The Chipola Men’s and Women’s Basketball squads returned from their respective National Basketball Tournaments this past week with a pair of third place finishes. While I suspect there is some measure of disappointment with not winning a national championship, for both squads from the same school to finish in third place in the nation is nothing to sneeze at.
The disappointment for the men’s squad might be a little heavier than for the ladies. The men have been ranked number one in the nation for most of the season. After losing their second game of the season the Indians then reeled off 32 straight victories. That string of victories included going 12-0 in Panhandle Conference play and winning another state championship (three in a row, five out of the last six years). They headed to Hutchinson, Kansas and avoided a disappointing first round loss like they suffered last year. They made their way to the Semi-Finals before falling to Salt Lake CC, the eventual National Champion. The 2008-09 Indians finished the season with a third place finish at the national tournament and a record of 34-2.
I suspect the Chipola Lady Indians are also disappointed, but hey there were plenty of folks who probably thought they would never see Kansas this year. The Lady Indians, after winning three state championships in a row (2007, 2006 & 2005) failed to even make the state tournament last year. Head Coach David Lane and the 2007-08 Lady Indians had to endure last year’s state tournament as spectators from the stands. This year’s squad finished second in the conference and knew that a state championship would likely have to go through Gulf Coast, Chipola’s arch rival and Conference Champions for this season. That is exactly what happened and a last second basket by Pearl Johnson gave the Lady Indians a thrilling 68-67 win over Gulf Coast for the State Title. That earned them a trip to Salina, Kansas where they also finished in third place. They concluded their season with a record of 30-6.
When athletes and coaches have invested so much physically, emotionally and mentally over the year, getting so close but not getting the cigar so to speak can seem worse than never getting so close to begin with. But the reality is that there are thousands of athletes and coaches out there that would trade places with the Chipola squads in a heartbeat. The success that both squads had this year (combined record of 64-8) have carried on the phenomenal run that Chipola athletics has been having the last 5-6 years. And once the disappointment from their recent losses wear off a bit, I hope the athletes and coaches can appreciate the outstanding season they’ve had and realize that finishing third in the nation, Simply Put, ain’t half bad.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob said that one thing about the little town that he grew up in is that there is still no place to go that you shouldn’t.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
"River Talks "
Simply Put
I had the privilege to be on CCTV’s River Talks program recently and the comments that I have gotten through e-mails, phone calls and folks stopping me on the street tells me that we’re on to something good. If you did not catch the show, which aired locally on Comcast Cable Channel Four, you may be able to view it on the internet at www.chipola.edu/tv. If you can’t find it there, call Royce Reagan at Chipola College and maybe he can help you navigate your way to view it on the internet. If you’ll pay him off with some boiled peanuts, he’d probably burn you a copy on a CD.
Some of you may be wondering what I would be talking about on River Talks. I was invited to be on the program to talk about The Times series last summer called Rollin’ Down The River. If you recall the series, I paddled different portions of the Chipola River. I then wrote weekly articles that chronicled my trips and included pictures.
Stephanie Parker, The Times editor, took some of those pictures and organized them into a slide show. I took this slide show with me to the River Talks program and shared the slide show with the program’s host, Gary Latham and the viewers. Gary and I talked about the series and then talked about the different slides. We concluded the show with another slide show of the pictures along with a little background music, bluegrass of course. The idea was to give the feel of traveling down the river without ever having to leave your recliner.
Our plan is to continue the journey down the remainder of the river this summer (I made it to Peacock’s Bridge last summer). Once again I’ll chronicle my journey with weekly articles and pictures. Our long range goal at the paper is to put together a DVD that would offer a pictorial tour of the Ole Chipola River, from beginning to end. The DVD would include some narration, historical information about the river and of course some mighty fine bluegrass music as the backdrop.
I felt like this was a good idea but you really never know how folks will respond until you throw it our there. Judging by the response from our readers and viewers, this Rollin’ Down the River idea is a good one. Who’d a thunk it? Well you know the old saying, even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then. Well we’re going to take the ball and run with it to use a sports analogy.
So to Stephanie Parker, Royce Reagan, Gary Latham and all the others who have helped or showed their support for the project, Simply Put, thanks.
From the front porch: Coach said that the road to success is always under construction.
I had the privilege to be on CCTV’s River Talks program recently and the comments that I have gotten through e-mails, phone calls and folks stopping me on the street tells me that we’re on to something good. If you did not catch the show, which aired locally on Comcast Cable Channel Four, you may be able to view it on the internet at www.chipola.edu/tv. If you can’t find it there, call Royce Reagan at Chipola College and maybe he can help you navigate your way to view it on the internet. If you’ll pay him off with some boiled peanuts, he’d probably burn you a copy on a CD.
Some of you may be wondering what I would be talking about on River Talks. I was invited to be on the program to talk about The Times series last summer called Rollin’ Down The River. If you recall the series, I paddled different portions of the Chipola River. I then wrote weekly articles that chronicled my trips and included pictures.
Stephanie Parker, The Times editor, took some of those pictures and organized them into a slide show. I took this slide show with me to the River Talks program and shared the slide show with the program’s host, Gary Latham and the viewers. Gary and I talked about the series and then talked about the different slides. We concluded the show with another slide show of the pictures along with a little background music, bluegrass of course. The idea was to give the feel of traveling down the river without ever having to leave your recliner.
Our plan is to continue the journey down the remainder of the river this summer (I made it to Peacock’s Bridge last summer). Once again I’ll chronicle my journey with weekly articles and pictures. Our long range goal at the paper is to put together a DVD that would offer a pictorial tour of the Ole Chipola River, from beginning to end. The DVD would include some narration, historical information about the river and of course some mighty fine bluegrass music as the backdrop.
I felt like this was a good idea but you really never know how folks will respond until you throw it our there. Judging by the response from our readers and viewers, this Rollin’ Down the River idea is a good one. Who’d a thunk it? Well you know the old saying, even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then. Well we’re going to take the ball and run with it to use a sports analogy.
So to Stephanie Parker, Royce Reagan, Gary Latham and all the others who have helped or showed their support for the project, Simply Put, thanks.
From the front porch: Coach said that the road to success is always under construction.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
"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.
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.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
"More On Jackson County Basketball "
Simply Put
Last week I wrote about how the Jackson County girl’s varsity basketball programs recorded an outstanding year as three advanced all the way to the Regional Finals and one program, Cottondale, made a trip to Lakeland for the FHSAA Final Four. Well guess what? The boy’s varsity basketball programs were not going to be outdone and sent three of their five county teams to the Regional Finals as well.
The Graceville Tigers represented the county in Class 1A. The Tigers got out of the gates slowly this year but as the season wore on, they got better and better each week. Under first year Head Coach Mike Carter the Tigers avenged two regular season losses to Malone by beating the Blue and Orange Tigers for the District Championship. They posted playoff wins against Laurel Hill and Paxton before falling to The Rock in the Regional Finals. They finished 16-12 on the year and look for the Tigers to be a force next year as they were really young this season.
The Cottondale Hornets were the Class 2A representative for the county and they too started a little slow. Like Graceville, the Hornets were young and inexperienced at the beginning of the season with only two seniors. But once 2009 arrived the Hornets caught fire and reeled off a string of victories under Head Coach Chris O’Bert. The Hornets captured the District Championship with a win over Bozeman and they got a first round playoff win against Freeport. Their 72-70 triple overtime win over Baker in round two was as good a high school game as I have seen this year. Although they fell to Franklin County in the Regional Final, they finished 19-11 on the season. They’ll be even better next year.
The Marianna Bulldogs are the Class 3A representative and they posted another fine season under Travis Blanton, the reigning senior head basketball coach in the county. After losing some outstanding seniors from last year, Blanton found a way to steer the Bulldogs to another 20 plus win season. They beat Chipley for the District title and then manhandled South Walton and Pensacola Catholic in the first two rounds. Last Saturday night they beat powerhouse Jacksonville Ribault to earn a return trip to Lakeland for the Final Four. The 1976-77 and 1977-78 Bulldogs were the last Marianna teams to make back to back trips to Lakeland. Blanton, a Bulldog basketball alumni, has now racked up 82 wins in the last four seasons.
On top of those three teams, both Sneads and Malone had solid seasons as well with both finishing with winning records and Malone making the playoffs. So, four of the five boy’s teams made it to the playoffs, three made it to the Regional Finals, one is headed to Lakeland and all five posted winning seasons. Like I said last week, Simply Put, that’s Jackson County Basketball.
From the front porch: Coach said the mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.
Last week I wrote about how the Jackson County girl’s varsity basketball programs recorded an outstanding year as three advanced all the way to the Regional Finals and one program, Cottondale, made a trip to Lakeland for the FHSAA Final Four. Well guess what? The boy’s varsity basketball programs were not going to be outdone and sent three of their five county teams to the Regional Finals as well.
The Graceville Tigers represented the county in Class 1A. The Tigers got out of the gates slowly this year but as the season wore on, they got better and better each week. Under first year Head Coach Mike Carter the Tigers avenged two regular season losses to Malone by beating the Blue and Orange Tigers for the District Championship. They posted playoff wins against Laurel Hill and Paxton before falling to The Rock in the Regional Finals. They finished 16-12 on the year and look for the Tigers to be a force next year as they were really young this season.
The Cottondale Hornets were the Class 2A representative for the county and they too started a little slow. Like Graceville, the Hornets were young and inexperienced at the beginning of the season with only two seniors. But once 2009 arrived the Hornets caught fire and reeled off a string of victories under Head Coach Chris O’Bert. The Hornets captured the District Championship with a win over Bozeman and they got a first round playoff win against Freeport. Their 72-70 triple overtime win over Baker in round two was as good a high school game as I have seen this year. Although they fell to Franklin County in the Regional Final, they finished 19-11 on the season. They’ll be even better next year.
The Marianna Bulldogs are the Class 3A representative and they posted another fine season under Travis Blanton, the reigning senior head basketball coach in the county. After losing some outstanding seniors from last year, Blanton found a way to steer the Bulldogs to another 20 plus win season. They beat Chipley for the District title and then manhandled South Walton and Pensacola Catholic in the first two rounds. Last Saturday night they beat powerhouse Jacksonville Ribault to earn a return trip to Lakeland for the Final Four. The 1976-77 and 1977-78 Bulldogs were the last Marianna teams to make back to back trips to Lakeland. Blanton, a Bulldog basketball alumni, has now racked up 82 wins in the last four seasons.
On top of those three teams, both Sneads and Malone had solid seasons as well with both finishing with winning records and Malone making the playoffs. So, four of the five boy’s teams made it to the playoffs, three made it to the Regional Finals, one is headed to Lakeland and all five posted winning seasons. Like I said last week, Simply Put, that’s Jackson County Basketball.
From the front porch: Coach said the mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Simply Put 2/26/09
"Hats off to the ladies"
Something rare in the world of local sports happened this past Saturday night. Of the five Jackson County varsity girl’s basketball programs, three of them made it all the way to the FHSAA Regional Finals. And while only one of the teams won and will advance to the Final Four in Lakeland, the fact that three teams from the same small rural county made it that far is quite remarkable.
The Cottondale Lady Hornets will make the trip to Lakeland after beating Port St. Joe on the road. Cottondale is under the direction of First Year Head Coach Laura Holman. If you recall Chris O’bert had been pulling double duty the last two years at Cottondale, coaching both the boys and girls squads. He turned the helm over to Holman this year and what a job she has done. Even more amazingly, this is Holman’s first coaching job as she just finished college last year at Troy where she played for the Lady Trojans. The Lady Hornets enter the Final Four with a record of 21-5, and two of those five losses came in close games to Graceville.
Speaking of Graceville, the Lady Tigers smoked most everybody during the regular season and entered the playoffs with a record of 23-2. After opening round wins over Rocky Bayou and Paxton, the Lady Tigers ran into a buzz saw this past Saturday night call Precious Hall (FAMU). On her home court Hall blistered the nets for 28 points to eliminate the Lady Tigers from the playoffs. Second year Head Coach John Habali led the Lady Tigers to a final record of 25-3.
As outstanding as those two teams have been, without question the biggest turn around this season has been the Marianna Lady Bulldogs. Charles Brown Jr. (or Chuckie) is in his second year and the Lady Bulldogs made tremendous strides this season. Back in the 80’s, under Charles Goodson, the Lady Bulldogs were a powerhouse that went to Lakeland routinely. But the past few years have been hard on the Lady Bulldogs so this year’s turnaround has been impressive. Marianna had opening round wins over Pensacola Catholic and Walton County, before losing in a close game on the road to Jacksonville Ribault Saturday night. They finished with a record of 19-8.
So, that is three coaches in their first or second year with their programs, leading the three squads to a combined record of 65-16. You can look long and hard at plenty of other small rural counties and not find that kind of success. Simply Put, we call that basketball, Jackson County style. Congratulations ladies and coaches on an outstanding year.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob said his teenage son eats like there is no tomorrow and sleeps like there was no yesterday.
Something rare in the world of local sports happened this past Saturday night. Of the five Jackson County varsity girl’s basketball programs, three of them made it all the way to the FHSAA Regional Finals. And while only one of the teams won and will advance to the Final Four in Lakeland, the fact that three teams from the same small rural county made it that far is quite remarkable.
The Cottondale Lady Hornets will make the trip to Lakeland after beating Port St. Joe on the road. Cottondale is under the direction of First Year Head Coach Laura Holman. If you recall Chris O’bert had been pulling double duty the last two years at Cottondale, coaching both the boys and girls squads. He turned the helm over to Holman this year and what a job she has done. Even more amazingly, this is Holman’s first coaching job as she just finished college last year at Troy where she played for the Lady Trojans. The Lady Hornets enter the Final Four with a record of 21-5, and two of those five losses came in close games to Graceville.
Speaking of Graceville, the Lady Tigers smoked most everybody during the regular season and entered the playoffs with a record of 23-2. After opening round wins over Rocky Bayou and Paxton, the Lady Tigers ran into a buzz saw this past Saturday night call Precious Hall (FAMU). On her home court Hall blistered the nets for 28 points to eliminate the Lady Tigers from the playoffs. Second year Head Coach John Habali led the Lady Tigers to a final record of 25-3.
As outstanding as those two teams have been, without question the biggest turn around this season has been the Marianna Lady Bulldogs. Charles Brown Jr. (or Chuckie) is in his second year and the Lady Bulldogs made tremendous strides this season. Back in the 80’s, under Charles Goodson, the Lady Bulldogs were a powerhouse that went to Lakeland routinely. But the past few years have been hard on the Lady Bulldogs so this year’s turnaround has been impressive. Marianna had opening round wins over Pensacola Catholic and Walton County, before losing in a close game on the road to Jacksonville Ribault Saturday night. They finished with a record of 19-8.
So, that is three coaches in their first or second year with their programs, leading the three squads to a combined record of 65-16. You can look long and hard at plenty of other small rural counties and not find that kind of success. Simply Put, we call that basketball, Jackson County style. Congratulations ladies and coaches on an outstanding year.
From the front porch: Uncle Bob said his teenage son eats like there is no tomorrow and sleeps like there was no yesterday.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
"coach j"
Simply Put
The Indian nation is in mourning with the passing of Chipola’s legendary Head Basketball Coach Milton H. Johnson. At both his viewing and funeral there were numerous stories recounted of how he had touched literally thousands of lives. I too, along with the thousands, have stories of how he touched my life and the lives of my family members.
Our family was first touched by Coach J in the 50’s when, as Head Basketball Coach at Campbellton, he coached against my father while Daddy was Head Coach at Marianna. I can tell you without any hesitation that, although the Wildcats beat the Bulldogs on plenty of occasions, my father had the utmost respect for Coach J.
In the early 70’s my oldest brother Terry was the starting point guard on the Indians basketball squad for two seasons. Those familiar with the game of basketball know that there is a special bond between the Head Coach and a point guard. That point guard becomes an extension of the coach. My brother, like my father, had the utmost respect for Coach J.
I rolled into Chipola in the late 70’s. Needing some P.E. classes I signed up for badminton. Having played tennis all my life I figured it would be an easy and fun class. And it was, in large part due to the instructor being Coach J. I’d like to think that he took a special liking to me because of his past relationships with my father and brother. But in reality he made everyone feel that he took a special liking to them. That was just part of his attributes, to make everyone feel special.
At his funeral Gordon Wells spoke of Coach J’s fondness for the game of badminton. I can attest to that fondness and his ability to play the game. When the semester started, being young and a little brash, some of us boys challenged Coach J to games of badminton. Suffice it to say, he humbled us and beat us like a drum. Our youthful pride was smashed, but he was a gracious winner and correctly predicted that we would be able to beat him before the semester was over as we learned more about the game and used our youthful athleticism. He was right about that too.
John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, is one of my heroes in life. Coach J and Coach Wooden had some similarities in their coaching styles. Not a lot of yelling and hollering. They didn’t humiliate their players. They were motivators instead of intimidators.
Coach J’s accomplishments in the game of basketball are overwhelming. But to me his most astounding accomplishment on the floor is that in 32 years of coaching at Chipola, he never got a technical foul. Simply Put, I can think of no other measurement that speaks more volumes about the man, his character and integrity.
From the front porch: Coach said excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.
The Indian nation is in mourning with the passing of Chipola’s legendary Head Basketball Coach Milton H. Johnson. At both his viewing and funeral there were numerous stories recounted of how he had touched literally thousands of lives. I too, along with the thousands, have stories of how he touched my life and the lives of my family members.
Our family was first touched by Coach J in the 50’s when, as Head Basketball Coach at Campbellton, he coached against my father while Daddy was Head Coach at Marianna. I can tell you without any hesitation that, although the Wildcats beat the Bulldogs on plenty of occasions, my father had the utmost respect for Coach J.
In the early 70’s my oldest brother Terry was the starting point guard on the Indians basketball squad for two seasons. Those familiar with the game of basketball know that there is a special bond between the Head Coach and a point guard. That point guard becomes an extension of the coach. My brother, like my father, had the utmost respect for Coach J.
I rolled into Chipola in the late 70’s. Needing some P.E. classes I signed up for badminton. Having played tennis all my life I figured it would be an easy and fun class. And it was, in large part due to the instructor being Coach J. I’d like to think that he took a special liking to me because of his past relationships with my father and brother. But in reality he made everyone feel that he took a special liking to them. That was just part of his attributes, to make everyone feel special.
At his funeral Gordon Wells spoke of Coach J’s fondness for the game of badminton. I can attest to that fondness and his ability to play the game. When the semester started, being young and a little brash, some of us boys challenged Coach J to games of badminton. Suffice it to say, he humbled us and beat us like a drum. Our youthful pride was smashed, but he was a gracious winner and correctly predicted that we would be able to beat him before the semester was over as we learned more about the game and used our youthful athleticism. He was right about that too.
John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, is one of my heroes in life. Coach J and Coach Wooden had some similarities in their coaching styles. Not a lot of yelling and hollering. They didn’t humiliate their players. They were motivators instead of intimidators.
Coach J’s accomplishments in the game of basketball are overwhelming. But to me his most astounding accomplishment on the floor is that in 32 years of coaching at Chipola, he never got a technical foul. Simply Put, I can think of no other measurement that speaks more volumes about the man, his character and integrity.
From the front porch: Coach said excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
"We Never Know"
On page B2 there is a story about some folks that have organized a semi-pro baseball league and are calling it the Big Bend Baseball League of North Florida. I had a note in my box here at the newspaper one day from one of the fellows that has been instrumental in organizing this league. Attached to the note was a flyer about this new league and the fellow was asking me to run the announcement (which we’ve run for the last two weeks).
The note on the flyer was from Harold Bailey and was addressed to me. He started the note by saying "Clint, I don’t know if you remember me but I would really appreciate you running this information about our league in the Jackson County Times." He went on to make a few comments about the league and then thanked me for any assistance I could give to the league.
How could I forget Harold Bailey. As a young man at the age of 20 I had taken a night course at Chipola called "Introduction to Corrections." Like many a young man at Chipola I had selected a major (Criminal Justice) but I really had no idea exactly what I would do with that major. But the class "Introduction to Corrections" was a required course and Harold Bailey was the instructor. At the time he was an Assistant Superintendent (now called Assistant Warden) at Apalachee Correctional Institution (ACI).
I recall on our breaks talking about sports and a variety of other subjects. One night he asked me what I planned to do with my degree. To which I replied "I don’t know." I’m sure he was impressed with my career development plans. He suggested getting a job as a correctional officer and then working my way into other jobs in the prison system that required degrees.
To make a long story short, that is exactly what I did. I got a job as a correctional officer at ACI and spent the next 18 years working for the Department of Corrections in a variety of different jobs. Then I went to work at Sunland and have spent the last 8 years in programs for developmentally delayed individuals with criminal arrest histories.
Nearly 28 years later Harold wondered if I remembered him. I certainly do remember him. I’m sure he taught hundreds of students over the years and probably gave many of them some good advice as well. I hope he and the others are successful in getting this semi-pro league off the ground. I’ll do my part to cover it and keep it in the news.
My main point though is, thank this is another reminder that we never know the impact we can have on the young people surrounding us. Simply Put, we need to be mindful of that and live our life accordingly. Thanks Harold and good luck.
From the front porch: Coach said if you want to stand out, don’t be different – be outstanding.
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