KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Staley’s head football coach says he wanted to lead by example and prove that goals can be met.
So Phil Lite is proving that sometimes losing means winning.
“It was miserable. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, no energy level,” the 53-year-old said.
In the past calendar year, Lite has grown lighter, losing 130 pounds. He’s gone from 351 pounds to 221 — slashing 20 inches from his pants size.
“Between my wife and I, we are down 205 pounds. I think we’ve lost 105 inches,” he said.
Phil and his wife Rochelle are using the same optimal health program. The Staley coach said he’s no longer on high blood pressure medicine, and neither he nor his wife need C-pap machines to contend with sleep apnea.
“My whole mentality was: ‘Win the day. Win each and every day.’ If I fell short, get right back on and ride that horse again,” he said.
“The habits, like coming home and snacking, that’s kind of gone out the window,” Rochelle said.
She said she’s proud of her husband and what they’ve accomplished together.
And players are taking notice of the coach they used to loving refer to as “Big Sexy.”
“I know it was a big deal personally and for us, too, just seeing him,” Falcons guard Alex Pattillo said. “He knew what he wanted. He went after it, and he achieved it.”
And now, Phil and Rochelle are helping others along their weight loss journeys, in part to prove to teen football players that dreams can come true.
“They’re one of the reasons I wanted to make this change,” the Falcons head coach said. “I wanted to lead by example.”
One of Staley’s assistant coaches is also using the same weight loss program, and it’s working wonders for him, too.
Staley High (9-2) takes on North Kansas City (10-1) on Friday night, and the winner is one step closer to advancing to a Missouri Class 5 state title.
