Everyone has a favorite coach and some have more than one. If I have to choose my favorite coach it has to be my daddy. While I may be biased just a tiny bit I still think he is amazing.
Most people don't see what coaches do for the kids they coach, but I see what my dad does for the kids he coaches. The past two years have been rough because of losing seasons, but the kids on that team still look at my dad and know that he made them a better person.
My dad has never coached me. Being a girl he could've only coached me in volleyball or softball, but football season is during volleyball season so that is out. He also didn't want to coach me. He wanted to watch me play and be there.
While he might not have been my physical coach, he was my coach at home. He was there for pitching lessons, and actually caught me a few times which I bet he regrets. No I know he doesn't regret it but he pushed me.
Throughout my time playing softball, he'd sit in the outfield and I could hear him coaching me even though he wasn't on the actual out there coaching me.
Switching back to the sport he does coach, football. I see what he does every week. I see the blood, sweat, and tears put into a week to have an outcome good or bad on Friday night.
Whether that outcome is good or bad my dad knows he has a job to do for ten straight weeks. Or so that's what people think. Being a coach means more than the ten weeks of the season.
There's spring training that starts in April, then summer workouts, the practice finally starts a few weeks before the first game. All the work put in over the many many months that it takes to put a team together to put on the field is shown only by what the score is on Friday nights.
Like I said these past two seasons have been losing seasons. As his daughter, I see that it isn't all about the score. While we'd like to win every game that might not be capable. The score doesn't determine how great you are.
I'm sure you've been told that but I just want you to know that what you do means a lot to those boys. Some of those boys don't have dads and you are the closest thing they get to that. You teach them how to be a man. Football is more than just hitting another person on the field.
Football is about showing kids that they can overcome anything no matter where they come from, what they look like, or who they are. You, dad, have shown them that for the past 27 years. I'm glad I've been here for 22 of those 27 years. I have seen for the past few years how great you really are.
You've always bee great in my eyes and you always will be because what you do is more than being a coach. You're a dad, role model, and mentor. Keep on keeping on dad because it's never wasted.
