"Once Again, You never know "

Simply Put

I’ve written on numerous occasions about the fact that coaches can have a tremendous impact, both positive and negative, on the young folks under their care. I’ve also written on how we often fail to realize just how much we impact the lives of those around us.
About two weeks ago I got an e-mail from Bob Langford. He had been a member of the 1952 Rotary team that was profiled recently in our Yesteryear feature. He now lives in Navarre and subscribes to our paper. I am sure to his surprise, the Yesteryear feature was about his little league baseball team from more than 50 years ago. But I did not have any information about where Bob or teammate Jimmy Kelly were these days so I had not profiled them as I did with the other team members.
Bob gave me some information about what had been going on with him since his little league days. He also happened to be familiar with Jimmy Kelly since the two were college roommates and have kept in contact.
In Bob’s email he also mentioned that my father, Charles Cox, had been his football and basketball coach in high school. He further relayed how much he admired my father and how much of an impact my dad had on his life. In fact, long after high school Bob relayed that he went to my father for some career advice.
My dad, like most coaches and administrators, came into contact with thousands of folks over his lifetime. While I know he always tried to make a positive impact on people’s lives, I suspect that he did not consciously think about that every time he dealt with someone. But he has been gone now for over 26 years and it never ceases to amaze me how many people still recall the impact that he had on their lives.
I know that I have written often about my father. Maybe, some feel, too often. But the point of my column is not really about my father. My point is that coaches and administrators always need to be mindful of the impact they are making on the people they come into contact with. We, myself included, often get so busy with the hustle and bustle of coaching or administrating that we lose sight of how we can make a difference in people’s lives.
My father and others like him set the standards, or high water marks, for us to follow. It is up to those of us who benefitted from their mentoring to carry on the tradition of making a difference on those folks around us. Want to know a good measuring stick? Twenty-six years after you and I are gone from this earth, Simply Put, will anyone still remember the impact that we had on their lives?

From the front porch: Uncle Bob asked his daughter’s date one time if his intentions were honorable, to which the young man wanted to know if he had any choice.