hang em up

For the past 6 years, I have been a Little League football coach.

I have coached my son, Kameron, and his football team.

This fall...you won't find me on the sidelines.

I have officially "retired" from coaching. My retirement wasn't my choice. Well...it was...but it wasn't. Kameron, who has developed into a pretty good football player, decided this past April to try out for his middle school football team. When he told me of his plans, I asked him if he was sure that was what he wanted to do. I know the level of competition for middle school was pretty high. After visiting his first "tryout", I told Kameron that I didn't know if he was gonna make it.

I told him..."Based on what I see...I don't think you're gonna make it. I'm not trying to discourage you. I believe in you and your talents. But I have to tell you what I see as a person who evaluates talent...not as a father." He knows that I will never sugarcoat anything. I'm honest and always will be.

After tryouts were over, Kameron came home one day and said..."I guess you'll be retiring Dad because I made the team." I was shocked. I didn't think he could do it...but he did! Kameron (12) is very confident...much like his father. I'm not sure if my words pushed him. That wasn't my intent. Nevertheless, he made it.

Not long after Kameron made his middle school team, my youngest son, Brandon, said that he was "retiring" from football. He's only 7 but he's been playing since he was 4. He said he wanted to play basketball and baseball. I asked him if he was sure and he said yes. One thing I know about sports is that you don't "push" or "pressure" a kid into playing a sport. Sports require commitment and dedication. If a kid isn't committed or dedicated, you're wasting your time.

As for me, I loved coaching. I love football. It's my first love. I will miss being around the kids. Most of the kids on our team I've coached for 5 or 6 years. I've watched them grow. We've won a lot of games as well as championships together. I'll miss my fellow coaches. We've developed an unbreakable bond. It's funny to me that I had this much fun coaching when I was very reluctant to coach in the beginning. But this is the end of the road. Now I get to be one of the parents in the stands yelling at the coaches! LOL. I'm hanging up my whistle.

Unless Skyler asks me to coach her team when she gets older...

end of the road

It's over.

Just like that.

Our football season is over. We lost in the first round of the playoffs. 12-6 in overtime.

While it was tough to lose a heartbreaking game like that, I was proud of the kids. They fought hard until the last play. They were prepared and they played their hearts out. Our coaching staff told them to "leave it all on the field" and they did. The kids were truly a pleasure to coach. It goes without saying that I enjoy coaching my son, Kameron. He started at tight end and cornerback for the team. He even got his first interception last week. Much like most of his teammates, I saw him develop and get better each week. We had so many kids get better from the beginning of the year. As a coach, that's what you want to see. It's not all about wins and losses. It's about watching these young 10 and 11 year olds develop into young men. Wins will come. We won 6 games and loss 3. It wasn't the season that we had expected but it was a good season nonetheless. I'd take all 28 kids and go to a battle with them. I love them just as if they are my own.

The future is uncertain...in particular...my future on the sidelines. Kameron is 11 yrs old but was able to play in our 10 and under league. He could play for the 11 and under team next year or he could play for his middle school. Unlike most of his team, he's already in middle school (6th grade). There are only 3 other kids who are in middle school on our team. We have been able to keep the core of our team together for 6 yrs. We have coached almost all of them since they were 5 yrs old. And our coaching staff has been together for 6 yrs. There are about 15 kids who make up the core. Honestly, some will be back...some won't. Some will move on to middle school football. That includes Kameron. He's expressed his desire to play for his middle school team next year. Will he do it? I'm not sure at this point. He'll make that decision next spring. If he does, then I'm not coaching. My days of coaching will be over. My youngest son, Brandon (who's 6 and under team is still in the playoffs after an 8-0 season), will continue to play if he likes but I have no desire to coach on his team. His coaches have a staff in place and they have been together for a few yrs. I enjoyed coaching with the group of men on our staff. We are close. I couldn't see me coaching with anyone else. There is a bond that extends beyond the football field.

As many of you know, I had major reservations about coaching when I was approached about it 6 yrs ago. I wasn't sure how my knowledge, experience, and love for the game could be translated to a bunch of kids. Football is my first love. I played the game for the love of it. Nothing else. But this ain't 1980. It's a different era. I didn't know if I could do it.

But I did it...and did it well. I won a championship and several divisional championships. More importantly, I was able to give myself and my time to kids. Nobody can put a dollar on how much that is worth. It's going to feel weird to not be at practice on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 6:30. We've been conditioning since the beginning of June and practicing since July 8th. I have free time on my hands now. Is it the end? It could be. I truly won't know until next spring but if it is...I'm ok with it. I'll hang up the whistle with pride and happiness. I'm done.

Unless Skyler plays football...

football is back

And so it begins..

Today at 6:30 pm EST...we're back at it!

We officially start our football season! I'm looking forward to it. I'll be back on the sidelines coaching my son, Kameron. This year we'll be playing in the 10 and under division.

Last year, we finished with 9 wins and 2 losses. We made it to the championship game only to lose to a team that we had beaten earlier in the season. I look forward to the challenges that come with coaching. I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't interested in coaching when I first started. I was a player. I put everything into playing every game like it was my last. I had a passion for the game. My first love.

How do you coach someone to do THAT?

You can't. You accept the kids for who they are. While it has been a pleasure coaching Kameron...and now watching his younger brother, Brandon (he plays for the 6 and under team)...I know that no kid can be the player that you were. You can only hope that they develop skills and a love for the game. The rest will take care of itself.

As a team we have some unfinished business to take care of. It hurt to get to the championship game and lose. The tough thing about sports is that you can't just pick up where the previous season ended. It doesn't work that way. The hard work, blood, sweat, and tears start all over again.

So how do you bounce back and get back to the championship game and win it all??

Check back with me in November and I'll tell you how we did it!

hey coach

It came and went.

*snaps fingers* Just like that.

The football season for my team came and went just like that.

As many of you know, I coach my son, Kameron's 8 and under youth football team. I've coached them for the past 4 yrs. We finished this season with a 7-3 record. We lost in the semi-final round of the playoffs. As I reflect on the season that we had, I can only smile. We've been working with the kids since mid MAY. I am extremely proud of the kids. They worked hard and did EVERYTHING that we asked them to do.

Coaching these kids have been very rewarding to me on a personal level. As I told the parents after the last game, it's all about watching the kids get better and developing as young men ON and OFF the field. I've watched the kids get better each week. I've watched their personalities come to life. While it's not always easy to keep the attention of 7 & 8 yr old, I coached a great bunch of kids. Our season started in the sweltering heat of May as we did conditioning and agility drills. Then our practices started in July. Unfortunately, the season ended on a brisk November afternoon. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every minute of it. Not only do I get a chance to coach the game that I love, but I also get a chance to help mold young men. I also enjoyed watching Kameron develop as a player. He started on offense at tight end and on defense at cornerback. It's been interesting to see him develop his confidence on the field.

As a coaching staff, we made sure that the kids perform well at school as well. If a kid gets out of line at school or at home, they were disciplined at practice. They hated it but they know that we don't play. Each kid had to regularly bring their report cards to practice. We wanted to monitor their progress in school. Sometimes we would randomly show up at their schools just to make sure they were "in line". We were hard on them...but they all delivered. Now we are faced with an off season. It feels strange not to go to practice after work. It feels even stranger to wake up on a Saturday and not have a game or practice. We've been doing this since July so I'm definitely missing the game and the kids.

There's always next year


*team chant before/after practices and games*

All we got
All the time
All out
All game
All season
Blood, Sweat, Tears
Yours not ours
In God we Trust
Defeat all others
SHUT EM DOWN!!!