3 Life Lessons I Learned from My Football Coaches
Playing football, while growing up, taught me many valuable life lessons. As I wrote in October, I was able to make many friends and create long-lasting memories. Another important aspect involved the coaches that led our football teams. I was fortunate to have some good role models as coaches, so I want to highlight a few of them — along with the lessons they taught me.
In fifth grade, our football coach was Coach Buckey. He had plenty of energy and found a way to make the game fun for a bunch of little kids. This was the first time I went through a football season without a loss. One memory that sticks out, during this year, Coach Buckey would have us run up a hill for conditioning, and one time he pushed me back down — I’m guessing it’s because I was moving too slow. He taught me to keep pushing, even when I’m tired, because you never know who is looking. Slacking off, at any moment, can be a bad look and lead to a loss in sports or life. When you are out there as a little kid playing football, it is only for fun or to keep you out of trouble. Playing for Coach Buckey, fun was the ultimate goal, but winning on top of that is what really made the game even more enjoyable.
In high school, our head football coach was Coach Miliner. Without a doubt, he was the toughest coach I’ve ever had. As I write this story, I cringe at phrases I remember him yelling like “Hit the track!” or “Sideline!” It was a tough four years playing for Coach Miliner, but he definitely helped with my maturity and understanding of how tough the game of football can be at higher levels. During my first high school football practice, Coach Miliner opened my eyes on how disciplined I needed to be if I was going to play. At that point in my life, football had been easy going and expectations had been pretty low. Coach Miliner made me realize that those days were long gone. And, while I still had fun out there, I learned I had to challenge myself and my teammates to build a stronger team.
While Coach Miliner helped me realize I needed to be disciplined, Coach Burke — an assistant coach — showed how to actually become disciplined. The first day he had the job, he had all of us in the weight room and he proceeded to put us through the most intense workout I had ever experienced. The next day, I could barely lift my arms over my head. Coach Burke found the best way to push us beyond our limits. If we thought we reached our max, he was pivotal in encouraging us that we could go further. He was also pivotal in helping us strengthen our friendships. He was the one who got us together outside of practice, so we could all get to know each other. There were trips to Golden Corral and also hangouts at his house. For someone to open his heart and home to us was huge. This also made me appreciate playing the game so much more. When I went off to college to try-out for the football team, I didn’t realize how much I relied on from Coach Burke for that extra push or motivation to play. The game definitely wasn’t the same without him.
When I put all of these lessons together, it really tells the story of who I am. The way these coaches pushed me is the same way I approach leading my classrooms as a college math professor. I let my students know that it is okay to have fun in my class, but you need to be disciplined in order to pass my courses. On top of that, I encourage students to build communities within my class, where they can get to know each other, while also pushing each other to become stronger learners.
— Bobby L. Elam
Twitter: @MathProfElam
