What makes a EF/MF coach great

There has been alot of Jibber Jabber on whose a great coach, question, do wins and losses make a coach great ,yes. Do titles makrs a coach great sure, but the most important to me if I can quote MLK is the content of his Character, does said coach help the hobby grow, does said coach help other coaches,Is that coach the type of person i would want to associate with. There are great coaches i have met some have won titles and some have not. And to me it really doesnt matter, cause im choosing who i deal with in this hobby not by wins and losses but the Content of that coaches Character.

Stay Blessed

[WEIRDWOLF]

Sorry to bust in on your post but my computer is only giving me so much time before it goes down again.
Hey, the MFCA got an email from a fella named Brian Schiller. He is a documentary filmaker and he is looking to put something together on EF/MF from South Florida. I gave him your telephone number but you might want to send him a shout out as well.

Brian Schiller
schiller25@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/tmsldoc

[Reginald Rutledge]

I think this is one of the hot buttons that is so sensitive to people that they take what one person say personally instead of digging deeper into what one may consider greatness.

I think, at least for me, the number one criteria of greatness begins with:

1. Sportmanship
I see guys that are good at this game all the time but may bend the rules to win. They may spend 10 minutes arguing a call when there really is no need to. I see guys who never can find it in there heart to compliment another coach for the great game he is playing. I see guys who, when the game is on the line, they go from being the gentlemen to being an A-Hole. I have seen guys who will just tell you to "move your players back in the opening quarter" but late if theyr are in a real tussle, they want the penalty. I have seen guys that at every opportunity, they blame everyone as to why they lost instead of themselves. If a guy finds himself constantly at the center of controversy in games, that means you like to argue which tells everyone else, "you got no sportsmanship".

2. Adaptability
I think coaches who have the ability to adapt to any style of play and succeed has all the makings of greatness. Coaches who are studious, come in prepared and not waste time saying "In our league..." has the ability to do damage in other leagues and in tournament play.

3. Impact
I think when you are known for a system of offense that others copy or can not stop, that is one of the essential elements of greatness. You will not always win the big game but if what you do is such a trailblazing change, there is greatness in what you have done. You have transcended the game to the point that many others are doing what you were the first to do. Many of those people will never have a clue why they are doing what they do but your imprint definitely is why.

4. Selflessness
I think sometimes when you want to win at all cost and do not understand the impact of knowing "you don't have to win all the time" is one of the biggest pet peeves I have in the game. Sometimes, because you want such an insignificant recognition of being looked at among your peers as the champion of leagues, you forget what's really important. The welfare of the league, the good of the league. Just because you win does not make you great but how you lose may have a great significance on your legacy. If you're one of those guys who can not separate from being a coach and ambassador of THE GAME, you can't really talk to me about greatness. If you can not take 5 minutes to teach a person how to run a play, throw the football, or tweak a base, you lost me. If you are so scared that someone is going to beat you to the point that you will not help a person, your ego is way too big!

5. Winning
Everyone wants to win and no one wants to lose. One of the things in sports I learned at a very young age was that in order for that guy to be a winner, someone had to lose on the same given day. However, that does not make him a loser. He could be an even bigger winner than the one who won. I know one of the things that frustrate me in the DFW is that guys want the pomp and circumstances of what we do but do not want to put in the work to help make it happen. I watched a couple of years ago guys getting the royal treatment of a Super Bowl but all year, balked at helping in any manner. The Super Bowl was glorious. We recruited 5 people from just the atmosphere of that game alone. They never once helped in making the game special. The league won in a sense because a few people gave their efforts for the good of the whole.

So I guess, when I watch a game, I am not impressed by the winning but by what a coach does to make that event special. Oh yeah, once the game starts, it is all about winning or losing but the preparation does not just go to playing the game but it also goes to making a winning atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.

Winning the game is really one of the least important things to me when sportsmanship is not shown by a coach.

Just my opinions.

Reg