Flugel Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Folks I caught this compelling 15 minute story about the will of a man overcoming adversity; and how it inspired kids as their Head Football Coach on Sports Center Featured. I thought this might be worth sharing so I hope you enjoy it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasAg1969 Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 I'm passing this on to my middle school football coaching son who always says that the hardest thing about coaching kids in an underprivileged school is convincing kids not to give up with the first adversity they face on the field in a game. He'll use this for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flugel Posted June 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, TexasAg1969 said: I'm passing this on to my middle school football coaching son who always says that the hardest thing about coaching kids in an underprivileged school is convincing kids not to give up with the first adversity they face on the field in a game. He'll use this for sure. Glad to hear that Aggies! Pretty amazing how the guy refuses to cave in to his physical handicaps every single day. The video doesn't show that he takes a bus and works a full day as a CSR with that handicap prior and then he has a 1 hour bus ride to coach the kids after it. The SC Featured story on ESPN includes that part. Above all, he's a really gifted coach the kids play really hard for. Edited June 2, 2019 by Flugel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoorta Posted June 5, 2019 Report Share Posted June 5, 2019 Not football related, but a good read a friend sent me about a lady who's also overcome some big health obstacles. If this was 30 years ago, she'd already be dead. http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/26762392/extra-innings-ucla-softball-star-stevie-wisz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canton Mike Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 Thanks Tom! I love the phrase "Who says I can't?". Friends of ours wouldn't allow "can't" to be said in their home. Anyone who said it was instantly corrected, often by their children. This video had me thinking of them. Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasAg1969 Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 On 6/2/2019 at 1:55 PM, Flugel said: Glad to hear that Aggies! Pretty amazing how the guy refuses to cave in to his physical handicaps every single day. The video doesn't show that he takes a bus and works a full day as a CSR with that handicap prior and then he has a 1 hour bus ride to coach the kids after it. The SC Featured story on ESPN includes that part. Above all, he's a really gifted coach the kids play really hard for. Passed it on to my son who indicates he will definitely use it with his kids to help them learn to play 100% every play regardless of the score or what mistake they may make on a prior play. He likes to build men out of boys by helping them develop the character to handle life's fastballs that sometimes catch you in the head. He does not see himself so much as a football coach as he does a vehicle to help people face life on it's own terms all their lives. This is an ideal video for that goal he always keeps in the forefront of everything he does. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flugel Posted June 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 (edited) On 6/7/2019 at 5:38 AM, TexasAg1969 said: Passed it on to my son who indicates he will definitely use it with his kids to help them learn to play 100% every play regardless of the score or what mistake they may make on a prior play. He likes to build men out of boys by helping them develop the character to handle life's fastballs that sometimes catch you in the head. He does not see himself so much as a football coach as he does a vehicle to help people face life on it's own terms all their lives. This is an ideal video for that goal he always keeps in the forefront of everything he does. Appreciate hearing that Aggies. Your son has a great outlook that will serve him well. Kids will play hard for him especially if they can see the rewards for their efforts. And that's when it not only gets fun; but it opens them up to coaching (ie; he's not stronger than you - your pad height was just too high). I'll share one of my favorite memories when I was a Head Freshman Football Coach. I had this kid that showed up a couple days late due to a delay in the physical. He had a wirey build and never played organized football before. Even worse, all that bottled up energy had to wait (before he could practice in pads and engage in contact with teammates) so we had quite the talkologist on our hands Almost immediately, he started talking and chirping with the "I'm gonna" stuff while he was watching the contact drills. He called himself "Killerhurts." I quietly LOVED the confidence, enthusiasm and competitive fire while I hoped it wasn't just an insecurity mask of another reality. One of the Assistant Coaches said "I'll be surprised if he lasts 1 week; but I really hope I'm wrong cuz the kid is hilarious to have around!" 2 days later Larry Killerhurts joined his teammates; and at the end of practice there wasn't 1 kid or coach that doubted him. In the process, he stopped letting his mouth do all the talking since his pads said all they had to. For being one of the only kids without organized football experience, he looked like the most seasoned kid out there - give or take a fundamental or 2 (ie; ball security) that can be solved with practice reps/drills. We already some great foot speed on the team; but nobody had this kid's jets. He had some vicious hits. Needless to say he was a LBer and FB. When it was time to vote for team captains, the QB was nominated and a couple other kids. I asked we only have a few nominated to vote on - anyone else? Here came Larry with "How bout myself?" Guess who got the most votes? That level of high school football had restrictions on how far you could send someone in motion prior to the snap (motion man couldn't pass the Tackle). Anyway, one of my favorite plays I ran out of a straight T was Thunder motion quick pitch right/left to our FB. I took the backside RB and put him in motion so he could join the play-side RB lead blocking for Larry. We had a lot of success with that play. Larry would comeback to the sideline all excited after scoring a TD - "Coach, I got loose!" After one of our games, Larry's foster care father came up to me and introduced himself. Then he said "this is the happiest we've ever seen Larry. He actually feels like he is an important part of something good. He's had a hard life where his biological parents were shot dead on their front porch right in front of Larry. The only positive thing beside him not getting shot was he was young enough to be in diapers in terms of how much he remembered. All he talks about is football and how much fun the coaches make it." I had no idea what he had ever been through or that he was even in foster care. Just to be a part of one the few bright spots in this kid's life meant the world to me. Aggies, THIS is the type of stuff I cherished most about coaching. I also loved showing kids if they challenged themselves to perfect the doables we ask of them daily - there is a reward on game day for doing so. Rinse and repeat that and you gain a love for the game that leaves you wanting more. Looking back, I feel really fortunate I had coaches that did that for me with all different styles. It was great to be able to do the same for others when I got the opportunity. Edited June 8, 2019 by Flugel typo 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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