Why My Football Coach's Failure

My football coach always says, “success breeds success,” yet I feel that my failures define my high school career. The first two years I played culminated in a mere two victories, but my sophomore year of high school brought new hope. This was the first time I was eligible to play on the varsity team, and with only three returning starters, playtime was available at every position. Additionally, the team had made the playoffs the previous 10 years, so success seemed to be on the horizon. But this success never materialized. I failed to win a starting job, and participated in only one meaningful play on a team that scored a single touchdown and lost every game by 30+ points. Every week, I would prepare for the game on Friday only to watch the team crumble from the sideline. We were humiliated week, after week, after week, and there was nothing I could do. But, one coach kept me optimistic for the future.
In football, the size of the team and the variety of skills lend themselves to coaches who specialize in different positions. As a wide receiver, I worked a lot with John Gorham, my position coach. Despite our lack of success during the season, he drilled upon fundamentals and effort as the keys to winning. He did not focus on the finesse of one handed catches or the glory of touchdowns, but on the
Senior year comes with the realization that I will never get to play football again. While this is sad at first glance, it has allowed me to reflect on my experiences as an athlete. As former NFL coach Marv Levy claims, “Football doesn't build character, it reveals character!” Upon reflection, I have come to the realization that the lessons I have learned from football have helped me develop as a person. My failures in football presented obstacles to overcome and the lessons I learned from these challenges have defined me. Football defined