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NATIONAL COACHES DAY
donmedeiros
Posts: 3,379 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
After the beatdown of the Tigers/War Eagles/Plainsmen, it seems fitting we have a day to honor our coaches and the great work they have done. Let's also not forget the coaches on this forum who have taught us more about the game and made it more enjoyable by doing so. I'd guess many/most of us have had coaches who have influenced us. Let's not forget them either.
NATIONAL COACHES DAY
On October 6th, National Coaches Day honors the men and women who inspire us to work harder and do our best.
Across the country in every community, a coach organizes teams, plans practices and training, motivates players to strive to be the best they can be. At the same time, coaches pinpoint areas for improvement and supply guidance. Every sport or competition requires a leader. More importantly, a leader who knows the game and how to drive athletes to work together as a team.
Many coaches maintain a schedule for training, conditioning, and preparing athletes. Not only do they create these schedules for competition but also for their best health. Injuries sideline athletes and upset team dynamics. Although a coach’s final goal is winning, they do so through a wealth of knowledge. Coaches work to build teams that bond well, too. They develop work ethics and set standards for their athletes that many carry with them throughout their lifetime.
For many athletes, coaches teach them to focus and how to reach a goal – which sometimes is not about winning. Sometimes the achievement is an improvement, playing by the rules or learning respect for others, themselves, or the game.
Coaches represent leadership, mentors, and inspiration. Often, a coach’s words will echo through an athlete’s mind for years to come. During difficult times, the words motivate them forward. Rarely do these coaches even know the impact they’ve had on an athlete until many decades pass.
Inspirational Coaches
John Madden – Coach of the Oakland Raiders, he led his team for ten seasons and a Super Bowl victory in 1977.
Kathryn Smith – As the first full-time female coach for the NFL, she inspires by sheer achievement. However, her background offers a unique perspective coaches and players both benefit from.
Herb Brooks – The NHL hockey coach who led the United States a win against the dominating Soviet Union in what became known as the Miracle on Ice.
Tony La Russa – With three world Series titles and a long list of wins, the manager for the Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals dominated the AL and NL during his career.
Cheryl Miller – The one-time basketball coach for Cal State LA, she led her team to two NCAA tournaments. She now reports to TNT as a sports broadcaster.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalCoachesDay
Celebrate a coach who inspired you. Share a transformational memory with your coach. No matter how many years have passed, contact coaches who impacted your life and thank them.
Organize a celebration for your coach. Bring the team together and let your coach know how much you appreciate all they do. Invite former coaches to be honored at schools and organizations.
Use #NationalCoachesDay to share stories, memories, and events about your favorite coaches.
What coach(es) have influenced you the most?
Comments
What a great thing to celebrate...thanks @donmedeiros for bringing it up!
My 6th grade football coach - John DiCaprio, John Wooden and Joe Ehrmann.
1) My dad coached me from age 7 to age 12 in three different sports. It wasn't always fun, but I am very grateful today. And now that I'm a coach he follows all of my games and calls me after every one to get a detailed account. When the phone doesn't ring in the first post-game after he passes, it's gonna be tough.
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2) George Leidy was one of my baseball coaches in the 1970's. He had been a basketball player at Penn State but lost an eye in Vietnam and then drove a Pepperidge Farm delivery truck after the war. Some of the players would go to his bachelor pad after practice to watch Philadelphia Phillies games. (Back then very few games were televised nationally, but he had a subscription to get all the Phillies games- it was the early days of cable TV.)
What I remember most is that he taught us how to sit on the floor and eat pizza straight out of the box and drink Pepsi straight from a two-liter bottle. That was mind-blowing if all you'd ever known were family dinners at the table and having to "watch your manners." Felt like we were breaking the law. And it felt good.
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3) Don, I share your affection for John Madden, and I have a soft spot for Bobby Cox. I also have respect for the greats, in no particular order:
NFL- Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Chuck Knoll, Don Shula, Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick.
CFB- Bear Bryant, Vince Dooley, Johnny Majors, Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Steve Spurrier.
MLB- Sparky Anderson, Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, Davey Johnson, **** Herzog, Tony La Russa.
CBB- Mike Martin, Jim Morris, Ron Fraser, Gene Stephenson, Augie Garrido, Cliff Gustafson, Mike Marquess, Larry Hays.
Coaching for the most part is a very thankless job so show some love for the men and women who put their time and effort into working with our youth.