Coaches teach more than football

At this time of the year, I usually take time to reflect on the several years I was associated with the game of football.

Contrary to what some people think, football coaches teach their players much more than how to block and tackle. Coaches are teachers who use football as a vehicle to instill in their players the essential attributes of character, citizenship, and ethics.

My first coach had instructions for almost every occasion. He would recite them and post different ones in the locker room. My favorite was, “Focus downfield. No meaningful action takes place behind the ball.”

Too many of...