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Coaches & Character -- Former Husker recalls sideline lessons
Todd Brown of Holdrege remembers well the coaches who encouraged him to do his best. Unfortunately, the coaches who did nothing to motivate him share space in his memories as well.
"I learned so much from coaches. Coaches are so influential," Brown told coaches and parents gathered for the McCook Bison Boosters 2005 Coaches Appreciation Banquet Wednesday evening.
Brown told about coaches who didn't believe in him ... the coach who drove him almost to total discouragement, almost to tears ... the coach who said something so totally inappropriate as, "Don't embarrass yourself."
He remembers the coach who got in his face and insisted, "You're gonna win this. You ARE going to win this." And he usually did. (He did, he laughed, unless he was jumping against McCook's long jump and triple jump legend, Larry Flock, a 1978 MHS graduate.)
"It's amazing the influence of a coach," Brown said. "A coach can build a spirit or break it down."
It takes three things to measure out all that influence, Brown said: Competency, wisdom and character.
"Competency means having the technical understanding ... teaching the intimate details," Brown said. Fans and cheerleaders say things like "Catch that ball!" and "Get the block!," not coaches, he said.
"You gotta have wisdom," Brown said. "To me, wisdom is understanding how God and the universe work."
"Coach (Tom) Osborne never preached at me," Brown said, "but when I walked away, I knew some things are right, and some things are wrong."
Taking coaching to the next level, Brown said, is displaying that wisdom. "You gotta have character," he said. "If there's one thing where coaches fall down, it's in character."
"You can't teach character," Brown said. "You gotta display it."
"You tell them, 'Don't cuss,' and then YOU don't," he said. "You say,' 'Don't smoke,' and then YOU don't. You say, "Keep your cool,' and then YOU do."
Don't storm the sidelines, rant and rave, yell and scream at your athletes about "exerting self-control," Brown said. "It's what kids see that they learn."
Dr. Tom Osborne -- on the field, in the tough spots, in the locker rooms after wins and losses -- displayed wisdom and taught character by example, Brown said. "I saw it. There it is," he said. Character is not whining, it's about helping young athletes grow up.
"It is unbelievable the influence you, as coaches, have. You, as coaches, speak volumes to these kids," Brown said. "It's what they see that they learn."