Mr. Finney is a teacher and coach at Dee-Mack Highschool. He has been coaching and teaching for 10 years at many different schools. He started his coaching career at Peoria Quest when he was asked to also become a math teacher. He then went to Morton where he coached football for a couple of years, before going to Tremont and becoming the athletic director there for 2 years. Now he has found his home here at Dee-Mack where he teaches multiple different classes, and helps coach football, basketball, and track.
How long have you been teaching? When and why did you decide to become a teacher?
Mr. Finney: 10 years, I was coaching football and the school I was coaching for needed a math teacher. I ended up liking it a lot so I decided to go back and get his certifications.
Who inspires you? What makes this person so influential to you?
Mr. Finney: Former teachers/coaches and people I work with here, I like that they care a lot about the kids and how much effort is put into them.
What’s your favorite unit/lesson to teach? Walk us through what it looks like + why you like it so much!
Mr. Finney: Spacial recognition and different layouts for floor plans for recognitions commercial properties in my architectural class.
What’s your favorite memory from teaching so far?
Mr. Finney: Celebrating seniors every year and seeing what they decide to do after high school and seeing their plans develop.
What’s something you wish your students knew?
Mr. Finney: It’s not that serious, just do your work and care about your assignments because this stuff really matters and the social dynamic doesn’t. In the next 10 years you probably won’t talk to a lot of these people but you will need this education.
What were you like as a student? Has much of that changed since?
Mr. Finney: Lazy to be honest, exact student I hate having, I was really good at tests and locking in when I had to but I knew it so I didn’t give as much effort on a day to day basis that I should have, I had a photographic memory so tests were easy but because of how I was a student made me appreciate how much work students put in now. I am totally different now, now I greatly understand how important the grind of actually getting through each detail in lessons, subjects, and topics to fully understand as best he can to each detail.
Finish this statement: If I wasn’t a teacher, I …
Mr. Finney: If I wasn’t a teacher I would be coaching college football or basketball and still be around athletes. Or hit the lottery.
What are you like outside of school? What do you spend your time doing?
Mr. Finney: The same person, I feel like I’m very genuine in acting the same, it means a lot to me to be real and I hope other people see that. I spend my time Golfing, fishing, hunting, when I can. Definitely with the kids a lot.
What is your favorite part about coaching?
Mr. Finney: Seeing the difference in a student athlete from the beginning of the season to the end. We tell the younger guys your no longer a freshman your a sophomore now and seeing them grow into the player they are not only player but just person is fun.
How does your sports career help you now with coaching and do you miss it?
Mr. Finney: I definitely miss it, I would love to go back and know the things I know now and really lock in. The biggest thing is I put a ton of pressure onto myself and probably an unnecessary amount and I think that a lot of that carries me into a role of helping a student athlete to understand that they can control what they can control. I know first hand that being the kid that doesn’t resonate right everything is if it doesn’t work it’s all my fault. And understanding that sometimes you can only do so much.
What is your favorite sport to coach?
Mr. Finney: Football because I have more of an ability to control what the outcome is, either sport obviously depends on the player because they’re the one playing but in football you can influence what the team is doing because it’s a new play every play where with basketball you kind of just have to let them play.
What are you looking forward to next year coaching wise?
Mr. Finney: Im looking to make a deep run in the playoffs for football, I think we have an ability to go undefeated and we have a really good schedule and if our guys really work hard this summer like I expect them too then I think we really will have a great year, basketball Im excited to coach this group who is going to be a little bit more dynamic then what we are used to having. I think we’re going to be able to do a lot of things that we weren’t able to do last year, not that we weren’t capable or good enough to do those last year but we just had to do it differently but I think this year kind of plays into a more athletic game to what we did last year.
How are you going to help the athletes get to that point over the summer?
Mr. Finney: I’m here about 5 days a week whether it’s for our workouts, basketball, mental mettle, competition days, any of it i just really think being available is super important.
Everyone at Dee-Mack is lucky to have Mr. Finney as a part of our community. Mr. Finney has a lively personality through everything he does. Whether he is teaching, coaching, or being a dad, Mr. Finney always finds a way to make an impact. He has inspired and supported me in so many ways, and I know he will continue to push everyone around him to become the best he knows they can be. Thank you Mr. Finney, we love and appreciate you!
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Zack Day: ¨Very charismatic guy, he cares about who he is as a teacher and coach. Definitely pushes the kids to their full potential.¨
Chad Cluver: ¨I love Coach Finney’s competitiveness and energy. He has high expectations for himself and is committed to helping make everyone around him better. He welcomed me into the Chief family and I can’t thank him enough for his support of me and dedication to the basketball program.¨
