Worth the read...what sports should be about...

[fischerwood]

a great article I just finished reading on ESPN website:
An 87-year-old coach's journey to 3,912 wins over 66 years at 1 school

 

[Marine1]

a great article I just finished reading on ESPN website:
An 87-year-old coach's journey to 3,912 wins over 66 years at 1 school

Wow....awesome story!

 

[stephenPE]

Great story. Thanks fischer............he must be in great shape

 

[Jack o' Diamonds]

..he must be in great shape

No kids....

 

[Theologator]

a great article I just finished reading on ESPN website:
An 87-year-old coach's journey to 3,912 wins over 66 years at 1 school

It’s the emphases on education and character formation that make sports so valuable for 99% of participants. Their value as entertainment drive the $$$ for the very top echelon of athletes, coaches and spectators.

I follow the Gators closely because I love the players’ and even the coaches’ stories. Most people won’t have the depth of knowing who Ethan White is, how heavy he was, how he reshaped his body and his future to go from a low-ranked prospect to maybe the anchor of a vastly improving OL. How that plays out in terms of his own life and the team’s success over the next 3 years is the drama.

In 10th & 11th grade I tried pole vaulting. My coach was an ancient guy named Ralph Lovshin. He was the retired former head track coach and legend had it that he had briefly held the ncaa record in pole vaulting in the 1930’s - until he was surpassed in the same meet. I wasn’t very good, I wasn’t fast enough to get up the momentum to bend the pole. But he got me from zero to 10.5 feet, good enough to compete with the varsity team and even place in some meets. (Our best vaulter hit 14.5 feet.) I became a very small part of a great team and we all grew up together.

 

[MidwestChomp]

Great story. Thanks fischer............he must be in great shape

Coach, Joe must be every coachs' hero. Think of the changes in sports since he started.

basketball hoops were peach baskets
no foward pass in football

Oh wait, not that old. But still, his longevity and the fact he still wins is amazing.

 

[BMF]

Great story. I have fond memories of my high school football coach, who I stayed friends with for many years until he passed away. He died while I was deployed to Kuwait in 2006. Sucked I couldn't make it to his funeral. He was really well loved, nearly 40 year career (Ellis "the Jet" Johnson).

 

[stephenPE]

Coach, Joe must be every coachs' hero. Think of the changes in sports since he started.

basketball hoops were peach baskets
no foward pass in football

Oh wait, not that old. But still, his longevity and the fact he still wins is amazing.

The thing was he kept saying he LOVED what he was doing. And realized how lucky he was to be able to do it. Smart guy. Could have moved up to bigger schools more money but said he would still be coaching kids...........and kids are kids..........

 

[5-Star Finger]

a great article I just finished reading on ESPN website:
An 87-year-old coach's journey to 3,912 wins over 66 years at 1 school

This guy is pretty much every good prep coach. Amazing that he got to do it in one spot so long. That bit with the food; I can't tell you how many times I've seen it done in that same quiet way that preserves the kid's dignity by so many great guys I've coached with over the years. Now that I'm older, not too long ago I got to watch one of my former middle school players who is now in college do it for one of the kids on the flag football team he volunteered to coach. As a general rule I'm a cynical old bastard but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have to fight down a bit of a lump in my throat.