It told me the level of commitment they had that they would come back to help like this. I hoped I would be as dedicated once I was off to college.
Besides my dad, Coach Hope, and Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, we were also joined by Tim, Wolf, and their dads. Once I arrived, Dad got us started.
“When we first got together, Coach Hope had recently joined us as head coach. David had gone to Wesleyan and toured their field house and wanted to do something similar here. His goal was that Lincoln High would become the best sports program in the state.
“At the time, we brainstormed to come up with a plan to turn the school into something special, and not just athletically. From that came what we have now.
“David and I talked, and he wanted to touch base and make sure we’re still on the right path now that his senior year is almost over. He also has some ideas on how to continue our success,” Dad said.
It was my turn.
“Tim, Wolf, and I have seen some of the best college football programs in the country on our recruiting trips. We found there was a variety of approaches to success. It showed me that there isn’t any one hard and fast way to build a winning team. However, I did notice some things they all had in common, and a few I thought made some of their programs stand out.”
“David’s right. The good news is that we now have in place a lot of what makes a successful program,” Tim assured everyone.
“Thanks to the community and the Booster Club, we have the facilities,” Wolf added. “They’ve provided us with superior coaching and training to help us prepare. I think that we also cut down on injuries by staying in shape and doing things right. If I remember correctly, David got his shot at playing varsity freshman year because the players in front of him were hurt.”
“It wasn’t only sports. The study groups have helped me raise my grades, and I know that without that, I might not have qualified to play ball at Michigan,” Tim said.
“That all sounds good, and I agree we’ve put a sound program in place. What do you suggest we need to add or change, based on your travels?” Coach Hope asked.
“Two things jumped out at me,” I said. “When we were at Alabama, we saw they had a system in place that developed players at each position. They start working with the freshmen on day one to begin to replace their seniors.
“I mean, look at how they’ve transformed Jim Ball. He’s a beast now. At Alabama, when someone’s injured or graduates, there isn’t a falloff in talent. They simply reload. I contend it’s the system they’ve put in place that creates the players that replace the starters.”
“That’s easy for them to do. They won’t suffer a falloff of talent like we will when you … uh … I mean … the three of you graduate,” Mr. Sullivan said.
“Nice save,” Dad quipped.
“I hear you, and that worries me too,” I admitted. “Then I looked at Alabama. They had standouts graduate, and it didn’t seem to hurt them. Yes, there was a drop-off in talent at some positions. But the system they have creates the next quarterback … or linebacker … or tight end,” I said, pointing at Tim and Wolf in turn.
“We don’t have the staff that Alabama does,” Coach Hope pointed out.
“Let me come back to that,” I said, acknowledging that he was right.
I turned to Wolf and Tim.
“What impressed you about Clemson?” I asked.
“The whole place was football-crazy,” Tim said. “Not that other schools didn’t have passionate fan bases; Clemson just took it to another level. They talked in terms of the players being their guys.”
“Their culture was different, as well,” Wolf said. “It was like you were part of a family. Don’t get me wrong; it felt like you were part of something at other schools, too. But at Clemson, you felt like you mattered. It didn’t feel like if you got beat out or hurt, they would plug in the next guy and forget about you. You might not be starting, but they had your best interests in mind.”
“You’ve obviously got some ideas. What are they?” Coach Hope asked.
“Over the last few years, I’ve made some mistakes. Some have simply taken me longer to recognize than others. I look back and play the ‘what if?’ game. What if I’d not focused so much on my own preparation and had instead helped others more? What if I’d shared the leadership role with some of the younger guys? Would we have almost lost the Lakeview game last year when I lost focus? Or would others have stepped up?” I asked.
“But you had an all-team meeting and made everyone responsible for their own success,” Tim said to defend me.
“I still remind myself what you shared with us in that quote: ‘If it is to be, it is up to me,’” Wolf said. “In the future, when I reflect on my high school days and think about what made a difference, I’m sure that will be on the list. I remind myself of that whenever I can’t decide what to do about something. It helps me take charge and move forward.
I nodded to my friends and looked them in the eyes. While I was happy to hear I’d made a difference, I wondered if others had learned from my example.
