I was Leland High School’s clumsiest football player — the exact opposite of athleticism, and during our senior-year season, my self-esteem was at an all-time low. Gawky, ungainly, skeleton thin, weighing only 110 pounds, I was ashamed to join my teammates on the field. After practice, I’d go home, flop on my bed, cry, and ponder this question: Will I ever be a man?
I got the answer from a man who changed my life dramatically for the better — Coach Ben Ruscoe. He knew what I was going through, and was determined to do something about it. He was always there beside us during the difficult passage from boyhood to manhood, teaching us how to be men by making us believe in ourselves.