“Remain in Me, and I in you, just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.” – John 15:4 Do you remember your first new baseball glove? Mine was a “genuine” Tony Taylor that I purchased when I was eight years old. It was awesome!

“I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received." – Ephesians 4:1 "I have come to a frightening realization. I am the decisive element on the track or on the field. It is my personal approach that creates the climate for learning and personal performance.

“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.

“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot or cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:16 How many of you grew up with Wheaties, the cereal advertised as the “Breakfast of Champions?” When an athlete’s picture landed on the front of the Wheaties box, you knew he or she had arrived. You may not know, but Wheaties has fallen on hard times lately. There are always reasons why products lose favor in a fickle market, but industry insiders say the reason is simple.

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." – Psalms 68:19 There are no shortcuts in the arena of sports. Coaches and athletes learn quickly that high expectations and the lack of daily effort are a recipe for failure. One of the great lessons of sport is that it takes a daily commitment to get better.

These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:6-8 I have always had a fascination with baseball parks.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 Our lives can change in an instant!  For the people of Huntington, West Virginia, that happened on Saturday, November 14, 1970. The Marshall University football team, returning from a 17-14 loss to East Carolina University, was tragically killed in an airplane crash described as “the worst in sports history”. Seventy-five people lost their lives that night including players, coaches, staff, boosters a...

    (Dedicated to Clemson Head Football Coach Dabo Swinney – 2014 Grant Teaff Coach of the Year and Coach Art Baker – 2014 Grant Teaff Lifetime Achievement Award) “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” – 2 Timothy 2:2 Who can’t remember those childhood days when the neighborhood kids got together for a backyard game of football. We divided into teams, decided who would play what position and the...

“Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge! You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were going in.” – Luke 11:52 We all know about the “team meeting”.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1 Let’s face it, being a coach on any level is hard on the family life. As coaches, we’re pulled away from our homes and families a great deal. The profession requires us to study film, prepare practice schedules, speak to outside groups in addition to just trying to put a quality product on the field or court.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 As we begin another new year, I find myself thinking of the many opportunities we as coaches have to start fresh. Each season brings new players, new chemistry, new goals, and new experiences. No matter how long we have been coaching, there is something that stirs in us as new seasons approach.

“Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:4     John Wooden is one of the greatest coaches of all time and my personal favorite. Even though Coach Wooden is no longer with us, his values and character live on in the lives of those he influenced. That’s what is called leaving a legacy.