Opportunity Knocks

The Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes will battle Monday night in the first-ever College Football Playoffs Championship Game. Both teams have glaring examples of people who took advantage of opportunities presented to them and didn’t quit or become disruptive to their teams. I will come back to these Bucks and Ducks in a moment.

As a long-time coach and now an athletic director, it pains me every time that I see a student-athlete get disgruntled over playing time or their role on the team. In nearly every case, the player quits. Oh, they might not quit the team and they might not even make a visible show but slowly and surely they cash out mentally. Instead of seeing the opportunity in every challenge, as Winston Churchill used to say, they see the difficulty in every opportunity. Unfortunately instead of persevering, they make excuses and take on a victim-mentality.

Win the Day

As I write this, it is January 1st.  It’s the first day of the new year.  This is a day of new beginnings.  It is a day that gets people thinking about change.   I went to the gym this afternoon for my normal exercise session.  There were a number of new people there that I haven’t seen before.  I think this will become the new normal…at least for a month or so.  New Year’s resolutions abound.  Promises are made.  Commitments are revealed.  The start of a new year is a great time to re-evaluate where you are personally and professionally.  There is no magic to a new year but the perception exists that wonderful things can be accomplished and that we have a clean slate.  It is always good to make long term plans and seek to improve our lives.  However, I think New Year’s resolutions can sometimes be a little daunting.  New beginnings are great but what if our goals are rather large?

The BEST College Football Coach

This past Saturday, did you watch ESPN and see the best college football coach in the country lead his team to another National Championship?  What, you say?  Nick Saban had the weekend off...  Alabama didn’t play.  I am not talking about the Crimson Tide or the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or any other BCS team.  No, I am talking about coach Larry Kehres and his Mount Union College Purple Raiders.  They won their 11^th NCAA Division III National Championship to complete their 20^th undefeated season.

I had been working on this post for a few days, but apparently I was scooped by Grantland.com (the former “Page Two” on ESPN.com).  Author Michael Weinreb is a former Akron Beacon-Journal writer (the major newspaper that would cover Mount Union).  I can’t believe that someone else (a professional writer on a website with millions of readers, no less) would dare write an article saying the same thing.  Actually, they aren’t saying the same thing.  They say that Larry Kehres is thebest coach you’ve never heard of (which is, no doubt, true).  What I am saying is that he is the best football coach, period (whether you’ve heard of him or not).  The other difference between the two posts (mine and Grantland.com’s) is that theirs is better.  I love reading Grantland.com.  It is always intelligent; often humorous.  But, you'll have that...maybe you'll enjoy my perspective on Coach Kehres, as well. 

Star Athlete Gives Back

Athletes often get a bad reputation for being selfish or doing stupid things so it is always refreshing to hear about an athlete that sets a good example, gives back or is a genuinely good dude.  Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker (and former Michigan Wolverine) Lamarr Woodley is one such guy.  This week, he donated $60,000 to the Saginaw, Michigan school system to cover "Pay-for-Play" fees that all district athletes must pay.  For high school athletes, that amounted to $75 for the year.

Even though Woodley makes a lot of money doesn't mean that this is not a big deal.  The mere fact that it is news means that not enough athletes are making a difference and giving back.  Having 7 cars, 3 houses, 4 baby-mommas and a huge entourage seems to be the normal way for an athlete to spend their money.   An athletic director at the arch-rival school of Woodley's Saginaw High believes that "there are a lot of millionaires out there who make no impact on their community, but Lamarr Woodley has gone out of his way to make a tremendous impact on his community."

"In The Big House"

As much as he loves Thomas the Tank Engine and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, my son Jaylen's favorite video in the world is "In The Big House" by Pop Evil.  Pop Evil is a rock band from Michigan with some Top-10 songs to their credit including "Monster You Made" and "Last Man Standing". As Michigan football fans, they wrote a song and made a video specifically for the Wolverines.  Yes, I have brainwashed Jaylen.  The first letter he learned was "M".  One of the first phrases he learned was "Go Blue" and his first three syllable word was "Michigan".  Nearly every meal is accompanied with a UofM bib and for his third halloween, he will be dressed like Denard Robinson.  The video pays homage to the winningest college football program of all-time and contains clips, both new and old.  I highly recommend it.  Today, Jeff Arnold wrote a piece on Pop Evil's song for ESPN.com.  Click on the link below to read the entire article.  Enjoy the article, as well as the video...and GO BLUE!!!

 "POP EVIL'S MICHIGAN ANTHEM PRECEDES THEM"

Gunner Kiel "Commits"...again

Gunner Kiel committed to play quarterback at LSU today.  For those of you that don't know who Gunner Kiel is, then here is a snapshot (plus it is really all I know of him since I have never met him, seen him play or befriended him on facebook).  He is a senior quarterback at Columbus East High School in Indiana (40 miles from Indiana University).  He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Indiana.  He threw for about a million and a half yards with only a handful of interceptions--and he can run, as well.  His team made it to the state semi-finals.  Oh yeah, and he committed to Indiana University and new coach Kevin Wilson (former Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma) this past summer.  Two months ago, he evidently decided to help re-write a section of Webster's dictionary. The word commitment must no longer mean to promise or pledge something because Gunner "decommitted" from Indiana University and reopened his recruitment..  Gunner is not the first, nor will he be the last athlete to be confused as to what a commitment actually is.