Passing of a Fellow Coach

I had meant to post this story sooner but this week a fellow coach passed away while on vacation with his family.  I had the opportunity to coach against this gentleman, and in fact had contacted him at the same time I had contacted Timpview.  Of course we know where I ended up but I felt I could learn things from this coach as well.

Teko Johnson was a coach that was known to rebuild programs.  Coming back to Utah from back east he had rebuilt programs there.  In fact his first year at Mountain View he took a program that had won 1 game and took them to the quarterfinals of the playoffs.  In his 3 years at Mountain View he took the program to the playoffs and restored some pride to the school.

He was always a class act with our coaches and never complained about our program and how dominant we have been.  He had just taken over Cottonwood high school a team we beat a couple years back and was excited for the season.

Despite all his success as a coach the most telling about what kind of man he was were the comments made by that played and worked for him:

“He was everything to the team,” said Bronson Taylor, who played for Mountain View in 2006.

He turned the program not by yelling, but by teaching.

He had a strict policy that forbade swearing, and former players insist he almost never yelled.

Players were comfortable sending him text messages seeking advice.

“He had a quiet confidence about him,” said Jon Snyder, who was promoted to head coach at Mountain View when Johnson left.

My sympathies to the Johnson family and wish them the best as they get over this tragedy.

Again if you are looking to get in coaching I will say it again.  What kind of coach do you want to be?  How do you want your players to remember you?  Remember you are helping shape the lives of the youth and more than anything else you will help make a lasting impression that could last for generations.

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Some Of College Football's Most Amazing Plays

Here is a video of some of the best college football plays over the year near the end of games.  Where it allows the team to win sometimes in the last second.  How many of these moments did you get to see live??

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How About This For a Pre-Game Pump Up for a Football Game

Here is a video from Katy Football as a football player does a flip into the huddle of his teammates.  I dunno as a coach how I would feel with a player doing this before a game but hey it looks cool.

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This is Too Sad

This is a player that I got a chance to coach against 3 years ago.  He was one of the highest rated players coming out of the state of Utah and was a Parade All American.  He decided to go to University of Colorado and is now facing legal issues.  He has since been dismissed from the team and is now facing all this trouble.  Just sad to see this happen to someone with so much potential.

Four months after being sentenced to six months of work release and three years of probation for violating the conditions of a deferred sentence he received for his involvement in a 2008 fight, former University of Colorado linebacker Lynn Katoa has been arrested again.

Katoa, 21, is being held on $2,500 bond at the Boulder County Jail on new third-degree assault and probation violation charges after police say he head-butted a former teammate early Sunday outside Shooters Grill and Bar at 1801 13th St. in Boulder.

Read more: http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_15532201#ixzz0tza4eoDM
Coloradodaily.com

 I do hope that he can turn his life around

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Sports Illustrated: Is Football Too Dangerous?

This was a recent article in Sports Illustrated that once again brings up the question whether football is too dangerous for kids.  Because of recent studies this has become a constant question that is being asked each year about whether football is safe.

If we could say without reproach, "Playing football leads to concussions which lead to brain injury which lead to depression, substance abuse and worse'' then we could do more about it than we're doing now. Now, as parents we ask, "Should I let my son play football?''

It's not a new question. It's just more in focus. We're better at recognizing it. "The MRI didn't come into use until the early 1980s,'' said Dr. Francesco Mangano, a neurologist at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati. "Before that, we only had X-rays.'' X-rays don't show an injured brain.

In the next several weeks, tens of thousands of kids in this country will suit up and start football practice. The vast majority never will suffer the same fate as Chris Henry. That doesn't mean that the parents who sign their children's permission slips won't be white-knuckling it when their kids play.

 So does this mean that in the future football is going to be banned?  I know that there are chances of injuries that occur during football.  I just wonder why football is always picked on when it comes to a sport.  Children can get hurt while skateboarding and skating that can lead to injuries to children, should that be banned?  I dunno we do need to be safer with helping preventing kids from suffering injuries but what can we do, lock them in a room so they don't get hurt?  There are a lot of life lessons a child can learn from football, were the sport to be eliminated I fear they would lose out.

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Sue the League if Your Kid Gets Cut

I have now seen it all.  I fear for the future of sports because unfortunately I doubt this will be a one time occurrence.  Out of Canada comes the story of two hockey players which were cut from a team whose parents are suing the league.

Vito Valela and David Longo are both suing on behalf of their sons, Christopher and Daniel respectively. Besides the GTHL, Avalanche Minor Sports president Anthony Iantorno as well as team officials Doriano Pistarelli, Andy Vandenberk, Felice Guglielmi and Peter Posca are named as defendants in the action.

“Their direct actions have caused irreparable psychological damage to Daniel Longo’s self esteem as an impressionable teenager and demoralized Daniel as an athlete and team hockey player with his peers,” the Longo statement of claim reads. “The conduct by all defendants destroyed the dignity of my son, whom in good conscience gave his team nothing but his best efforts.”

Wow what a great lesson being taught by the parents.  So you didn't get on the team way to throw a fit.  The parents here are a joke doing this, but unfortunately if they win I can see this becoming a common occurrence.  I just can't understand why people are turning this direction.  Soon a coach will have to have lawyers with him on the sidelines for practices, tryouts, and such for sworn affidavits to protect themslves from over zealous parents that think their kid is the next big star.

Vito Valela and David Longo you should be ashamed of yourselves.  You are the parents, yet are acting like spoiled children.  Way to be the mature ones here. 

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