Almost 50 years ago I was a young teacher and I coached freshman football.. One year I had several injuries and was told I would have to forfeit the season unless I could dress 22 kids for games. I only had 21 kids. Luckily I had a great team manager so I made sure he dressed for action every game and promised him I’d never put him in.
I realized one injury and we would have to forfeit the season. I started with 20 pushups, 20 situps, and 20 updowns and built each practice until we were doing 500 total of each. Our first game we got wiped out. I walked in the locker room and they were all laughing and having fun and I went all Bobby Knight on them. I upset parents because I was so mean and my asst coach even turned on me.
But a strange thing happened. First we got stronger and second we got tougher. We actually started winning some games. The last game of the year we played the best team in the league and 60 kids were on their sideline and we had 21, 22 if you count my manager! We lost 7-6. I came into the locker room and the kids were heart-broken, crying their hearts out. I had to explain to them that they had it all wrong. That first game of the season is when they should have been crying; the wipeout. The last game they should have been celebrating. They had accomplished so much and it was probably the best coaching job I ever did and the toughest group of kids ever. The record was 3 and 4 as I recall but I did a better job coaching football that year than I did in the undefeated jr. high teams that came later in my teaching career.
Fast forward 49 years going on 50. You know I have heard from maybe 10 of those kids over the years. Yesterday, one called and we chatted for a long time. I am going to paraphrase his story…I apologize for the long post but this is why I coach!
After I posted this one of my former members of that team sent me this:
Dear Coach,
……With your own money – you had t-shirts made with a slogan I have not forgotten: Pride + Hard Work = Success. We were not given these shirts – we had to earn them and wore with pride. You also told us: “One day you will be hurting so bad – there will be nothing you can do – just suck it up and drive on.”
The lessons I learned from you carried over and helped be face and defeat the challenges of life. I doubt I would be where I am today without your couching. I was a horrible student – but earned a college degree, MBA and passed CPA exam. I was awarded and ROTC Scholarship, was commissioned and placed on the Commandants List at the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Ft Benning, Ga. September 11, 2001 inspired me to rejoin the military – the process took me nearly 3 years due to my age (38) and needing Lasik surgery. At 42 years old, I joined a Long Range Recon unit, jumped from a plane the first time in over 20 years with a bunch of 19 year olds and went off on two combat deployments. I also started my own business.
I owe the confidence, pride, courage, grit and perseverance of these events to you – here I am 45 years later – thinking of your lessons almost daily – thank you!
Dear readers,
Let that sink in. After 9/11 he re-upped and went off to war at age 42. Amazing courage! I’m just a coach! Pass it on! I had great coaches and teachers and they inspired me! Letters and experiences like the above I now do in racquetball! It is the fuel that drives me! Thanks to my former player! You made my day with this correspondence!