Fun is good.... Purpose and Service are Better

Coaching HS football is FUN! If that were not the case, we wouldn't do it. Friday night victories, being with our players & coaches, enjoying a productive practice are all times we enjoy.

But, what about the tough times?  How do we navigate those? We have a bunch of tough times when we are coaching football. 

I would argue that everyday that is not enjoyable is actually an exceptional OPPORTUNITY for living out our purpose and serving others. 

The toughest thing I have ever witnessed a coach go through was when Robert Allen Yankey drown on a Friday morning after a football game, 9/25/70.  My Dad was the head coach at Boyle County at that time and Robert Allen was his QB.  That was an awful time and I still remember it very well even though I was only 5 years old. 

Robert Allen & my Dad, October 10, 1969
photo by the Danville Advocate Messenger

Through coming home and also my Dad's death in October of 2015, I have been able to renew friendships with some of my Dad's players both at Boyle and Mercer. One thing that stands out to me in conversations with those old Rebels from 1969 and 1970 is their love for Robert Allen and my Dad. I don't bring it up.... they do. 

There are alot of things I don't understand. But one thing I BELIEVE with all my heart is that my Dad was called to coach those kids and take care of them through a heartbreaking experience.  I can't imagine what it was like to look at those kid's faces and be with those kids on a daily basis in dealing with such an overwhelming tragedy. But, I believe he was the guy to do it.

When a team is going through a tough season, that is when your kids need you the most. When a coach is battling entitlement, lack of discipline/accountability and all the other things that can destroy kids & a school or athletic program, that is when the kids need you the most. I have a very good friend that is fighting these battles on a pretty large scale right now. But, he gets it. He feels prepared for the battle, he loves those kids and his school. He has a fire in his belly to serve with a purpose on a daily basis.

We have spring football today. I hope we do well and I hope it is enjoyable. That would be good. But,  for all of us that coach, a bell should go off in our heads when the tough times hit. Those tough times are when you are at your best as a servant and living out your purpose.  When those tough circumstances attack, hit them with everything you have, and know that you are doing EXACTLY what you were called to do.