Last week I wished
you a week of getting started on reading a book of your choice to take your
personal development to another level. Which book did you choose? I just
finished Killing JFK by Bill O’Reilly. This series is nonfiction and
written in such a way that it parallels the lives of JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald.
Fascinating!
Have you ever started a
business from the ground up? Have you ever had a dream that you pursued? This
past weekend, Jon and I watched the celebration of 17 seniors on Missouri
Baptist University football team as it was their last home game. 10 of those
seniors were with the program for the past four years. There was only one young
man there from the very beginning five years ago.
Bringing a football program
to MBU began as a dream by President Alton Lacey and became a reality in March
of 2013. Jason was named as the very first head coach. There was nothing other
than the field at a neighboring high school for practice and future games. There
were no facilities, no assistant coaches, no trainers, no players, no
equipment, no storage for the equipment, no offense or defense…NOTHING!
Assistant coaches were
approached with a dream and the challenge of starting a program from the ground
up. Brick by brick. Players and parents were approached with a dream, a vision,
being a part of something special. It was the passion and the vision of what
was coming.
Equipment was stored in a
small storage area, cubbies were bought from Home Depot, and practice times had
to be early in the morning when the high school wasn’t using the field. Brick
by brick. Plans were starting to be put together for a brand-new facility,
trees were being cleared, some players left, new ones came on board. Brick by
brick.
Fast forward to the fourth
season of officially playing football. There’s a facility with locker rooms, coaches’
offices, meeting rooms, and a field that is for practice. Yet to come will be
the final additions needed to make the practice field their official playing
field for their games. Brick by brick. Accept the Challenge.
What was it that kept the
young first-time head coach recruiting better talent, talking to parents,
crafting his dream, communicating that vision to everyone from players to
parents, to assistant coaches, to the professors, to the administrators, to
sponsors and basically anyone that would listen? Why did he continually reach
out to others for advice, read books on coaching, and adjust as the program began
to develop?
First, true leaders are
willing to learn, grow, and change. John Maxwell continually talks about true
leaders surrounding themselves with the very best. They’re not intimidated by
others with more experience or those who are going to add something new and
different. Jason did that and continues to do that.
Second, there has been his
deep seeded desire to create a program of integrity, one with a strong
foundation of quality football, quality coaching, and quality players. The goal
is to not only develop a strong football program with great athletes, but even
more important the goal is to develop young men for life.
What was it that 10 players
stayed on for four years despite not winning a lot of games? They shared their
thoughts during a 45-minute Periscope session. First and foremost, they bought
into the vision that Coach B was “selling.” They bought into the importance of
building a strong foundation from the very beginning. They understood the
importance of learning, growing, studying the game, their position, and pushing
through the doubts. They talked about the integrity of the coaches and how much
they were learning not only about football but about life as a man. They are
not quitters, they developed incredible friendships for a lifetime, they will
graduate with a degree, and they bought into building brick by brick. They
continually ACCEPT the Challenge. They were proud they were there celebrating
their accomplishments, as seniors, knowing their blood, sweat, and hard work
has brought the program to another level. Brick by brick. Accept the Challenge!
I share this because we
seldom have a chance to build from the ground up and create something that begins
as only a vision. Yet, in listening to these seniors, I realized how very
special this group has been all along and how unique of a situation they have
been in over the past four years. Parents have been there encouraging their
sons because they also believed in what Coach B was creating, and how he was
making a difference in their son’s life.
There were far more players
who left the program. Why? Some weren’t getting the playing time they thought
they should have. Some didn’t realize it was much harder on the college level
and they weren’t willing to put in the time necessary. Some didn’t do well in
the classroom and the list goes on. “Strong minds suffer without complaining;
weak minds complain without suffering.”
These 10 young men had
challenges as is true on any journey. What they did have and what they held on
to is a head coach who believed in them, challenged them, wouldn’t let them
settle for just being average, and they knew they were on a journey of a
lifetime. Forever, their picture and their accomplishments will be a part of
the record books.
Vision – Know your WHY -
Patience – Attention to detail – Ups and Downs – Focus – One step at a time –
Pushing through – NEVER give up – Celebrate the accomplishments – NEVER settle
– 100% commitment – Have fun!
Integrity – Honesty –
Respect the process – Learn – Grow – Adjust – NEVER lose sight of the goal –
TEAM – Relationships!
Life is a journey. Jason,
his staff of coaches, the players, the professors, the Learning Center support
staff, and so many others are all a part of making this dream of having MBU
football become a reality. This is only the fourth season building a team and
creating a legacy for all those who will play in the future.
The 10 seniors are young
men who will graduate with a degree and move on with their lives full of
memories. They will take all they experienced with them and have a bond of
friendship and connection to Missouri Baptist football for the rest of their
lives.
“Success is the result of perfection,
hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.”
Colin Powell
I wish you a week to
examine something you’ve done in your life and what lessons you learned from
that experience.
Awesome story. You must be so proud of Jason & these seniors!
ReplyDelete