There is something to be said for perseverance.  The steady and continued action, over a period of time, despite difficulties or set backs.  In football, as in life, we don’t always get what we want or what we deserve.  Sometimes, we simply get what we are supposed to get.  I am reminded of the verse in the Rolling Stones song, “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.”

We are creatures of habit.  The problem with being such creatures is that we open up ourselves to the same behavior thus earning the same old results.  It is the breaking up of those established patterns that can set us in a new direction and expose us to new things.  Add in the steady application of the new approach and eventually we hope to garner new gains. 

I am reminded of a young player I coached many years ago.  He made every workout, showed up for every practice and did a good job of maintaining his grades.  He was your basic average player who was not a starter and he knew it.  For the exception of real talent, it could have been argued that he had earned play time.  One day he asked if he could work on the scout kick return team.  This was something he hadn’t previously participated in.  When you are dealing with 60 plus kids and on a time schedule, you don’t always have time to make sure everyone is doing everything.  You have to trust the players are going to somewhat insert themselves.

“Of course you can.”  I told him, “no one is holding you back.”

I realized at that moment he was trying something new and of course he now had my attention.  I don’t know if that was his goal but I wanted to see how he was going to fare.  No contact on the first kick but nice hustle, good speed.  Second kick, good speed again, finds his man and gets floored.

“Hey kid, you gotta get low if you’re going to take on that rushing man!”  I yelled.

Third kick, good speed again, he bends at the knees and waist and launches himself into his man and he floors the other guy.  The biggest smile you ever saw came beaming from inside of that helmet.  By now one or two of the other coaches had noted my interactions with this player and were starting to pay attention to him as well.  “Let’s see if he can do that again.” One of them said to me. 

A quick coaching point and we’re off to the fourth kick and again this player does a great job.  At the end of practice I gave mention of his effort that day to the rest of the team.  As a staff, we made sure he got kick return time all that week and the next.  The following week on game day, he started on special teams.

As with many coaches, I lost my gig this year to a new incoming head coach and his staff.  I resolved to get my name in front of a number of college head coaches in the hope of getting to the next level with my coaching.  This was January.  I met one of these coaches, Mark Kaanapu of Menlo College, at the Burlingame NorCal All Sports Clinic, and he expressed some interest in talking further with me.  Meanwhile, I set about getting interviews all over the bay area.  It was a slow and arduous process requiring many call backs on my part to stay in front of these guys, including Mark.  Time and interviews passed without any offers but I persevered.  Now, fast forward to this past week, the end of April.  In a four day period, I received two college job offers and I had to turn one of them down. 

I am most proud and extremely excited to announce that I am the new assistant linebacker coach at Menlo College, Atherton, CA.  I be an Oak!  Thanks, Coach K.

If you have an inspirational story of perseverance, please feel free to share it and post it in our comments section.