Have you ever participated in a sport before you've even seen it played? I mean, before I played my first baseball game I'd seen a lot of baseball games. Before I played my first football game I'd seen a lot of football games in person and on TV. Before I went golfing for the first time I had watched it on TV many times. But for me, that's not how it was for my first wrestling match. Here's how it went down.
It was the day of our first meet and I was nervous. We were to wrestle Peoria Manual that night and I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was I was the 95 pound varsity wrestler. Now my normal weight was right around 97 or 98. All I had to do to make weight that night was to skip lunch and go easy on the water. The match was scheduled for 7 p.m. and weigh in was at 6 p.m. Well, I made weight with no problem; I think I weighed about 94 1/2. But when Manual weighed in I noticed that they didn't have a 95 pounder. My teammates told me that meant I was going to win by forfeit. I was a little disappointed because I was ready to wrestle, but at the same time relieved because I had been pretty nervous. Everything was a new experience for me, from team warm-ups to introductions. As we were warming up on the mat my coach, Mr. Gross informed me that he was bumping me up to wrestle at 103. He was moving me up to 103 because since I could beat our 103 pounder he figured I had a better chance to win. My first thought was, "I could have eaten lunch".
Okay, now it was time to get nervous again. My teammates informed me that my 103 pound opponent was a junior named Steve Empson who was the conference champ last year. "Conference champ?” I thought. "You've got to be kidding me." So here I was, a freshman with two weeks practice under my belt, weighing 95 pounds, and wrestling up a weight class against a junior who was the defending conference champ. I knew I was in trouble. "Oh well, maybe not too many people will watch my match". You see, I thought wrestling matches would be like practice. In practice everybody wrestled at once, 20 or 30 guys on the mat. I figured there would probably be four or five matches going on at a time and maybe no one would notice me. That's how naïve I was.
The mats were cleared, coach told me to take off my warm-up top, and shook my hand. He gave me a slap on the rear and sent me out to the mat. As I went out to the mat I turned back to look at my teammates. I noticed that no one was following me. It was then that I realized I was going to wrestle out there all by myself! Well, me and my opponent. As I walked out to the mat, I took a good look at my opponent. He was muscular, had hair on his chest and shaved a full beard. Heck, I had barely reached puberty. I was a baby faced freshman boy going against a hardened, veteran young man. We stepped to the circle, shook hands, and waited for the ref to blow the whistle. Everything was a blur in my mind, I couldn’t think. I was trying to remember the few moves I had been taught. The sound of the whistle interrupted my thoughts and I instinctively began to shuffle stiffly in my stance. Before I could blink, wham! He was in on my legs and taking me to the mat in an instant. As we hit the mat I turned to go belly down but he caught my shoulder and I couldn't get off my back. The gym was roaring with cheers and I was fighting for my life when the whistle blew. We had gone out of bounds and the ref was taking us back to the center for another start. The whistle blew again and he was in on me before I could move, this time we landed in the center of the mat. Again I was on my back fighting for my life. I struggled to keep at least one shoulder up so I wouldn't get pinned but he kept tightening up his hold on me. As I battled I could faintly hear the crowd and my teammates urging me to get off my back. Suddenly the whistle blew and I heard the ref slap the mat. I had been pinned in 56 seconds. We shook hands and I walked dejectedly off the mat. There had been nowhere to hide; everyone in the gym saw it. That’s when I learned it takes a special person to walk out on a wrestling mat.
I sat down on the bench and looked at the mat. Our 112 pounder was getting ready to wrestle. I was finally going to get to see my first wrestling match of my life. I can’t remember if he won or lost, I was still thinking of my disastrous start. As the meet wore on it was a back and forth battle between us and Manual. The meet came down to the heavyweight match with us trailing 27-25. Our 180 pounder and one of the studs of the football team, Larry Elmore, had been bumped up by coach to wrestle Manual’s heavyweight. Elmore was one of my heroes. I didn’t think anyone could whip him. He won a hard fought 3-2 win and we beat Manual that night 28-27.
Many years ago President Theodore Roosevelt gave a cool talk about “The Man in the Ring”. He talked about how people on the sidelines can talk all they want but until you’ve been in the ring yourself, you can’t really understand what it’s like. Well, I got a taste that night, even if I was just the boy in the ring.
Check out www.chiefpigskin.com for more good stories about football and life.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Gladiator
Mr. Gross, the high school wrestling coach, had done a pretty good job of recruiting me for the wrestling team. Mr. Gross was also the varsity line coach for the football team. He knew that wrestling and football went hand-in-hand, although at the time I had no idea. Even though www.chiefpigskin.com is a football site, I’m sure that more than a few of you football coaches out there are familiar with wrestling and its benefits for football players. So when I was recruited for the high school wrestling team, it made no sense to me. (Please see my last column to learn of my recruitment for wrestling) My two favorite sports were football and baseball, but I always enjoyed playing basketball also. So much so that I played on the grade school basketball team from fifth through eighth grade. Now back in those days where I lived we had a lightweight team and a heavyweight team. Since I was a little guy I always qualified to play on the lightweight team but tournament time I also played guard on the heavyweight team. Well, there was no lightweight team in high school so I had already decided that I wasn’t going out for basketball in high school; I saw the writing on the wall. I was an okay basketball player but very small and knew that I would never make the high school team. I figured I would just take the winter off, perhaps play baseball in the spring or perhaps just focus on football. I certainly didn't envision myself being a wrestler, but Mr. Gross had different ideas and he did a great job of recruiting me to be his 95 pounder on the wrestling team.
So here I was, football season was over, and I was in the wrestling room. Now if you've never been in a wrestling room you can't quite imagine the atmosphere. The ideal wrestling room is kept warm and in the case at our school, very warm. I found out wrestlers liked it that way so they could sweat off more weight. Mr. Gross would wrap a cold towel around the thermostat every day before practice. This would ensure that the heat kept running the entire time practice was going on. I never knew how hot it was in that room, it felt like 100 although I'm sure it was only around 80 to 85. It was almost like a steam bath sometimes. By the time you got 30 to 35 guys in there working out hard and sweating you could almost see the steam on the walls. Guys that were cutting weight would wear those old rubber suits which would make them sweat even more. We would all be soaked in sweat, beat up, bloody, and battling each other on the mats. It was a bit crowded in the room and guys were always running into each other and tripping each other up. If a couple of the heavier weights got out of control and were really in a scramble, they would fly all over the mat knocking us little guys down. It was a pretty rough environment, to say the least. The smell of the mats with all that sweat also made its own unique smell. So there I was, steamy, smelly, bloody and tired. If you’ve ever seen a movie about gladiators training for the arena, that’s what I felt like, a gladiator. I was learning a few takedowns and some counters, which simply means ways to stop takedowns by your opponent. I had also learned how to line up in the referee's position, top and bottom. I learned a few pinning combinations from the top position and a few escapes and reversals from the bottom. And after the first practice or two, I didn't throw up anymore when I got tired. But after the first week, I was still wondering what in the world I was doing in this strange new sport. Although it was the hardest sport I had ever tried, there was something about it that appealed to me. For one thing, I was beating the other 95 pound candidates and also beating the 103 pounder. So it gave me a sense of accomplishment, toughness if you will. My dad had been a good boxer, maybe I could be a good wrestler.
Week two, Mr. Gross announced that we were going to have challenge matches. I asked the upperclassman what challenge matches were. They explained to me that we would have matches, “wrestle offs”, to decide who would be in the starting lineup against our first opponent. The coach wouldn't decide the starting lineup; we would by our performance in our challenge match. Whoever won the wrestle off was the starter. I liked that idea. I felt I deserved to be getting a little more playing time on the freshman football team but the coaches decided I was too small and not good enough I guess. Now I had a chance to earn a starting spot by simply winning. It was in MY hands.
On Tuesday night it was time to begin challenge matches. Our coach had written all the pairings on the board and I was scheduled to wrestle Jim Thompson for the starting spot at 95. Since we were lightweights, we were up first. However, it wasn't just us wrestling our challenge match, there were about four others going on at the same time. You had to conduct your match in just one little section of the mat. There would be two of us wrestling and an experienced, veteran wrestler was the official. So there were always probably about four or five matches going on at the same time. I was ready to go. I had been practicing against Thompson for the last week and knew that I could dominate him. This was the first wrestling match of my life, and I wasn't even sure how they conducted these things. Our ref had us shake hands and gave us the command, “Ready, wrestle!” After a little bobbing and weaving, I found a good opening and shot in for a double leg takedown, the only takedown I really knew. It was just like a tackle in football and I hit it deep and took him down to the mat. Two points for me. I controlled the match the rest of the way and wound up winning 4-0. The starting spot was mine. I was completely exhausted but happy. Simply put, wrestling was the most physically demanding sport I had ever attempted in my life. I know what you're thinking, "Heck, it's only three two-minute periods, six minutes. Should be easy”. Well, let me tell you, it's the longest six minutes of your life.
The rest of the week we continued our gladiator type training preparing for our first match the following week against archrival Manual High School. All I knew was that Manual was from the south end of town and had a reputation of being a bunch of tough kids. They had whipped us in football, but our upperclassman told us this was our chance to get them back. I could tell this was going to be a big deal. I hoped I was ready and now I was getting nervous. I mean, come on, I was big time. I was the starting varsity 95 pound wrestler!
So here I was, football season was over, and I was in the wrestling room. Now if you've never been in a wrestling room you can't quite imagine the atmosphere. The ideal wrestling room is kept warm and in the case at our school, very warm. I found out wrestlers liked it that way so they could sweat off more weight. Mr. Gross would wrap a cold towel around the thermostat every day before practice. This would ensure that the heat kept running the entire time practice was going on. I never knew how hot it was in that room, it felt like 100 although I'm sure it was only around 80 to 85. It was almost like a steam bath sometimes. By the time you got 30 to 35 guys in there working out hard and sweating you could almost see the steam on the walls. Guys that were cutting weight would wear those old rubber suits which would make them sweat even more. We would all be soaked in sweat, beat up, bloody, and battling each other on the mats. It was a bit crowded in the room and guys were always running into each other and tripping each other up. If a couple of the heavier weights got out of control and were really in a scramble, they would fly all over the mat knocking us little guys down. It was a pretty rough environment, to say the least. The smell of the mats with all that sweat also made its own unique smell. So there I was, steamy, smelly, bloody and tired. If you’ve ever seen a movie about gladiators training for the arena, that’s what I felt like, a gladiator. I was learning a few takedowns and some counters, which simply means ways to stop takedowns by your opponent. I had also learned how to line up in the referee's position, top and bottom. I learned a few pinning combinations from the top position and a few escapes and reversals from the bottom. And after the first practice or two, I didn't throw up anymore when I got tired. But after the first week, I was still wondering what in the world I was doing in this strange new sport. Although it was the hardest sport I had ever tried, there was something about it that appealed to me. For one thing, I was beating the other 95 pound candidates and also beating the 103 pounder. So it gave me a sense of accomplishment, toughness if you will. My dad had been a good boxer, maybe I could be a good wrestler.
Week two, Mr. Gross announced that we were going to have challenge matches. I asked the upperclassman what challenge matches were. They explained to me that we would have matches, “wrestle offs”, to decide who would be in the starting lineup against our first opponent. The coach wouldn't decide the starting lineup; we would by our performance in our challenge match. Whoever won the wrestle off was the starter. I liked that idea. I felt I deserved to be getting a little more playing time on the freshman football team but the coaches decided I was too small and not good enough I guess. Now I had a chance to earn a starting spot by simply winning. It was in MY hands.
On Tuesday night it was time to begin challenge matches. Our coach had written all the pairings on the board and I was scheduled to wrestle Jim Thompson for the starting spot at 95. Since we were lightweights, we were up first. However, it wasn't just us wrestling our challenge match, there were about four others going on at the same time. You had to conduct your match in just one little section of the mat. There would be two of us wrestling and an experienced, veteran wrestler was the official. So there were always probably about four or five matches going on at the same time. I was ready to go. I had been practicing against Thompson for the last week and knew that I could dominate him. This was the first wrestling match of my life, and I wasn't even sure how they conducted these things. Our ref had us shake hands and gave us the command, “Ready, wrestle!” After a little bobbing and weaving, I found a good opening and shot in for a double leg takedown, the only takedown I really knew. It was just like a tackle in football and I hit it deep and took him down to the mat. Two points for me. I controlled the match the rest of the way and wound up winning 4-0. The starting spot was mine. I was completely exhausted but happy. Simply put, wrestling was the most physically demanding sport I had ever attempted in my life. I know what you're thinking, "Heck, it's only three two-minute periods, six minutes. Should be easy”. Well, let me tell you, it's the longest six minutes of your life.
The rest of the week we continued our gladiator type training preparing for our first match the following week against archrival Manual High School. All I knew was that Manual was from the south end of town and had a reputation of being a bunch of tough kids. They had whipped us in football, but our upperclassman told us this was our chance to get them back. I could tell this was going to be a big deal. I hoped I was ready and now I was getting nervous. I mean, come on, I was big time. I was the starting varsity 95 pound wrestler!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
My Recruitment!
You wouldn't think that a freshman in high school standing 5 feet tall and weighing about 95 pounds would be a recruiting target, but I actually was. No, I was not being recruited by Michigan to play tailback, although I sure would've liked that. After all, football was my favorite sport. And I wasn't being recruited by UCLA to play basketball, although I sure would've liked that also. So who in the world would recruit a freshman who weighed 95 pounds for anything? I was being recruited for the high school wrestling team. You see, 95 pounders were pretty valuable guys to have on the team. Some schools didn't have a 95 pounder on the wrestling team and they would have to forfeit that weight class. Meaning, you got an automatic win in that weight class if you had a guy on your team that weighed 95. One of the most basic ways to have a competitive wrestling team is to make sure that you fill all the weight classes. Well, they had their eye on me for that 95 pound spot.
Now of course, there aren't too many guys walking the halls of high school that weigh95 pounds. So early in the fall when I was on the football team I became the target of the wrestling coach. Mr. Gross was his name and he was the line coach for the varsity football team. He was an older coach, had a big barrel chest, and always looked mad. Every time he saw me out on the practice field, or coming in or out from practice, he would always stop me and say, "NL,” in that nasal voice of his, "are you gonna come out for wrestling?" At first I ignored him because I have to admit I was a little scared of Mr. Gross. Secondly, I had never wrestled in my life. Oh ,I had wrestled in the backyard with my buddies and with my brothers, but not this kind of wrestling with rules. In fact, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a high school wrestling team. I played basketball in grade school and although I wasn't great, I started on the grade school basketball team and had a fair amount of success. We didn’t have a wrestling team. So when Mr. Gross started asking me if I was going to wrestle, my response of course, was no. Now I didn't tell HIM that, because as I said, I was a little bit afraid of Mr. Gross. So my strategy was just to pretend like I didn't hear him or duck him whenever I could. Eventually, I had to answer because he continued to ask me if I was going to wrestle. My response was a very definite, "ummm maybe." Why couldn't this guy just take a hint? There was no way I was getting talked into this.
Toward the end of the football season, one night after practice, one of the captains of the wrestling team who was not playing a fall sport, grabbed me and brought me into the wrestling room. In the room was a handful of guys practicing takedowns. At least that's what they said they were doing. I believed them because I didn't know what a takedown was. Well, Mr. Wrestling Captain paired me up with another little freshman and said, "You guys are going to go takedowns for a little bit. Mr. Gross said you were interested in wrestling." "What do I do?" I asked. “Well”, the captain replied, “You just try to get a hold of him and take him down to the mat.” He looked at my opponent and winked. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, so I just figured I'd try to tackle him just like I did on the football field. The captain blew his whistle, and I charged in low and hard, grabbed both legs and took the guy to the mat. The captain was in disbelief! He had been working with this other little guy for the last two weeks and I walked in to the room and took him down in about 5 seconds. After chastising my opponent, he told us to try again. Again I tackled my opponent to the mat in about five or 10 seconds. Now the captain was really chastising my opponent. His protégé had just gone down twice in 30 seconds. He told me that was enough, and sent me to the locker room.
Mr. Gross must've gotten wind of what happened, because the next day he told me that I was definitely going to wrestle. I finally said, "Mr. Gross I've never wrestled in my life, I don't think I can do it." Well, he had a good answer for me. The old coach said, "Are you tough?" "Yeah, I'm tough." I said. "Are you a good athlete?" “Yeah, I'm a good athlete.” “ Then you can wrestle!” growled the old coach, and that was that. He sure knew how to appeal to my cockiness.
When the football season got over, I figured I'd give wrestling a try. So on the first day of practice I reported to the team. I walked in to see about 30 other guys in the practice room. Most of them were football players so I felt right at home. I didn't know the rules, I didn't know any moves, and I had no clue what was going on. The one thing that I can remember about my first wrestling practice, is that about 20 minutes into it I threw up. I thought I was in good shape. After all, I had been playing sports my entire life. But I wasn't ready for this. It took only a few minutes and I was so tired I could barely get off the mat. After barely making it to the bathroom I threw up in the toilet, wiped my mouth with my t-shirt and headed back into the room. What had I gotten myself into?
Thanks again to http://www.chiefpigskin.com for letting me share.
Now of course, there aren't too many guys walking the halls of high school that weigh95 pounds. So early in the fall when I was on the football team I became the target of the wrestling coach. Mr. Gross was his name and he was the line coach for the varsity football team. He was an older coach, had a big barrel chest, and always looked mad. Every time he saw me out on the practice field, or coming in or out from practice, he would always stop me and say, "NL,” in that nasal voice of his, "are you gonna come out for wrestling?" At first I ignored him because I have to admit I was a little scared of Mr. Gross. Secondly, I had never wrestled in my life. Oh ,I had wrestled in the backyard with my buddies and with my brothers, but not this kind of wrestling with rules. In fact, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a high school wrestling team. I played basketball in grade school and although I wasn't great, I started on the grade school basketball team and had a fair amount of success. We didn’t have a wrestling team. So when Mr. Gross started asking me if I was going to wrestle, my response of course, was no. Now I didn't tell HIM that, because as I said, I was a little bit afraid of Mr. Gross. So my strategy was just to pretend like I didn't hear him or duck him whenever I could. Eventually, I had to answer because he continued to ask me if I was going to wrestle. My response was a very definite, "ummm maybe." Why couldn't this guy just take a hint? There was no way I was getting talked into this.
Toward the end of the football season, one night after practice, one of the captains of the wrestling team who was not playing a fall sport, grabbed me and brought me into the wrestling room. In the room was a handful of guys practicing takedowns. At least that's what they said they were doing. I believed them because I didn't know what a takedown was. Well, Mr. Wrestling Captain paired me up with another little freshman and said, "You guys are going to go takedowns for a little bit. Mr. Gross said you were interested in wrestling." "What do I do?" I asked. “Well”, the captain replied, “You just try to get a hold of him and take him down to the mat.” He looked at my opponent and winked. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, so I just figured I'd try to tackle him just like I did on the football field. The captain blew his whistle, and I charged in low and hard, grabbed both legs and took the guy to the mat. The captain was in disbelief! He had been working with this other little guy for the last two weeks and I walked in to the room and took him down in about 5 seconds. After chastising my opponent, he told us to try again. Again I tackled my opponent to the mat in about five or 10 seconds. Now the captain was really chastising my opponent. His protégé had just gone down twice in 30 seconds. He told me that was enough, and sent me to the locker room.
Mr. Gross must've gotten wind of what happened, because the next day he told me that I was definitely going to wrestle. I finally said, "Mr. Gross I've never wrestled in my life, I don't think I can do it." Well, he had a good answer for me. The old coach said, "Are you tough?" "Yeah, I'm tough." I said. "Are you a good athlete?" “Yeah, I'm a good athlete.” “ Then you can wrestle!” growled the old coach, and that was that. He sure knew how to appeal to my cockiness.
When the football season got over, I figured I'd give wrestling a try. So on the first day of practice I reported to the team. I walked in to see about 30 other guys in the practice room. Most of them were football players so I felt right at home. I didn't know the rules, I didn't know any moves, and I had no clue what was going on. The one thing that I can remember about my first wrestling practice, is that about 20 minutes into it I threw up. I thought I was in good shape. After all, I had been playing sports my entire life. But I wasn't ready for this. It took only a few minutes and I was so tired I could barely get off the mat. After barely making it to the bathroom I threw up in the toilet, wiped my mouth with my t-shirt and headed back into the room. What had I gotten myself into?
Thanks again to http://www.chiefpigskin.com for letting me share.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
My Heisman Vote
I don't have a Heisman vote and it’s probably a good thing that I don't. My vote would be much different than everyone else's. I was watching the Orange bowl the other night between Virginia Tech and Stanford and one player stood out to me all night long. He played for Stanford and I was very impressed. No, that player was not Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. As good as he is, and I was impressed with him, the player that stood out to me was not Luck. The player I was impressed with was playing inside linebacker for Stanford and he was making plays all over the place. He was standing running backs up in the hole, sacking the quarterback, and knocking down passes. Oh, wait a minute, it wasn't the inside linebacker I was watching, it was the fullback. On power running plays he was colliding with linebackers and standing them up. He also ran the football on the goal line and scored a touchdown. Was this two different guys? Nope, it was the same guy. His name was Owen Marecic and he went both ways for Stanford. This guy not only played both ways, but he did it very well. It was one of the most impressive performances I've seen from a college football player in a long time. I mean, guys just don't play both ways anymore. It was like watching Bronco Nagurski from the 30s.
Of course, I realize that most Division I college football programs don't need guys to play both ways. They’ve got plenty of scholarship players that can do the job and there's really no reason one guy needs to play both ways. We all know the benefits of having one way players. It keeps your players fresh, is great for team morale, and allows guys to focus on just one position. But still, you have to be impressed with what Marecic did. I know I was, and he gets my vote for the Heisman trophy. He is a FOOTBALL PLAYER.
My question is, why doesn't this guy get more publicity? A few guys got all the publicity this year and he was not one of them. I think that's a shame because our focus is on the wrong places.
We focus on the guys with the big stats, and if players don’t have the stats they don't get much attention. I’d like to see it changed a little bit, but that's just my opinion. It seems as though if you're not on everyone's preseason Heisman list, you don't get much of a look all season. No one would ever go for this idea, but I think there should be no Heisman talk until at least halfway through the season. Let's find out who's really having a good year instead of just hyping a guy at the beginning. Having said all that, do I think Cam Newton deserved to win the Heisman Trophy award? Yes, I do. You can't argue with the season that he had, and he is a deserving winner but I sure did like the way this Marecic played.
Thoughts on the Rose Bowl
Let me begin by saying that TCU is a very good team. Let me also say that Wisconsin is a very good team. I really enjoyed this year's Rose Bowl, I thought it was a great matchup between two great teams. One of the things I like about college ball and high school ball, is that you get to look at different types of offenses go at it. On one side we had the spread offense of TCU, and on the other side the power offense for Wisconsin. Each team pretty much said, “ this is who we are and this is what we do, and you're going to have to stop us.” Last year I wrote an article about having an identity and I think these two programs fit the bill perfectly. TCU says, "We're going to spread you out and use our speed and quickness and passing attack to beat you." Wisconsin says, “We're going to line up in our power formation with tight ends and we're going to run the football with play action passes and that's how we're going to beat you.” Have an identity and stick to it.
A lot of people questioned whether or not TCU could handle Wisconsin’s size, but let's face it, all football teams are big. It's not like TCU was a bunch of small guys out there. They were big, Wisconsin was just bigger and probably bigger than most teams. But people forgot that TCU plays very good defense, and good defense is good defense whether you're playing big teams or not. The player from TCU that stood out to me was a guy named Tank Carder. He was all over the place, making tackles, sacking quarterbacks, and knocking down passes. He was the epitome of what TCU football is.
The biggest surprise of the night for me, was when Wisconsin scored a late touchdown to cut the lead to 21-19 late in the game. When they lined up to go for two, they lined up in the shotgun and I about fell off my couch. I couldn't believe that Wisconsin was lining up in the shotgun in such a crucial situation. This is not what Wisconsin does, this is not their identity. I fully expected them to line up in their power formation and either run the football, or throw a play action pass. They had just run the football right down TCU's throat on the last drive. If they had come out in their power formation, I have to believe that TCU would've been very, very worried about having to stop the run. Also, in the back of their mind, they had to know the play action pass was probably coming. But of course, in that situation you must stop the run first. That's why I believe that a play action pass on the goal line would've been the best choice. But instead, Wisconsin lined up in the shotgun and the pass was batted down. In Wisconsin's defense, they did have a man open in the end zone. And I am not about to question the Wisconsin coaches, I have a lot of respect for what they do and it's their team. They know what they're doing, and they've been with the guys in practice and games all year. But it certainly did surprise me.
Between the bowl games, and checking out what's new on www.chiefpigskin.com, I'll get plenty of football. Now it's on to that time of year when we begin preparing for next season, working the weight room, going to clinics, and encouraging our athletes to be the best they can be.
Of course, I realize that most Division I college football programs don't need guys to play both ways. They’ve got plenty of scholarship players that can do the job and there's really no reason one guy needs to play both ways. We all know the benefits of having one way players. It keeps your players fresh, is great for team morale, and allows guys to focus on just one position. But still, you have to be impressed with what Marecic did. I know I was, and he gets my vote for the Heisman trophy. He is a FOOTBALL PLAYER.
My question is, why doesn't this guy get more publicity? A few guys got all the publicity this year and he was not one of them. I think that's a shame because our focus is on the wrong places.
We focus on the guys with the big stats, and if players don’t have the stats they don't get much attention. I’d like to see it changed a little bit, but that's just my opinion. It seems as though if you're not on everyone's preseason Heisman list, you don't get much of a look all season. No one would ever go for this idea, but I think there should be no Heisman talk until at least halfway through the season. Let's find out who's really having a good year instead of just hyping a guy at the beginning. Having said all that, do I think Cam Newton deserved to win the Heisman Trophy award? Yes, I do. You can't argue with the season that he had, and he is a deserving winner but I sure did like the way this Marecic played.
Thoughts on the Rose Bowl
Let me begin by saying that TCU is a very good team. Let me also say that Wisconsin is a very good team. I really enjoyed this year's Rose Bowl, I thought it was a great matchup between two great teams. One of the things I like about college ball and high school ball, is that you get to look at different types of offenses go at it. On one side we had the spread offense of TCU, and on the other side the power offense for Wisconsin. Each team pretty much said, “ this is who we are and this is what we do, and you're going to have to stop us.” Last year I wrote an article about having an identity and I think these two programs fit the bill perfectly. TCU says, "We're going to spread you out and use our speed and quickness and passing attack to beat you." Wisconsin says, “We're going to line up in our power formation with tight ends and we're going to run the football with play action passes and that's how we're going to beat you.” Have an identity and stick to it.
A lot of people questioned whether or not TCU could handle Wisconsin’s size, but let's face it, all football teams are big. It's not like TCU was a bunch of small guys out there. They were big, Wisconsin was just bigger and probably bigger than most teams. But people forgot that TCU plays very good defense, and good defense is good defense whether you're playing big teams or not. The player from TCU that stood out to me was a guy named Tank Carder. He was all over the place, making tackles, sacking quarterbacks, and knocking down passes. He was the epitome of what TCU football is.
The biggest surprise of the night for me, was when Wisconsin scored a late touchdown to cut the lead to 21-19 late in the game. When they lined up to go for two, they lined up in the shotgun and I about fell off my couch. I couldn't believe that Wisconsin was lining up in the shotgun in such a crucial situation. This is not what Wisconsin does, this is not their identity. I fully expected them to line up in their power formation and either run the football, or throw a play action pass. They had just run the football right down TCU's throat on the last drive. If they had come out in their power formation, I have to believe that TCU would've been very, very worried about having to stop the run. Also, in the back of their mind, they had to know the play action pass was probably coming. But of course, in that situation you must stop the run first. That's why I believe that a play action pass on the goal line would've been the best choice. But instead, Wisconsin lined up in the shotgun and the pass was batted down. In Wisconsin's defense, they did have a man open in the end zone. And I am not about to question the Wisconsin coaches, I have a lot of respect for what they do and it's their team. They know what they're doing, and they've been with the guys in practice and games all year. But it certainly did surprise me.
Between the bowl games, and checking out what's new on www.chiefpigskin.com, I'll get plenty of football. Now it's on to that time of year when we begin preparing for next season, working the weight room, going to clinics, and encouraging our athletes to be the best they can be.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Simple Joys
The high school playoffs are over and the state champions have been crowned. Congratulations to all of you who won a state championship but also congratulations to all of you who guided and mentored young men this past season. High school coaches are taking a little time off (maybe) and the college bowl season is getting under way which makes this Bowl Season, right? Well, yeah, I guess it is but actually it’s a much more important season. It’s Christmas Season. For the next couple of weeks or so we will all be busy with family activities and the business of Christmas. To Chiefpigskin.com and all of you coaches out there I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
This season is to be a season of Joy. Webster’s dictionary defines joy as happiness or delight. I get much joy from my wife and children, but I am getting new joy in my grand children. They are truly a delight. And if I turn on the television and see a football game (or almost any sport for that matter) I get some joy from that. But I was reminded of some simple joys by Mike Heiniger, Pastor of Crossroads Church in Monticello, Illinois and with his permission I’d like to share them with you. I believe some of these apply to coaches and teachers particularly well. Mike called them simple joys and the bible has much to say on the subject.
1. Timely words. Proverbs 15:23 says, “A man takes joy in giving an answer, and a timely word – how good that is!” (HCSB) Not only is it good for us to give encouraging words but it is good to hear timely words. Think of the simple joy you give to your family, players and others with an encouraging word.
2. Timely looks. Proverbs 15:30 tells us, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” (NLT) Think of it, just a cheerful look can bring joy. The impact of good news and a cheerful look can’t be taken lightly. Too often I have had a somber face, too stern. I need to heed the advice of Proverbs and give a warm smile and nod of encouragement as I greet those around me.
3. Generous gifts. Acts 14:16, 17 remind us that “In earlier days God permitted all nations to go their own ways, but He never left himself without a witness. There were always His reminders, such as sending rain and good crops and giving you food and joyful hearts.” (NLT) We too can make joyful hearts with our generous giving. How often have you given away a good gift and had your heart warmed? The receiver and giver are both blessed with joy.
4. Joy of Jesus. No matter what, you can’t take Him away. He’s always with us. Jesus said, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love just as I obey my Father and remain in His love. I have told you this so you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:9-11. (NLT) And Hebrews 10:34 says “When all you owned was taken away from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew you had better things waiting for you in eternity.” (NLT) And finally, how about 1 Peter 1:8, 9 which tells us “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Your reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.” (NLT) Now that’s something to be joyful about.
Remember the simple joys you can bring to your athletes and students. As coaches we cannot overestimate the influence we can have over those around us. Use timely words, a cheerful look, and be generous, whatever that looks like to you. May the Lord bless you and your family this holiday season and grant you the simple joys!
This season is to be a season of Joy. Webster’s dictionary defines joy as happiness or delight. I get much joy from my wife and children, but I am getting new joy in my grand children. They are truly a delight. And if I turn on the television and see a football game (or almost any sport for that matter) I get some joy from that. But I was reminded of some simple joys by Mike Heiniger, Pastor of Crossroads Church in Monticello, Illinois and with his permission I’d like to share them with you. I believe some of these apply to coaches and teachers particularly well. Mike called them simple joys and the bible has much to say on the subject.
1. Timely words. Proverbs 15:23 says, “A man takes joy in giving an answer, and a timely word – how good that is!” (HCSB) Not only is it good for us to give encouraging words but it is good to hear timely words. Think of the simple joy you give to your family, players and others with an encouraging word.
2. Timely looks. Proverbs 15:30 tells us, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” (NLT) Think of it, just a cheerful look can bring joy. The impact of good news and a cheerful look can’t be taken lightly. Too often I have had a somber face, too stern. I need to heed the advice of Proverbs and give a warm smile and nod of encouragement as I greet those around me.
3. Generous gifts. Acts 14:16, 17 remind us that “In earlier days God permitted all nations to go their own ways, but He never left himself without a witness. There were always His reminders, such as sending rain and good crops and giving you food and joyful hearts.” (NLT) We too can make joyful hearts with our generous giving. How often have you given away a good gift and had your heart warmed? The receiver and giver are both blessed with joy.
4. Joy of Jesus. No matter what, you can’t take Him away. He’s always with us. Jesus said, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love just as I obey my Father and remain in His love. I have told you this so you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:9-11. (NLT) And Hebrews 10:34 says “When all you owned was taken away from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew you had better things waiting for you in eternity.” (NLT) And finally, how about 1 Peter 1:8, 9 which tells us “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Your reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.” (NLT) Now that’s something to be joyful about.
Remember the simple joys you can bring to your athletes and students. As coaches we cannot overestimate the influence we can have over those around us. Use timely words, a cheerful look, and be generous, whatever that looks like to you. May the Lord bless you and your family this holiday season and grant you the simple joys!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
One on One
When I was a little boy around 6 or 7 years old I loved playing one on one. But wait, isn’t that a basketball game? Nope. Not the way we played it. Our one on one was football and I’m sure others of you played it in some form too. I can’t believe my buddies and I were the only ones in America that played this game. How about two on two, three on three, four on four, four on five? Or how about one against all which we called “kill the man with the ball”. You name it, it’s just good old fashioned backyard, sandlot football.
Actually, I would play one on one all the way up to when I was in high school if I could find someone to play against. As a young boy I was enthralled with running with the ball trying to avoid tacklers, tackling the guy with the ball, piling on, the smell of the grass and dirt when you hit the ground, the smell of the leather football and best of all – getting dirty. I could go home with dirt all over me and grass stains on my jeans and when Mom demanded to know what happened, I just said, “I was playing football.” Although I’m sure she still wasn’t happy, she didn’t say anymore.
I don’t know how you guys played one on one, but here’s how we did it. The yard was the football field. A small tree on each side, or a thrown down rag or shirt served as the goal line. We didn’t need a kick off; we would just start on the “twenty”. The guy with the ball would snap it to himself and run right, left, or straight ahead. The defensive guy would line up anywhere he wanted but generally right over the guy with the ball. Kind of like a nose guard over the center, except in this case the center was the ball carrier. When I was the offensive guy I snapped it to myself and usually tried to just veer left or right. I liked running hard at a 45 degree angle and trying to pick up four or five yards as I was being dragged down. With four of these gains in a row, a twenty yard drive could be achieved and a touchdown! Of course, if you were playing a tough kid, he would limit you to about a one or two yard gain. In this case I would have to be more creative. I might pull out my end run, where my first two or three steps were flat, and then I’d try to beat him around the end with quickness. I was a little guy so sometimes I could make this work. If I could hit it real quickly, sometimes my end run would break to a big play and a TD. My next play was when I would snap the ball, take a hard step left, plant, and run back hard to my right. It was my “fake left, go right play”. Of course, we call that a counter play as big boys. This could also turn in to a big play. Defensively I liked lining up like a nose guard although we didn’t call it that. Heck, I didn’t even know what a nose guard was. As my opponent started his play I just hit him around the waist or thighs, wrapped up with my arms, and dragged him down. I got pretty good at tackling and used this technique all the way through high school. Come to think of it, I can remember the high school coaches “teaching” us to tackle. I guess I wasn’t very coachable because I tackled my way. No one needed to teach me how to tackle, I could tackle anyone! Arrogant little rascal, wasn’t I?
When it came to two on two, which also was a great game, the center would hike it to the quarterback. The center would block or go out for a pass. Defensively we would line up with a nose guard and a linebacker right behind him. Another option was a two man line on defense, but someone had to cover the center if he went out for a pass. How many hours could I play these games? How many hours are in a day? Three on three, four on four, it didn’t matter, we would make it work.
As I look back now I realize that this is how football should be played when you’re a kid. Adults just get in the way. We didn’t want to do drills when we were ten years old and stand in line waiting to block a dummy. We didn’t need some old guy thinking he was Vince Lombardi trying to get us in shape by running sprints. We ran all day long, why did we have to get in shape? We just PLAYED THE GAME! For hours.
Here I am now fifty years later and guess what? I’m still figuring out ways to stay involved in football. I enjoy sites like www.chiefpigskin.com so that I can stay close to the game. I’m not sure how many little boys still play backyard football. I hope they do and I hope they invent their own versions of football. That’s what makes it fun.
Actually, I would play one on one all the way up to when I was in high school if I could find someone to play against. As a young boy I was enthralled with running with the ball trying to avoid tacklers, tackling the guy with the ball, piling on, the smell of the grass and dirt when you hit the ground, the smell of the leather football and best of all – getting dirty. I could go home with dirt all over me and grass stains on my jeans and when Mom demanded to know what happened, I just said, “I was playing football.” Although I’m sure she still wasn’t happy, she didn’t say anymore.
I don’t know how you guys played one on one, but here’s how we did it. The yard was the football field. A small tree on each side, or a thrown down rag or shirt served as the goal line. We didn’t need a kick off; we would just start on the “twenty”. The guy with the ball would snap it to himself and run right, left, or straight ahead. The defensive guy would line up anywhere he wanted but generally right over the guy with the ball. Kind of like a nose guard over the center, except in this case the center was the ball carrier. When I was the offensive guy I snapped it to myself and usually tried to just veer left or right. I liked running hard at a 45 degree angle and trying to pick up four or five yards as I was being dragged down. With four of these gains in a row, a twenty yard drive could be achieved and a touchdown! Of course, if you were playing a tough kid, he would limit you to about a one or two yard gain. In this case I would have to be more creative. I might pull out my end run, where my first two or three steps were flat, and then I’d try to beat him around the end with quickness. I was a little guy so sometimes I could make this work. If I could hit it real quickly, sometimes my end run would break to a big play and a TD. My next play was when I would snap the ball, take a hard step left, plant, and run back hard to my right. It was my “fake left, go right play”. Of course, we call that a counter play as big boys. This could also turn in to a big play. Defensively I liked lining up like a nose guard although we didn’t call it that. Heck, I didn’t even know what a nose guard was. As my opponent started his play I just hit him around the waist or thighs, wrapped up with my arms, and dragged him down. I got pretty good at tackling and used this technique all the way through high school. Come to think of it, I can remember the high school coaches “teaching” us to tackle. I guess I wasn’t very coachable because I tackled my way. No one needed to teach me how to tackle, I could tackle anyone! Arrogant little rascal, wasn’t I?
When it came to two on two, which also was a great game, the center would hike it to the quarterback. The center would block or go out for a pass. Defensively we would line up with a nose guard and a linebacker right behind him. Another option was a two man line on defense, but someone had to cover the center if he went out for a pass. How many hours could I play these games? How many hours are in a day? Three on three, four on four, it didn’t matter, we would make it work.
As I look back now I realize that this is how football should be played when you’re a kid. Adults just get in the way. We didn’t want to do drills when we were ten years old and stand in line waiting to block a dummy. We didn’t need some old guy thinking he was Vince Lombardi trying to get us in shape by running sprints. We ran all day long, why did we have to get in shape? We just PLAYED THE GAME! For hours.
Here I am now fifty years later and guess what? I’m still figuring out ways to stay involved in football. I enjoy sites like www.chiefpigskin.com so that I can stay close to the game. I’m not sure how many little boys still play backyard football. I hope they do and I hope they invent their own versions of football. That’s what makes it fun.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Vanishing Breed?
The Multisport Athlete
The high school football playoffs are wrapping up in most states and will be wrapping up in the next week or so across the country. Congratulations to all who participated this year in high school football whether you went 10-0 or 0-10. Just by participating and finishing shows dedication and commitment to a common goal. I truly congratulate and admire all who played.
Now that the season is over, I’m sure that all young men will be hitting the weight room hard. I realize how important year round weight training has become. I had been a big proponent of year round weight training before it became mainstream. However, it is my hope that as many as can, will participate in a winter sport and then a spring sport. I believe it is possible to lift and play a sport at the same time. It always bothered me when one of my athletes would say he is going to concentrate on lifting and skip a winter sport. We had a system in place where a young man could do both and I hope many of you do as well.
I realize that the two or three sport athlete is a vanishing breed, particularly in the larger schools where kids “specialize” more. There are many good arguments to that philosophy. But there are some compelling arguments to the multi sport philosophy as well.
• For starters, it allows an athlete to excel in another area other than, say, football. He may find he is even better in another sport. Why deny someone that opportunity?
• Secondly, he is competing. I liked my athletes to compete, to reach down when the game, match, or race was on the line and find out what they’re made of. This only comes in competition, not in the weight room. I remember when I was coaching the offensive and defensive lines in football and I was also the head wrestling coach. We were going through a stretch of four consecutive 9-0 regular seasons and I could look out at the defense and regularly see seven to nine of the starters on the field on a Friday night were my wrestlers. They were tough kids, tough athletes, not just football players. I thought that was pretty cool.
• Thirdly, athletic skills can be honed while playing another sport. Playing basketball can enhance ball handling and catching skills as well as plenty of running and conditioning. Wrestling can help with balance, pushing, pulling, one on one toughness, and great overall conditioning. Track is great for working on an athlete’s speed, very important to football. Let’s not forget too, that practicing for another sport involves a daily commitment, whereas lifting is generally three times a week.
• Fourthly, it prevents becoming stale by playing two or more sports. The newness of another sport can be refreshing and give a hunger to another sport as one is away from it. Finally, playing multi sports is fun for most young people. Let kids be kids when they want. It needs to be fun, or we may lose some of our athletes from experiencing the many benefits of playing sports.
Thanks again to www.chiefpigskin.com for allowing me to share. I hope you are all utilizing this great resource!
The high school football playoffs are wrapping up in most states and will be wrapping up in the next week or so across the country. Congratulations to all who participated this year in high school football whether you went 10-0 or 0-10. Just by participating and finishing shows dedication and commitment to a common goal. I truly congratulate and admire all who played.
Now that the season is over, I’m sure that all young men will be hitting the weight room hard. I realize how important year round weight training has become. I had been a big proponent of year round weight training before it became mainstream. However, it is my hope that as many as can, will participate in a winter sport and then a spring sport. I believe it is possible to lift and play a sport at the same time. It always bothered me when one of my athletes would say he is going to concentrate on lifting and skip a winter sport. We had a system in place where a young man could do both and I hope many of you do as well.
I realize that the two or three sport athlete is a vanishing breed, particularly in the larger schools where kids “specialize” more. There are many good arguments to that philosophy. But there are some compelling arguments to the multi sport philosophy as well.
• For starters, it allows an athlete to excel in another area other than, say, football. He may find he is even better in another sport. Why deny someone that opportunity?
• Secondly, he is competing. I liked my athletes to compete, to reach down when the game, match, or race was on the line and find out what they’re made of. This only comes in competition, not in the weight room. I remember when I was coaching the offensive and defensive lines in football and I was also the head wrestling coach. We were going through a stretch of four consecutive 9-0 regular seasons and I could look out at the defense and regularly see seven to nine of the starters on the field on a Friday night were my wrestlers. They were tough kids, tough athletes, not just football players. I thought that was pretty cool.
• Thirdly, athletic skills can be honed while playing another sport. Playing basketball can enhance ball handling and catching skills as well as plenty of running and conditioning. Wrestling can help with balance, pushing, pulling, one on one toughness, and great overall conditioning. Track is great for working on an athlete’s speed, very important to football. Let’s not forget too, that practicing for another sport involves a daily commitment, whereas lifting is generally three times a week.
• Fourthly, it prevents becoming stale by playing two or more sports. The newness of another sport can be refreshing and give a hunger to another sport as one is away from it. Finally, playing multi sports is fun for most young people. Let kids be kids when they want. It needs to be fun, or we may lose some of our athletes from experiencing the many benefits of playing sports.
Thanks again to www.chiefpigskin.com for allowing me to share. I hope you are all utilizing this great resource!
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