Stay the Course

I was reading ESPN today (at work...don't judge me, lol) and I came across an article that hit really close to home (you can click on this link to read it -----> ( CLICK ME ).  The article is about redshirt ("redshirt" means that during his first year of college, he practiced but never played in a game and still has four years of eligibility to play once his "freshman" year is over) freshman James Johnson.  James is leaving school because he feels like he isn't getting enough playing time on the basketball court.  This happens to a lot of freshman every year but in the past decade or so it has become common place for freshman to see immediate action.  This hasn't always been the case though.

How this story relates to myself is that I transferred from my original college (Morgan State University) after my freshman year to another school (Frostburg State University).  As I stated earlier, freshman (at that time, the mid 90's) really didn't see a lot of playing time, any if at all.  I was fortunate enough to start though, as a walk-on freshman at a D-1AA now the Sub-Division level.  My situation was a little different though.  I left Morgan because after starting the entire year I was told that Division 1A players were transferring in and I would have to compete for my spot all over again...needless to say I wasn't too happy to hear this.  I thought that the school "owed" me something and would "show" them what they were missing after I transferred.

The point I'm trying to make here is that in life difficult times will arise and you have to stay the course.  I should have stayed at Morgan and played just as hard my sophomore year as I did my freshman year.  I feel as if James should do the same because the grass is NOT always greener.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Frostburg and made some life long friends there, but I definitely didn't display any kind of H.E.A.R.T by leaving.  In fact I showed the opposite.  I displayed fear and the sense of quitting.  I have no idea what thoughts are running through James' head, but I hope that he reconsiders and realizes that quitting now will more than likely set a precedence for the rest of his life of running away from adversity.  I learned that lesson the hard way and eventually stopped that trend.

Always remember, bad shit happens in life.  You can either try to run away from it, or face it and try to make the best out of your situation.  Bad situations are only as bad as you allow them to be.

P.S. I'm not a UVA fan, I just hate to see anyone quit...

H.E.A.R.T Series, Part Three: Andre Coard

I've known Andre' Coard ever since I moved to Lawnside NJ, in 1987 (yeah, 1987).  And to this day, Andre has to be one of the toughest people I've EVER met.  Plain and simple, Dre' doesn't get punked and he doesn't give up.  Andre is one of those guys who if he says he's going to do something, it's either going to happen, or he's going to make it happen.

When we first started playing Pop Warner football together, Dre' was so tough and fearless that his nick name was Herschel...as in Herschel Walker.  He ran tough, he played tough and he would hit anything in another jersey that moved on two feet.  As a youngster, this is not the norm, but there also really aren't any huge players at this age either (that are good).

The biggest thing with Dre' though is that he never lost this passion or H.E.A.R.T when he got older.  By the time we went to High School (Haddon Heights), we (BOTH Dre and I) were not what you would call the "biggest" cornerbacks you've ever seen.  In fact, we were quite small, but frankly we didn't give a sh!t.  Our motto was, "Water covers 2/3's of the Earth...WE cover the rest".  And on top of that, we LOVED to hit.  Opposing ball carriers may not have felt our hits, but they knew we were there, and we were going to be there ALL DAY LONG.

Dre's H.E.A.R.T sticks out in my mind in one game in particular.  As Sophomore's, we started Varsity against Sterling High School.  Sterling at this time had a Tailback at 220 lbs and a Fullback at 250 named Joe Miller.  We watched tape and the coaches would continuously remind me and Dre that we should tackle low so we don't get injured.  Before the game, Dre tells me, "F that...if either one of them comes my way I'm going head to head and we're going to see what's really good".

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting hyped up before a game...but Dre' REALLY meant what he was saying!  The very first play of the game was a dive to Joe Miller.  He and Dre met head to head on the sideline and long story short...Joe won...that battle.   Dre NEVER gave up.  At 140 lbs, Dre took on a 250 lbs Senior Fullback head to head.  He just would not give up or even think that that was a possibility.  That first play of that game had a huge impact on me that I never told Dre' about.  I saw him get in the mix and it made me want to not only get in on it too, but to NEVER fair catch a punt...ever.

Andre' Coard was and still to this day is one of the toughest dudes I ever met or had the opportunity of knowing that played his H.E.A.R.T out.  Dre', you inspired me then, and you continue to do so now.  You probably didn't know this, but you do now, and it's meant alot to me and helped me to get to where I am today.  I wish you the best in everything you do, and I'll see you at the top man!