It was clear that he did want to play a round of golf there. That course was on the list of places Caryn had discovered for golf outings for Dad and Ian when Brook’s parents arrived. I planned to pay for the golf outings as an early Christmas gift for the two of them.
Our waiter came in and stopped. He looked hesitant, then smiled at us.
“Can I get you gentlemen an apéritif?” he asked.
We all looked at each other.
“I’m not embarrassed to ask,” Coach Foster said. “What’s an apéritif?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the waiter said. “It’s a refreshing drink that’s served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. I could suggest something if you are interested.”
“I can tell we’re no longer back home. We should try it,” Coach Foster suggested.
The waiter listed several selections, and Dad and Coach Foster decided on their Autumn Spiced Tonic. It was a spin on the classic gin and tonic. Instead of gin, it was made with vodka that had been infused with apple, pears, and cinnamon. When it came, I stole a sip, and it was quite good.
We decided to order and then chat over dinner. I was torn between getting cioppino—an Italian fish stew—or a whole fish that was deboned table-side. Today they had black cod, which the waiter suggested was enough for two people. I talked my dad into splitting it with me.
Once the waiter left, Coach Foster began his pitch.
“I’m betting you’re wondering why you would ever consider Southwest Central State for football,” he said. He paused as both my dad and I nodded our agreement. “I get that a lot.”
I bet he did.
“We may not be the location where you’re going to get TV exposure or play in national championships your first year. I would bet that we might not even win half our games next year. I know that you have far better places to go if you plan to play it safe and do what everyone else would do. Let me caution you against falling into that trap.
“If you go to one of those top schools, one of two things will happen. You’ll either be just a cog in their machine, or they’ll constantly try to recruit over you. All it would take is for you to stumble, either by getting injured or having a bad outing, and the fans would clamor for your backup to play. The sad part is that football coaches are as bad as politicians. They’re more worried about keeping their job than doing what’s right,” he said, and then paused to let that sink in.
I had to keep a straight face because I’d made that same argument about bypassing both Alabama and Clemson. Alabama had what they called their ‘process.’ It was their system that accounted for every detail of Alabama football. They left nothing to chance, and you saw the results on the field.
Clemson had become the sexy place to play ball, and they had top players almost begging to go there. They would have at least three other quarterbacks on their roster who would be nearly as good as I was. The competition would be fierce. While I was confident that I would end up on top, who knew what would happen if I got injured? I might never see the field again. I predicted that before it was over, a few of those top quarterbacks would have to transfer to find playing time.
“Let me tell you a story,” Coach Foster began again. “There was a freshman who had never played football before. In his first game, he surprised everyone. Due to a series of injuries, he was promoted to the varsity as a running back.”
I could tell he was talking about me.
“The story goes that their starting quarterback was injured, and the freshman was asked to step in because he’d shown promise as the scout-team quarterback. Good story to this point. Then he did something unexpected.
“During the offseason, he took the underclassmen and began building the nucleus for a team that would eventually dominate high school ball in his state for the next three years. He worked to get their buy-in and then got the support of the community. They worked to make his high school facilities and coaching top-notch.
“David, you were the impetus to start building a dynasty at Lincoln High. You wanted to leave your mark. You wanted to have everything in place so that Lincoln High will be one of the teams to beat for years to come, year in and year out. I congratulate you on your accomplishments. I know that you’re the number one quarterback in this class. Believe it or not, I’m not recruiting you for that. I’m recruiting you because you’re a difference-maker,” Coach Foster said.
“So, his football skills don’t matter?” Dad asked.
“I’m not an idiot. They’re just the cherry on top. What I’m looking for is someone who isn’t afraid to do something different. I want David because he’s a trailblazer with a proven track record. When we sat down and listed who we wanted as recruits to come to start our program, David was at the top of the list. His was the only name on that list that mattered.
