Central football coach recovering from burns

CENTRAL, LA (WAFB) - Coaching from the couch -  that's what Central High School's freshman football head coach says he's been doing.  He hasn't been able to call plays from the sidelines because last month, an accident on campus sent him to the burn unit.

Coach Mike Gardner says for the last three years he's managed to hurt himself.  One year it was his foot, last year he fell off a ladder and broke his arms.  This year, Gardner burned 20 percent of his body trying to spruce up the freshman football locker room.

The coach is confined mainly to a chair and couch.  His feet, legs, arms and a hand wrapped in gauze and bandages.

"I'm kind of ready to take all these things off and go out there," Gardner said.

Central's Athletic Director Sid Newman says all the coaches pitch in to make the facilities nice for the players.  So nothing was unusual when Coach Gardner re-tiled the floor in the freshman locker room two weeks ago.  The coach says he put some cleaning fluid down to get the extra glue off the floor and started buffing.

"The buffer started shooting sparks out, it ignited the fluid I was cleaning with.  I was obviously standing in it.  When I let go of the buffer it continued spinning and the cord hooked my foot.  I fell into the cleaning fluid.  Hence the burns on my hands and arms," Gardner said.  "I didn't realize I was getting burned until I felt it.  Real blue flame."

Gardner was left with second and third degree burns, but luckily he did not need skin grafts.

However, being outside for practice is out of the question for now.  He says Wednesday he went to the last five minutes of the varsity practice.  But he had to sit in the truck and watch.

Moving around, he says, is very painful.  So for now, he communicates with his coaching staff by email, text and by phone.  That is, until he's able to stand on the sidelines again.

"I'm a much better football coach, at least I hope I am, than a handy man."

Gardner is hoping he's able to be back with the team by their first scrimmage on August 23rd.  Even then, he may have to sit in the press box to coach because sweating irritates the burns.  He says he's also on the lookout for an air conditioned golf cart - that way he can stay cool and close.

Copyright 2011 WAFB. All rights reserved.