My father was a great football coach. He coached football for the right reasons. He was not in it for himself, he already had enough self-esteem. He coached for the boys. He used the moments he had coaching football to teach me and many other boys some valuable lessons in life. The lessons he taught were 1) commitment -- you had to be at practice every day 2) this is a team game -- people are counting on you so you need to perform 3) don't quit -- get up when you have been knocked on your butt, even if you are tired 4) effort matters -- when you extend more effort you get to celebrate more often 5) fundamentals -- learn the basics really well and it will form a good foundation for the future 6) no nepotism -- I was not shown any favoritism for being the coach's son -- I didn't get the glory positions of QB or running back -- I played center and some nose guard.
One of the the most important football lesson my father taught me is that everyone is important. My Dad was not the type to yell and scream, and play only the "good" players. Long before there was a 10 play rule in little league football my Dad instituted one of his own because of an early mistake in his coaching career. That mistake was not playing one player but only a couple of plays in a game. I remember my father breaking down in tears as he apologized to that player upon realizing his mistake after the game. He promptly came home and phoned the player's parents and apologized to them too. He promised it would not happen again and before it became a league rule my Dad made it a rule of his own.
I remember the good times of stopping by for a Slurpee after a hot practice with pads in August. Or riding home in the back of the truck to cool off on the way home. I have many good memories of the time on my Dad's teams.
The learning continued even after I quit playing. My Dad loved football so much that he continued to coach even when he did not have any sons playing. Brian and I each had the opportunity to be an assistant coach with my Dad for one season. What a great opportunity that was to continue the bonding between father and son.
I know I am not the only one who thought my Dad was a great coach. Whenever I run into any former teammates they always ask about Dad and they always tell how they still think of him after all these years.
Besides being a success in using football to teach lessons my Dad was also a success with his win-loss record. Winning was not the most important thing to my father but we did win many games. I know we had several seasons where we lost only 1 or 2 games. I also know that we won one mini bowl and took second place in another mini bowl.
Nice pants Dad.
--Matt
