It was 1979. I was a team member of the Tarrant Wildcats 95lb. team. I was fortunate, at that age, to have some of the finest and hard working coaches any where around. Our games were played on Saturdays, and we had one major rule we were to follow. The rule was “Do not miss Friday practices.” This was the day we went over final details as we prepared to play our opponent the next day. One Friday, I decided to break the rule and skip practice due to a sudden illness and play football with my neighborhood friend.
Friday nights were always fun because of the High School Football games. Not only did we get to play our own little pickup games in an open area of grass inside the stadium, we looked up to the older players on the field that night, knowing we would someday be following in their footsteps. The night I skipped practice, I attended the game. While walking in front of the stands, I just happened to bump into Coach Don Howell. He asked me how I was feeling, and I told him I was feeling better. After receiving only an “Oh, OK” and a confused look from him, I didn’t think anything else about it.
Normally, a teammate and I would alternate carrying the plays in called by the coaches (that other teammate…comedian Rickey Smiley). The next day during our game, I noticed another player was selected by our coach to run the plays in. I kept waiting to get into the game and realized that I had paid a big price by not attending yesterday’s practice. I did not get to play one down except for one play. This was a trick play we would run once each game. Because of being the fastest player on the team, “98 Reverse,” the trick play, would be the only play in which I would participate for the remainder of the season.
Although it was a painful experience at the time, I realize Coach Howell wasn’t punishing me. Instead, he was teaching me a valuable lesson in life, a lesson I have carried with me since that experience. Whether you are running a business, aspiring for a certain profession, or working to maintain a relationship, commitment is a requirement to succeed. Even the most driven of individuals will, at times, face uncertainties and question whether their passion is worth the fight. It is commitment that will carry them through to ultimately experience the thrill of victory. Maybe that’s why we had such a good team. Thanks Coach Howell.
