall went 33-8 with three consecutive bowl wins. He received a game ball on occasion following wins.
"I've always said that when you have success, some of your people are going to move on," Holliday said. "We appreciate all of the hard work that Scott put into his time here. We're happy for him and know that he'll have a successful career at Georgia."
Washington County head coach Joel Ingram, who sent former offensive lineman Michael Selby to Marshall, said Sinclair's role had a direct effect on the turnaround of the program.
"He really tailors his strength and conditioning based on position," Ingram said. "They run a tempo offense at Marshall. Everything they do offensively and run is dictated on tempo principles."
Norton has some first-hand experience to how Sinclair acts as a coach, trainer and teacher. Each year, Norton said Sinclair will draw up the workout plan for his high school football team, which is tailored to the school's weight-room equipment and roster's personnel.
Norton said Sinclair's help has proved beneficial. But what he brings to the table as a strength coach far exceeds the technical aspects he excels at.
"What I know about him is the way he has relationships and is able to deal with people and can be exactly what they need," Norton said. "He can be very tough. He can be not as tough. He has the personality, knowledge and the desire to win. His desire is so strong to be the best."
Norton said Sinclair does his best to stay on the cutting edge of strength development -- whether it's on the nutrition side or tinkering with various workouts to deliver maximum results.
Houston Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye, who played at Central Florida from 2009-12, came away thankful of Sinclair during his time playing college football. Bouye, a native of Tucker, said Sinclair and Ellis played an integral role in helping develop him into an NFL cornerback.
"They're very special to me," Bouye said. "They motivated us a lot. It was always hard work, but we always had fun and they found a way for us to compete. They always did what was best for us. They get creative, but they find a way to make sure everybody is working hard."
Sinclair's family is ready to see how his new team -- the local and state university program he has agreed to work for -- performs each Saturday following his first offseason. When on-field coaches aren't allowed to work with their players, it's the strength staff doing what it needs to improve the players.
Both Brooks and Norton said it will be hard on the players at first, given the intensity of Sinclair's workouts. But given Sinclair's personality, the players will love to train under him.
"His passion for what he does is second to none," Norton said. "I'm sure there are others that are just as passionate. What's going to set Scott Sinclair above the rest, that Georgia is going to love, is relationships he has and his development of those kids."
This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Scott Sinclair's family ready to see him succeed at Georgia ."