Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells thanked high school coach during enshrinement speech.
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When legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, he spoke about someone in particular, and it really stuck with me.
We often hear those enshrinement speeches refer to high school coaches, so that wasn't anything new when Parcells referred to Mickey Corcoran, his high school basketball coach. It was two specific things he said about his coach.
Parcells said, "I'd like to tell you about a special guy who is here tonight: my high school basketball coach. He's 92 years old. His name is Mickey Corcoran. He was everything a 14-year-old kid needed: He was a coach, a teacher, a disciplinarian, a butt kicker. I don't know how to characterize this relationship we've had for 58 years, but whatever adjective you have to portray something good, you could use it with this relationship. He has been a great friend to me; he's been like a second father, somebody I could always talk to, a guidance counselor. He knows the love I have for him."
Two things really hit me from that statement. The first is they've maintained their relationship for 58 years.
That means they met when Corcoran was 34 and Parcells 14. Here is a 34-year-old high school coach who met this 14 year old kid, and he was just being a high school coach to him.
He had no idea who that kid would become. He had no idea he would become an NFL head coach one day. He had no idea the influence on pro football that Parcells would have. He had no idea that 14-year-old kid would one day win the Super Bowl. He had not idea that kid would be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
None of that stuff mattered. He was just doing his job. He was doing a great job, obviously. Because 58 years later, he is remembered for the strong influence that he was. He was just being a high school coach.
A coach can have an impact beyond football as young men are sometimes looking for a father figure, mentor or someone to keep them on the right path.
Photo by Jeff Brocca
The second thing that hit me that night was this: What are you doing today that will be remembered in 58 years?
I asked myself, will players on my team right now want to thank me in 58 years? That is a serious question to ask yourself.
There is so much that goes in to coaching. Your coaching staff, Xs and Os, grade checks, fundraising, playbooks, finding diamond in the rough, dealing with booster clubs, managing equipment and countless other things. Most of that stuff won't last past a few years; those kids will last for whole lot longer.
I encourage you to keep making a difference. Know that there are many teens looking for a father figure, a counselor, a mentor, someone to be just a high school coach.
Chris Fore is a veteran Head Football Coach and Athletic Director from Southern California. He consults coaches and programs nationwide through his business Eight Laces Consulting.
