What Makes a Great Coach?

What makes a great coach?  Is it his ability to crank out top-ranked athletes and win state championships?  Or maybe his less crowd-pleasing ability to train, mentor, and encourage teenagers in becoming men of character and integrity?  If someone had a combination of all of the above characteristics, I think I would have to consider him a great coach.  But, are there any coaches out there like that today?

You know that NCAA commercial that plays during most college games- the one that shows different athletes representing various schools and at the end it says, “There are over 400,000 NCAA athletes and almost all of us will go pro in something other thans sports”?  Considering that to be true, then the chances of my own sons becoming professional athletes is slim- not impossible, but slim.  Therefore, I definitely want them to be prepared for a future outside of sports.  So, if I could only choose one of the above characteristics, I would have to choose the last one– a coach who would train and mentor my sons to become men of character and integrity.  Don’t get wrong, winning is always more fun, however, learning to lose with dignity, sportsmanship, and pride is a lesson that all athletes need to learn.  I do know a couple of coaches with those characteristics–  who also take it a step further by praying with and having devotions with their players- and then even take it another step further- leading by example, not just preaching AT them.  My brother, Kevin Jester, coaches a 13 old baseball team.  They pray before each game, after each game, and if I had to guess- there’s probably a lot of praying going on during the game!  But more than that, he and his assistants are pouring into the lives of these young boys, teaching them to not be afraid to witness and stand up for Christ.  There’s a 10 year baseball team, Tribe baseball, who actually hands out Bibles to the opposing team after each game, win or lose.  I’m sure they’ve been mocked and given strange looks from the other teams, but it hasn’t deterred them.  And if you can get 10 year old boys to openly witness to others at a baseball game, just think what they may have the courage to do when they’re 16!

I recently discovered a book, Remember Why You Play, by David Thomas.  The cover shows a high school football field lit up at night.  Being a football fan myself, it immediatley caught my eye.  The author tells the true story of Coach Kris Hogan and his team, the Faith Christian School Lions, from Grapevine, TX.  The story documents the night of one very memorable game against the Gainsville State School Tornadoes, a maximum security correctional facility for violent teens.  As you can imagine the Tornadoes had very few fans who followed them to games.  They were having a winless season scoring only two touchdowns total.  The Lions were having a great season and had already secured a spot in the state playoffs.  So what do the Lions do to show God’s love?  Even though it was the there last home game, they decided to make the Tornadoes not only the home team, but also their team.  At Coach Hogan’s urging, more than three hundred Faith parents and students formed a 40-yard-long spirit line, cheering the Tornadoes onto the field for the first time in the school’s history. Then, moments before kickoff, half of the Faith fans and cheerleaders moved to the visitors’ side of the stadium where they cheered — by name — for the stunned Gainesville State players, some encouraging kids they didn’t even know to tackle their own sons!  They were giving these kids an experience they had never before had while playing football.   The Tornadoes lost 33-14 to the Lions, but you wouldn’t know it by watching the Tornado players.  In fact, the Tornado quarterback asked to pray midfield as the two teams met after the game.  He found it hard to express his thanks becuase he never knew so many people cared for him and his teammates.  News about the game was buzzing everywhere.  Coach Hogan was surprised by all of the attention, not really understanding what the big deal was.  He was quoted saying, “It’s kind of what we do.”  He and his assistants teach players to look for opportunities to use football as a platform for reaching out to and helping others.

Wow– what a story.  I have not read the entire book yet, but I can’t wait to do so.  I would count it a blessing for my sons to have a coach like this.  And what do you as a parent do when you have serious concerns about your child’s coach– not because of his coaching ability but his lack of teaching character and integrity to his players– maybe he uses foul, inappropriate language regularly or displays a bad attitude or poor sportsmanship himself?   Please share your thoughts below.  Feel free to tell us about a great coach you know!

For more information:  www.rememberwhyyouplay.com   The story of this spectacular game is being made into a major motion picture, titled One Heart, with an anticipated release in Fall 2011.

Jennifer

 

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