Craig Kuligowski: win it all, week by week [Interview]

The current European League of Football season involves significant personnel changes for the Panthers Wrocław. One of them is the replacement of head coach Dave Christensen by Craig Kuligowski, who initially joined the Panthers as the defensive coordinator. How much does the American coach know about his Polish roots? How does he feel in the role of head coach? And what does he think about American football in Europe?

Filip Skalski: Your surname sounds very familiar in Poland. What do you know about your roots?

Craig Kuligowski: Both my grandparents and great-grandparents came from small cities outside of Poznań – Sławianowo and Mieścisko. I haven't been able to visit their graves yet, but I plan to do that. After the season, I intend to visit my family's place of origin.

Have you ever traveled to Europe before? What surprised you on our continent?

I've been to Greece and Italy several times. Now here in Poland, I've also traveled to Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. My wife and I love it here in Europe. We see new beautiful things daily that we enjoy. What surprised me is that I didn't know much about Poland, except that my family is from here. Being here, we've visited dozens of castles and experienced Polish history, culture, museums, statues, paintings, and beautiful churches. We visited Gdańsk, Poznań, Malbork and Ogrodzieniec, among others. Poland is a beautiful country filled with eye-catching sights.

In a sense, you could say that you are now the head coach of the Polish national team. How do you feel about that?

It's very exciting! I wasn't expecting this to happen, but I'm thrilled about the opportunity. I look forward to building a great team and having a great time. Hopefully, we'll see a lot of folks come out to our games.

Your career in college football is impressive, but you've never been a head coach. Did you ever think before that you would like to try out this role?

I worked for three different college football head coaches who are in the College Football Hall of Fame. So, I've had great examples of organization, leadership, and toughness, and how to be a great football coach. I've been preparing for this for a long time. Fortunately, I've been around many great people. I look forward to sharing my experience positively with our players and the community.

Will there be any changes to the team?

I think we want to maintain a roster of players who are the best in our league. We have many great Polish players and really good import players too. We're always looking to improve and find the best ways to get our best people on the field.

You have coached players at the highest level of NCAA, and also players who later went to the NFL. How do you rate the level of American football in Europe and our team compared to them?

I love coaching football. It doesn't matter who the player is or where it is; I enjoy coaching as much here as I did at the University of Alabama. Actually, I enjoy it even more. Our players are very receptive, coachable, smart, and hardworking. I enjoy working with them every day. We don't have any prima donnas or attention-seekers; we just have a lot of kids who want to win. The level of some players might be Division III, while others might be Division I, so there's a lot of variety in the rosters and in the league. It's the highest level of football in Europe, which is unique. Because there are so many European players on these teams, it's hard to compare it to anything in the United States, but I truly enjoy coaching here.

After seven games, our team has a 3-4 record. All losses were close, and the opponents were within reach, despite playing against the best teams in Europe. What was missing?

I think we needed to manage turnovers better and take advantage of opportunities when we were in easy scoring positions. We also needed to close out plays on defense more effectively. Our season has been tough because we have the hardest schedule in the ELF, in my opinion. But we're getting better every week, which I think will help us in the second half of the season. Hopefully, we can turn some of these close losses into wins.

What is the goal for the rest of the season?

Win it all, week by week.

What would you say to the Polish fans?

I have been involved in the sport of American football for most of my life. It is the greatest game ever invented. The competition, toughness, perseverance, teamwork, and togetherness that every team must show is truly special. I invite all of you to come see us play, even if it's on TV, and enjoy the competition, toughness, and spectacular plays. Understand that this game is the number one sport in the United States, and many Polish Americans are excellent players in both college and the NFL. I think the more you see it and get to know it, the more you will come to love it.