A must read for all us alleged football experts

[daytonadan]

This is the kind of thing we need to be doing more of instead of our usual posturing. Enjoy and have the best of holidays.


Rick Reilly's espn.com column

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.

It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name.

"I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!"
And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.

But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of five—handcuffs ready in their back pockets—and marched them to the team bus. That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.

This all started when Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team. Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score. After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year. Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery—many of whose families had disowned them—wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.

So Hogan had this idea. What if half of our fans—for one night only—cheered for the other team? He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that. "Here's the message I want you to send:" Hogan wrote. "You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."

Some people were naturally confused. One Faith player walked into Hogan's office and asked, "Coach, why are we doing this?"

And Hogan said, "Imagine if you didn't have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."

Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!

"I thought maybe they were confused," said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison). "They started yelling 'DEE-fense!' when their team had the ball. I said, 'What? Why they cheerin' for us?'"

It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid. "We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games," says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. "You can see it in their eyes. They're lookin' at us like we're criminals. But these people, they were yellin' for us! By our names!"

Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game's last two touchdowns. Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string cornerback at defensive end. Still.

After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that's when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. "We had no idea what the kid was going to say," remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us."
And it was a good thing everybody's heads were bowed because they might've seen Hogan wiping away tears.

As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home—a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player.
The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, "You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You'll never, ever know."

And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they'd never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.

Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it's nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.

Hope.

[Bruiser]

... I dont get it. What's the big deal? They still lost another game.


Happy Holidays everybody!

[daytonadan]

Read it again, my friend, and note what the coaches and fans of Grapevine Faith did rather than the outcome of the game.

[exit322]

So basically...the whole "jail" thing isn't going to turn their lives around, but some opposing team fans cheering for them will?

Somehow I highly doubt it. Whenever they get out of jail they're still going back to highly broken homes, and right back to whatever environment got them imprisoned in the first place.

[Sphinx]

As a long time high school football coach who works with "at risk" youth in my daily job, what the Faith coaches and fans did makes a difference. One thing you learn is that as a coach and a counselor you are not going to reach every kid you work with. But if you reach that one kid and they go out into the world and are succesfull you have done a great service.

If what the coaches and fans of Faith did makes the difference to only 1 of those youths Gainesville and starts them down the right road it will have been worth it. Even if they dont reach any of the kids for one game at least they feel cared about and those cheers and kind words do mean alot even if they are from the other teams fans.

Stories like this are why I work with kids on and off the field. We as coaches dont do it for the pay we do it for the kids. If you have a coach who has influenced your life always keep them in your prayers.

Happy Holidays,
Josh Lipkin

[Bruiser]

[quote=""daytonadan""]Read it again, my friend, and note what the coaches and fans of Grapevine Faith did rather than the outcome of the game.[/quote]
Well, I was being sarcastic. But then again I forget that it doesn't resonate well on a message board. Perhaps next time I'll add a

However, judging by the last response I am now fully convinced that this "jesture" made by the non-incarcerated Faith folks was simply to make THEM feel better and had absolutely nothing to do with effecting some wayward soul one way or another.

[chardale]

[quote=""exit322""]So basically...the whole "jail" thing isn't going to turn their lives around, but some opposing team fans cheering for them will?

Somehow I highly doubt it. Whenever they get out of jail they're still going back to highly broken homes, and right back to whatever environment got them imprisoned in the first place.[/quote] And only someoone like YOU would make such a comment, a lot of class, and you got nerve to tell me that. So none of them deserves a second chance? They are in jail, so they came from a broken home or their enviroment got them there? Is that what happened to the owner from K-Zoo,,,from a broken home or the being in the enviroment of class paople like Estaban or Trumble made him do the things he said? I dont think so, maybe the buisness plan of HIS team and the league made him do the things he did. But hey, maybe he could be transfered down to Texas and OWN that team and start a new life. Yes he gets another shot in life but not here in Indoor Football, and not in Michigan. Those kids made mistakes somewhere in Life, and they are paying for. And yes they will get another chance. But it least it wans't wire fraud or passig bad checks, or not holding up their end of contracts. Wait,,,,1 more, something like Charging Wheeling 25K to join the CIFL but lets say charging 15K less or 15K more for other teams, I am willing to go out on a limb and say the CIFL doesn't finish with 8 teams, any takers? Josh???? I mean YOU have a schedule, right, just as long the League office doesn't show up for press conference in Jeans and a T shirt. Big and tall has a 2 for 1 sale going on Friday for after X-mas sale......

[expressfb]

Wow. The previous post sounded personal. Anyone care to explain without taking away from this thread about good people doing good stuff? Football is good for people. This doesn't bode well for bruiser.

[daytonadan]

And it gets twisted and convulted.

Why even try anymore?.

Actually, you know what. It'll make me try harder.

[chardale]

The story was great and I know the point he was making about giving thanks to those who try and try, I get it. I also want to say I am sorry to Dan, for getting off the subject, but I figured to say something BACK to exit when he just doesn't seem to get it. B man does as he stated. But to read" = So basically...the whole "jail" thing isn't going to turn their lives around, but some opposing team fans cheering for them will?
Somehow I highly doubt it. Whenever they get out of jail they're still going back to highly broken homes, and right back to whatever environment got them imprisoned in the first place. " just burns or chaps the A@$ to be so shallow when he wants to be all high and mighty. Sorry Dan