Joel Gordon, USF's new pass-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is pretty clear when discussing his priority for developing a good offense.

It's the running game.

"In my gut and my heart, I want to have the mentality that we can line up and when we need to get a yard, when we need to run the football, we can do that,'' said Gordon, who held a similar position at Iowa State University, where he was part of five consecutive bowl teams. "With the brand we're trying to install here, you're going to be able to do it all. When it works together, when you get the advantageous numbers and matchups, it's a beautiful thing.

"But in my mind, you start with the offensive line, guys who are strong, physical, smart and tough. The No. 1 thing your quarterback has to do is take care of the ball. Once that defense knows it has to stop the run, that opens up all kinds of opportunities. And your quarterback, a really smart, tough guy, is going to have a feel for that. When I study the history of this USF program, when the team was really good, it seemed like they always had that kind of guy behind center. Great leaders. Knew where to go with the ball. Could make things happen.''

Gordon said he's still a novice when it comes to USF football history, but he knows the qualities that the likes of Marquel Blackwell, Matt Grothe, B.J. Daniels and Quinton Flowers provided for the Bulls. He also knows that pedigree from Iowa State, where he tutored All-Big 12 quarterback Brock Purdy, who helped the San Francisco 49ers into the NFC Championship Game as a rookie.

Those past USF quarterbacks, Gordon said, have provided an ideal blueprint for how Coach Alex Golesh and staff plan to build the Bulls.

"You build with a bunch of tough-minded people, right in your own backyard or from the state of Florida,'' Gordon said. "When this program was really humming, it was largely built with guys from this community, not necessarily four-star or five-star guys, but these were tough, tough people. That was the brand.

"They didn't have all the fanfare. But they earned everything they got and they made it clear they belonged on the big stage. That's what we can do, too. That's the kind of program Coach Golesh wants and you're not going to find anyone more organized or more hard-working in making that a reality.''

Gordon said his path in college-football coaching — and how he connected with Golesh — is pretty typical.

"It's about relationships, making a connection, finding common ground — that's really what this business is all about,'' said Gordon, who was an all-conference quarterback and an eventual Athletic Hall of Fame selection at NCAA Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia.

Gordon was offensive coordinator from 2008-10 at Emory & Henry — a school immortalized for creating a trick play that a young Steve Spurrier once witnessed, then later installed for the Florida Gators (calling it the "Emory & Henry'' play) — and he worked alongside offensive line coach Tom Manning.

Manning joined Matt Campbell's staff at Toledo, then they shifted to Iowa State. And that's when Manning recruited Gordon to Campbell's Iowa State staff, where Golesh also landed.

"That's how I met Alex (Golesh), didn't know him at all before,'' Gordon said. "We created a great relationship. He moved on to other places. We stayed in touch pretty regularly. So, when Alex gets the USF opportunity, he calls me. My wife and I talked about it and we agreed that was an amazing opportunity for us. So here we are. That's how these things happen. You make connections with people who believe in the same things as you. Making connections with people is everything.''

Gordon learned that lesson early in life — as the son of a preacher man.

Gordon's 83-year-old father, Robert, remains a Presbyterian minister in Virginia, delivering his powerful messages, shaping lives, showing the way.

"Our house was right next to the church,'' Gordon said. "He had two churches, actually. He preached in Waynesboro, where we grew up. Then he drove to Lexington (Virginia) and preached twice. He did that for a long, long time. When I think of my father, I think of the word 'faith.' He has so much faith. That's why he did it. Certainly not for a paycheck. He did it for faith and to bring that into people's lives.''

Gordon grew up with three older brothers and said "we were not always angels, by any means,'' but the father kept them focused and disciplined. Sometimes, Gordon couldn't understand the father's methods, but he still feels their influence.

"For example, I grew up without cable television — and all my friends had cable,'' Gordon said, laughing. "Maybe we couldn't afford it. I was like, 'Poor me!' But it made me go outside more, swinging a bat or swinging a golf club. Looking back, pushing me outside, that was a blessing.

"I have the ultimate respect for my father and mother, raising four boys. I'm a parent now. Raising a family is much, much harder than coaching the passing game or coaching quarterbacks.''

Gordon has two children — ages 5 and 2 — and feels the daily responsibility of bringing them up the right way.

"I guess whether it's with my two kids or the players I coach, it's about delivering the appropriate message,'' Gordon said. "I don't know if I'll ever do that like my own father. But I do know one of the greatest powers we have as coaches is helping a young man get through life. You teach your players those things, you share your own life experiences in the right way, and you're going to win. We're doing more here than coaching football. This is a people business.''

It's driven by relationships and connections. That helped to forge Gordon's path to USF. And it's what he values as he, Golesh and other staff members work to build the Bulls into winners.

– Go Bulls –