Читать книгу The Faith of the Blind Coach - Nathaniel Farley Jr. - Страница 15

Introduction to Real Life/ Responsibilities/Consequences and Lessons Learned under Coach Small

Consequences and Lessons Learned Under Coach Small

My first encounter and opportunity to meet Coach Small was on August 15, 1962, the first day of football practice. I was wearing 137 pounds at that time. After a week of practice, Coach Small called me into his office to talk to me about going into the band. Coach Small said to me, “The best place for you would be in the band. Football is not a small man’s game.” What? The band?! I was shocked, but he was as honest with me as he had been with all those who were my size. Most left, but I refused to leave or quit. I told him respectfully, “I didn’t come here to play in the band. I came here to play football for New Stanton Senior High School and for you, not to be in the band. Plus, I don’t know anything about playing in the band. My neighborhood had a lot of football players. (First lesson learned from my neighborhood: never quit or give up.)

I went out as a receiver because of my idol, Al Denson, who played for New Stanton Senior High School as wide receiver, an all-American football player at Florida A&M University, and later went to play in the National Football League for several years. He told me what I needed to do, “go down with the running backs,” because I was too short and too small to play receiver for Coach Small’s team. So I went with the running back coaches. Al Denson told me, “Your chances would be a lot better with the running backs” (and he was right). I thank God for him. I am so thankful and glad I listened to what my football idol Al Denson advised me to do. I thank God for his wisdom. (A lesson learned: never rely on what you think you know [Prov. 3:5–6].)

After a few weeks with the running backs, the coaches must have had a meeting before the end of the summer, and my name must have come up concerning my performance at the running back position to Coach Small. At that time, I was the only running back who reached the line of scrimmage quicker and faster than any of the other running backs, including the veterans from the halfback position (the distance from the halfback position to the line of scrimmage was about four yards).

After their meeting, they decided to keep me on the team, so they gave me some better equipment (LOL). (Lesson learned: always do you best, when and wherever you are.) I was sent to the junior varsity team. I was moved up to the varsity as a “practice dummy backs” (LOL). You would run the other team’s offensive plays against our starting defensive team because it prevented our starting running backs from getting hurt or bruised up. Now this was my chance to seize the moment. (God will provide you with opportunities if you learn to be patient and wait for the Lord to act.) He will give you that opportunity. It’s not what you know, but what you show. God provided me the opportunity to show what I could do playing with the varsity team. The players and some of the coaches saw some potentials in my ability and performance during those practices, so they wanted to save me for some games just in case a running back got hurt.

After that decision, I made the traveling team. Our first game was against the Washington High Wildcats of Pensacola, Florida. On Tuesday, September 18, 1962, we went through lengthy blocking drills. At that time I showed that I was willing to block (another lesson and opportunity to shine). Practices were under the direction of the offensive and defensive coaching staffs such as offensive coaches Ike Grayson (deceased), Coach John J. Coleman (deceased), defensive coaches Adam Johnson (deceased), Coach Ed Matthews, Coach Edward Tolliver (deceased), Coach Wallace Rasberry (deceased, November 12, 2017), and Coach Hillie Howard (deceased, November 24, 2018).