The Joys of Former Players

One of the greatest joys of being the wife of the coach is seeing the boys succeed past their high school playing days. We have been blessed to be part of teams that are full of talent. Every season we enjoy watching the college scouts come and recruit. Each year there are a few from the team that sign with D1 and/or D2 schools.

During one of our moves we went into the Verizon store to change sign up for our new cable plan. I shocked my salesman when he was trying to talk to me about movie packages and I said I’d rather talk sports packages.  I needed to be able to see all of my boys play on Saturday. The salesman said he’d never had a woman ask for that.  I told him not many women have children playing in the Big 12, PAC10, Ivy Leagues, Big 10, etc. I however, did and I wanted to watch them all play ball.  I now spend Saturdays doing laundry and anything else I can possibly do in front of the TV while I watch my boys play ball.  I love hearing the announcers talk about my boys and where they came from and what a great athlete they are.  Every Saturday I’m a proud mama as I sit and cheer on my boys and watch them do great things at the college level.

Beyond college ball we've had a few that have even made it to the professional level. I can still remember where I was and what I was doing the night our phone rang during the NFL draft and it was one of our former players calling to tell my coach that he had been drafted. He wanted to say thank you to him for helping him to succeed to the ultimate level of football.  That night I saw the joy in the face of my coach and new right then that my coach was doing what he was called to do.  He got the joy of watching all of his hard work and effort come to fruition as one of his players met his life goal of playing in the NFL.

Although not all of our players go on to play in college or in the NFL we still get the joy of watching them succeed in their college years and in their chosen professions.  We love holidays when they come home and we get to see them up at the field house or out in the community.  We enjoy hearing what’s going on in their lives and what they are up to. It’s fun to hear how school is going, who they are dating, and what they have experienced “out in the real world.”

For many years we had a special group of boys that we met each Christmas at the home of one their parents. We enjoyed dinner and then came the ultimate gingerbread house making competition.  You’d be amazed at the creativity level and designs of some of those houses.  These boys (now men) hold a special place in our hearts because they were a part of our wedding.  Now they are grown and married or have moved off to further their careers. 

A couple of them have joined the coaching ranks. Each year at coaching school we get to have our own little reunion and see how their kids have grown and catch up on their lives. This year while I was working on of the booths I looked up and there stood one of our former players.  He was grinning ear to ear and couldn't wait to find coach.  I asked what he was up to and he said that he was now a graduate assistant at a university here in Texas.  I couldn't believe my eyes or ears.  He was one that I wasn't sure what track he was headed down.  He told me he couldn't wait to tell Coach.  He was so proud to tell us that he had “gotten his act together” and now he was coaching. He said it was in large part because of my coach who didn't give up on him and now he wanted to do the same for other kids.

It’s been a joy over the years to see these boys grown into men and see where life leads them.  We have been with to meet them for dinner. They have become doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, professional athletes and others have become coaches and teachers.

Being the wife of coach isn't always easy and sometimes the hours are long and the frustration level is high but there are rewards. The greatest reward is to see these young men come back after they have graduated and to hear them tell my coach thank you.  They say thank you for investing in them and spending time with them. They thank him for not killing them when sometimes they needed killing. Others thank him for just being there and listening. I even heard one thank him for all the times my coach yelled at him because that’s exactly what he needed.

If you are a former athlete and have never thanked your high school or junior high coaches, I encourage you to do so. If they are like my coach they love hearing their athletes and what’s going on in their lives.  They also cherish what you say and every note that is written to them.  Hearing from a former player is priceless and it makes the hours and all of the work worth it.

Cheering you on,

Laurel