Don't sell athletics short. (This is a GREAT article. )

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Don't sell athletics short. (This is a GREAT article. )

Don't sell athletics short

By JEFF KING

Special to the Star-Telegram

Growing up in a small rural community in the North, I was not given many of the educational benefits that students receive in Tarrant County.

I had a hard time sitting still, so I was often put where I would bother the least number of people. I was told that I did not need to enroll in biology as a high school freshman because that was for students going to college. In my sophomore year, I was again told not to worry about taking any more science classes -- it wasn't going to be necessary. In my senior year, I was scheduled into shop, agricultural mechanics, art, chorus and physical education.

My dad was a truck driver, and my friends' dads were truck drivers or farmers. The school system was setting me up to do what the generations before me had done.

What the "school" did not know was that I had an older brother who was able to continue his education because football opened a door to college. I knew I was going to college because I had to: It was the only way to the National Football League.

The coaches did not mind that my motor never shut off. They took an interest in me and seemed to care about me. Coaches were always checking to make sure I was passing my classes (not that a monkey could have failed the classes in which I was enrolled).

But the coaches did so much more. They made me believe that through hard work, dedication and determination, I (we, the team) could overcome any obstacles that stood in the way.

I became a leader (team captain) and gained self-confidence. My parents started coming to football games by my senior year (though to this day, neither Mom nor Dad knows the difference between a field goal and an extra-point attempt).

When I started college, I had to draw on those lessons from high school athletics to have success in the classroom. My family did not prepare me for college, nor did my high school education. Art and chorus were educational but did nothing to prepare me for college anatomy and physiology. Shop and mechanics serve me well to this day, but college algebra was a bear because I completed only general math in high school.

Thank goodness those coaches taught me to believe in myself, work hard and be dedicated to my goals.

I found out quickly that the NFL was not on my horizon. I was not quite big enough or fast enough, and the injuries started piling up.

I met with the head coach of the university I attended and told him that I planned to become a coach. My playing days appeared to be behind me, but I wanted to do something that would help me become a good coach.

I asked if I could follow him or the other coaches to learn what it took to be a good coach. He agreed on the condition he could count on me every day.

I started by getting his coffee, making copies and opening the mail. Later, I was taught to break down film, coach linebackers, greet and recruit potential players and (most important) how to be a professional.

I graduated from college and moved to Texas to start my teaching/coaching career.

I wanted to be a coach because coaches always helped me become a better person. I coached for two years before realizing that teacher/coach pay was not providing the lifestyle that I expected as a college graduate.

I went back to school and received a double master's degree two years later in business. But to this day, I've never used it.

I found that when you remember that the kids are the reason you get up early and stay late, the paycheck becomes a bit less important.

A Star-Telegram columnist recently suggested that athletics shouldn't get more funding when the student dropout rate and academics need attention first. I disagree.

I easily could have become a dropout if not for the athletics support group that existed throughout my educational experience. I've also seen a number of different student-athletes achieve success because of the extracurricular activities in which they were involved.

Even though the majority of the success stories I can talk about are athletic, nothing sends a chill down my spine like hearing that marching band for the first time each fall. Many band members are learning the same discipline, work ethic and confidence that are taught in athletics.

Please do not forget ROTC, cheerleading, drill team, drama, debate and similar activities. Each program has a caring educator trying to reach the students in his or her own way.

I wish that when one program or another receives special funding or recognition, support would be the first response rather than jealousy. I wish that when one side of town is able to put something special together, others would celebrate the success, and envy would subside, so that both sides could work together for the benefit of all students regardless of geographic location.

A former student-athlete recently visited with me. This young man had traveled a difficult road from a tough neighborhood with limited role models. He was working out in anticipation of the NFL draft. I congratulated him on a great collegiate career and wished him the very best with professional football.

"Coach, I'm going to graduate this spring whether I'm drafted or not," he said with the proudest look possible on his face.

I don't know what it's like to receive a $100,000 raise. For that matter, I don't know what it's like to make $100,000 a year. But at that moment, I felt like a million dollars.

When I met this young man, he was just a boy. Many people in his life had given up on him. Some of them were teachers.

When he started excelling athletically, he had to pass academically to perform in the games. Then he had to take classes on the college preparatory plan. Then he had to go to a junior college because he had not quite made the required academic standard for a four-year school.

Now he was about to graduate from a major private college in Texas.

I have coached athletes who had to ride the city bus -- not a school bus -- to get to practice, just so they could be part of an athletic team. Two of those boys had been in trouble in school before, for both academics and behavior.

One of them was on or near the honor roll all last year, while the other passed his classes, many of them with A's and B's. Both worked hard at becoming the good role models we often discussed.

Today, they thrive as student-athletes.

With proper encouragement, most educators will go above and beyond to help students reach for the stars. It does not matter what department that educator's title falls under. We all need resources.

We all need to strive to become better because we all can have an impact on improving student performance.

[Guest Bridge City Card]

Good article.

[WOS92]

I thought that this thread title was "Don't sell athletic shorts." Sorry.

But it is a wise word to heed.

[^Gusher Fan^]

Standing O!