What Coach and Jaybird taught me was a life lesson that I used to bring out the best in students who weren’t the smartest, but who possessed some aptitude to make up for the shortfall
During my college teaching career, experience— always the best teacher — taught me to identify abilities of students whose attitude held them back and do all possible to maximize those abilities. Although challenging, for some it was a life-changing experience. I know. It happened to me in 1961.
In high school, I wanted to play football, but weighed only 97 pounds. Looking at the other players convinced me I was doomed to be a bench warmer. Their uniforms fit well, but Mama had to cut swatches from my jersey until it fit over the shoulder pads and tapered down my rail-thin torso. She sewed loops on the pant’s top so that a tight belt would prevent their falling to my knees. The helmet was beyond her skills, and after being tackled in practice I often arose looking through one of the ear holes.
