KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Karns football is looking to create a culture coming off a 1-9 season last year.
They believe they found a word they can build that culture around. It's Ubuntu.
“Everyone asks us 'What does Ubuntu stands for?'," head coach Lee Warren said. "It’s not an acronym. For us, it’s a way of life.”
It's an ancient African word and Zulu proverb that means "I can not be all I can be if you cannot be all that you can be. I am not threatened by you because you’re good because the better you are, the better I am."
“It resonates with me a lot," Karns football center Austin Kirk said. "It’s like all we talk about. It’s the culture.”
Warren first heard the word from NBA championship-winning head coach Doc Rivers who used it during his time with the Boston Celtics.
Warren knew he wanted to use it for Karns too. “For me, that’s about high school sports," he said. "It’s about being selfless, it’s about working together as a team. Football is the ultimate team sport.”
The Beavers are fully bought in because they know they can't have what they've had in the past.
“One of our biggest things last year is we all fought against each other," running back and linebacker Alex Idol said. "We’d make a bad play and it would destroy everything.”
Ubuntu is inspiring this team to come together as a team. They believe it will translate on the field.
“We have a bunch of guys who love to be at football, love to work hard and ultimately love to be around each other," Warren said. "When you got guys who want to work hard, be with each other and not let each other down, that’s how you can be successful on Friday nights.