Football coaches have a hard job. I’m not talking about the football coaches of men. No, I mean the football coaches of MIT (men in training). What an opportunity, and what a responsibility.
If I were a coach of MIT, I would hope that I would remember that the boys are learning the game. And I would hope that I would be a teacher.
I would hope that I would look at all the boys and give everyone who was working hard a chance to contribute.
I would hope that I remembered that this is a developmental process and that I would work hard to try different combinations of players. And I would know all of their names.
I would hope that I would remember that this isn’t the the NFL or even the Big 10. And that these boys have futures as lawyers and accountants, electricians and drivers, and husbands and fathers and I am preparing them for their real futures, not the canard of becoming the next multi-million dollar franchise.
And I would know that when a boy gives you his heart, that my job is to handle it like the precious gift that it is. And at the end of the season, I would only have succeeded when I return that gift bigger and stronger than when I received it.
That would be my solemn promise. That is, if I were the coach.
Doctor of Thinkology 
A great thought! Maybe all high school coaching staffs should have an Assistant Coach of Recognition of Endeavors to make sure that all players who give their all in practice, get their chance in games. And possibly, all high school teams should be required to play all of their players for at least a set number of minutes during the game. That would require coaches to play a more intricate chess game of when to insert a 3rd or 4th string player who did not yet have experience and it would also bring, at least through the high school level, football back to being a game to be played for enjoyment and lessons in teamwork, not just winning.
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Great post, it choked me up. 🙂
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