Coaching What Matters

It's very easy to be cynical about the world of sports. Ego's get out of control. The importance that we place on the outcome of sporting events is ridiculous compared to how little importance we sometimes place on things in our lives that really matter (i.e. God, Family, Country, Friends). The pedestal that we put even high school athletes on based solely on their ability is nothing short of shameful.

But then there are nights like Tuesday night that makes all that bad stuff seem less signifcant. Tuesday night I had the honor of attending the National Football Foundations annual banquet hosted by the NFF's Dallas Gridiron Club at Cowboys Stadium. The NFF's is about promoting amateur football and rewarding not only athletic achievement, but primarily academic achievement and citizenship. Several college football players and 53 local high school players were recognized in front of family, friends and coaches.

It was a chance to acknowledge some young men who, while they may not make it into your living room on Sunday's...they will have a tremendous impact on the world around them when they go on to become Doctors, Air Force Pilots, and leaders in business. It was also a reminder that at the heart of amateur football are coaches who, despite what you may have heard or believe, actually care about shaping young men to be more than hitting machines.

The Keynote speaker was SMU coach June Jones. Jones gave a wonderful speech about persistence, determination and having the courage to take calculated risks in your life, the kind of risks that usually lead to the greatest rewards of your life. Jones was truly uplifting when he closed with this thought: That the reason we are here is to let God work through us, to reach out to others with the love of Jesus Christ and to that our lives may bring glory to God.

It struck me as I sat in a room full of men that I admire greatly (Todd Dodge, Ronnie Gage, Steve Lineweaver, Randy Allen, Chad Hennings, Art Briles and many others) that as long as football is coached by men of character like this, there will be young men of character graduating into the world....and that is a wonderful thought indeed.