Regina's man behind the scene

IOWA CITY - He hasn't made a tackle or called a play for one of Iowa City Regina's touchdowns.

Doug Vincent's work helps the players perform and the coaches prepare the Regals during their chase for a state-record win streak.

Vincent will be in his regular spot on the sideline, helping with equipment and hydration, Friday night when the Class 1A top-ranked Regals travel to Alburnett for a non-district game at 7:30 p.m. Regina will try to win its 48th straight game, moving into sole possession of third on Iowa's all-time best unbeaten streaks.

Vincent has been one of a large cast of supporters for the Regina football team, volunteering for about 20 years.

"I like to consider myself a competitive advantage to the Regals, because my goal is to have everyone of these coaches do nothing but coach," Vincent said. "They step on the field and coach, and they can devote 100 percent of their time and attention to that."

He helped a group paint the field for 12 years, becoming more of a manager when Marv Cook took over as head coach in 2007. Vincent was listed as "Director of Football Operations" on a preseason roster. Cook laughed when he said it took him three hours to find a light switch in the equipment room his first year and Vincent was an immediate help.

"I can't even put words to it," Cook said of Vincent's assistance. "As a high school coach, you have to do everything. He's got it to the point we don't have to worry about it."

Vincent said he estimates as much time to the Regals as a full-time job. He is a nurse in the cardiology unit at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, working two 12-hour shifts on the weekend.

"During the football season, it's over 40 hours," Vincent said. "I'm very fortunate with my job ... I have Monday through Friday that allows me the opportunity to do this."

Vincent is a jack of all trades, setting up for practices and games, fitting players for uniforms, pads and helmets, repairing facilities. If a player and coach forgets, damages or simply needs something, Vincent usually has what they need.

"He does it all," Cook said. "Players just instinctively, when something goes wrong from an equipment issue, they head right to him and he's got it right where he needs it."

He can be found at the Regals' field for practice, getting equipment ready and making sure water is readily available for players and coaches. On hot day, Vincent carried a bucket with bottled water around for people who needed it.

Vincent took his attention to hydration to a different level after he Regals struggled with leg cramps in a games a few years ago. He approached a dietician at work that researched a recipe for a homemade sports drink. Cook called it "Regalade," containing Kool-Aid, lemon juice, salt and sugar.

"I have the formula for that and I make it in 10-gallon increments," said Vincent, noting one hot night against Solon the team consumed 70 total gallons of water and Regalade. "I make it in 10-gallon increments. You have to mix it up so it tastes good. The kids have to like it."

It is part of his game-day routine, which starts with a field check between 7 and 8 a.m. He puts bottled water on ice for the Regals to drink at halftime after setting out the pylons. Vincent wants to have the stage set early for the players.

"I like the kids to see it ready to go," Vincent said of the field. "It's a process all day long."

Vincent gathers the ingredients for the sports drink and makes it in the afternoon. After school, Vincent and Doug Vollstadt, a Regina teacher whose son played for the Regals, lay out sideline tarps. Then he heads to the equipment room to take care of any issues and requests for the players.

Cook said he is regularly the first to the field and the last to leave. He was there in the early morning of the season opener to chase away confused deer grazing on the field. He also remained to turn off the field lights, concluding Tuesday's late practice, driving a cart with a headlight to maneuver through the dark.

"It is just the kind of person he is," Cook said. "His dedication is second to none. Have you seen the movie, 'Multiplicity' with Michael Keaton, where there are like six or seven of them? I think that's Doug Vincent."

Vincent shies away from talking about his own contribution, highlighting a number of people who paint the field, work on sodding and fertilizing the field and donate to the program. He said the unified effort behind the scenes mirrors that exhibited by the players on the field.

"This is not a one-man show," Vincent said. "The teamwork you see by the team, it takes exactly that much teamwork to make it work."

Safety has been an emphasis, especially when it comes to concussions. Vincent is proud of the "60-14-1" record last year. That is how he refers to 60 players, 14 varsity games and only one concussion.

He has reached out to the UI sports medicine people for information and advice. He even called members of the University of Oklahoma program and used a similar helmet-strap fixture to help with player safety.

"For us, he's been out in front of this concussion issue," said Cook, noting he runs things by Vincent. "He's proactively asking people for guidance."

Vincent's wife, Wendy, has helped, occasionally attending a practice or even helping paint the field in the past. He said she is very tolerant with equipment taking up part of the family's living room.

His youngest son, Nile, is a junior on the Regals. Nile's older brother, Christian, currently a junior at the University of Iowa, played for Regina, too. Their oldest son attended Regina and Iowa City High and will graduate in the spring.

Nile helped paint the field when he was young as 6 years old. His favorite part was ordering pizza when work was done, but he enjoyed the bonding time.

"It was a family football activity," Nile Vincent said. "I started doing it with my dad."

Dad was watching as his son played a little defense during practice and witness him pull in a touchdown pass from his coach, running scout offense.

"It helps a lot having him here," Nile Vincent said. "I don't have to tell him everything when I come home from football. He's always involved. He's always there, so he reminds me I have to wear certain football pants when I forget."

Vincent starts fitting the junior high and high school players with pads in July, pulling three to four at a time out of the weight room during the summer. He follows them throughout their careers at Regina, trying to give them the best opportunity to succeed.With three straight state titles and 47 consecutive wins, Vincent is doing a good job.

"It's really neat to get to know the kids when they come in as a seventh grader and then when they finish their senior year," Vincent said. "My goal is to make it as special of an experience for the kids I can."