I remember the venerable coach Dennis Green who led the Northwestern Wildcats and the Stanford Cardinal in the college game. In the pros, he was head coach of the the Vikings for 10 years and coached the Cardinals for 3 seasons.
After coaching for Northwestern and Stanford, many people might have expected he would be a cerebral Bill Walsh type coach. But he was more outwardly emotional. Many thought of him as a players' coach.
After coaching for Northwestern and Stanford, many people might have expected he would be a cerebral Bill Walsh type coach. But he was more outwardly emotional. Many thought of him as a players' coach.
Green's emotions will be remembered in a rant that he had after his Cardinals lost to the Bears. Fans will remember an angry and resultful Green exploding after the post game conference and howling :
"They are who we thought they were...and we let 'em off the hook!"
Like almost all coaches who last in the NFL, he had good years and bad. Coaching is a mix of highs and lows, victories and losses. A lot of coaching character comes into play when you pick yourself up after a loss, a string of losses, or even a season of losses in some cases. And with Green and other coaches, you know that the best laid plans don't come to fruition at times in large part because of yourself as well as the human beings who surround you.
Green's players thought highly of him. After Geen's death in 2006, one of his players, Randall Cunningham, said he "built our morals, our character, our integrity."
I think the cameras can sometimes catch people at a low point in life and unfortunately if it comes to define us in the media, people have the wrong impression and it also affects their sense of reality. I think people tend to forget that. Our perception of people when based on inaccurate information or overemphasis can tend to distort our sense of reality. We can become damaged as well.
Green violated a few coaching principles in his news conference, he lost his patience with his own team in public and he attacked the winning team in the bargain. He knew who the Bears were (assuming the Bears were bad) and his team still lost.
But Green was good man.
Dennis Green had a lot of good days and by no means should we judge him for one lousy press conference. But this bad example is very instructive for us, human like Green.
I think it shows us how vulnerable we are at any moment. Like a coach, our performance can change in a heartbeat when we fail to deliver, but it can also change when those around us fail. A good coach can look like a bad coach, a good father can look like a bad father, a good mother can look like a bad mother--it goes on and on. We should not be defined by one unfortunate moment in time.
For Chistmas time, I think it is also important for me, to keep my judgements about others in check. We don't know how it feels to be very poor and vulnerable. We don't know how it feels to be sick , addicted, and destitute. We don't know how difficult it may be to get up after so many failures and fight another day. So in my imaginary news conference after a rough loss, I need to keep things to myself, say my prayers to the Almighty and go on.
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Forty plus years in the making, The Brown and White is a fictionalized memoir that tells the story of Collin Callaghan's freshman year at a Chicago Catholic High School. Collin is a white boy who is living in turbulent times in a changing city. He clings to his neighborhood and his family as he heads out each day with his classmates on the Brown and White, the ancient school bus driven by free-spirited Willie. Memorable characters abound as this story unfolds. Collin's loveable family, especially his Irish Catholic policeman father and his Irish immigrant mother face life together. Collin and classmates blaze their own humorous and passionate trail through the late 1960s. A unique cast of terrific teachers are there to see the boys through. Laughs and life meet readers head on as they travel on the Brown and White.
I think the cameras can sometimes catch people at a low point in life and unfortunately if it comes to define us in the media, people have the wrong impression and it also affects their sense of reality. I think people tend to forget that. Our perception of people when based on inaccurate information or overemphasis can tend to distort our sense of reality. We can become damaged as well.
Green violated a few coaching principles in his news conference, he lost his patience with his own team in public and he attacked the winning team in the bargain. He knew who the Bears were (assuming the Bears were bad) and his team still lost.
But Green was good man.
Dennis Green had a lot of good days and by no means should we judge him for one lousy press conference. But this bad example is very instructive for us, human like Green.
I think it shows us how vulnerable we are at any moment. Like a coach, our performance can change in a heartbeat when we fail to deliver, but it can also change when those around us fail. A good coach can look like a bad coach, a good father can look like a bad father, a good mother can look like a bad mother--it goes on and on. We should not be defined by one unfortunate moment in time.
For Chistmas time, I think it is also important for me, to keep my judgements about others in check. We don't know how it feels to be very poor and vulnerable. We don't know how it feels to be sick , addicted, and destitute. We don't know how difficult it may be to get up after so many failures and fight another day. So in my imaginary news conference after a rough loss, I need to keep things to myself, say my prayers to the Almighty and go on.
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| The Brown and White |
I remember this well.
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