When I was sitting at the US Track and Cross Country Coaches
Association hall fame dinner two weeks ago, listening to the acceptance
speeches from the living inductees and the representatives of those who were
deceased. It struck me again how all encompassing and consuming coaching is.
Then the recent attention that Urban Meyer has received made me think even
more. I have said for years that coaching is not something you do, it is
something you are. It has to be the essence of who you are or you are going
through the motions. Listening to those hall of fame coaches and watching the
Urban Meyer interview the other day made me realize again what it takes. It is
not easy to put in words. Coaching is very special, I think you have to have a
passion that burns inside of you. I know it is hard on families and
relationships, so it takes a very understanding support structure. I know I have
been blessed with a wife and family that has not only tolerated but also
embraced my passion for coaching. I realize how lucky I have been.
I think that
is what Urban Meyer was trying to convey in his press conference about going
out to practice Sunday morning. There is something special about seeing the
athletes you work grow athletically and more importantly as people. Believe me it
is special to a get a phone call from an old White Sox player asking advice on
how to lose weight or what to do in a career decision. You then realize what it
is all about. That is what makes coaching special. I don’t think sport writers
and other outsiders can get it. You have to experience it. It can fry you and it can invigorate you – somehow, someway you have to find a balance, most of us are not very good at achieving that balance. I know I am still trying for that balance as I start my 41st year of coaching.
Mark Day
I received a phone call last month from a 7th grade hoopster that I worked with the previous year, first in hoops and then baseball. He called to tell me he made the 7th grade hoops team. He had never played basketball before I coached him and he felt very proud. He will never be a true player but he is a better person for trying and then making it this far. Not quite the same feeling as a past professional athlete calling for advice but still a special phone call just the same.