Beyond the X's and O's.

COACHES WHO FOCUS ON a specific phase of the game will usually get what they emphasize. What they neglect or ignore, they will never benefit from.

This not only applies to X's and O's, but to the vital matter of character. Character has been put on the back-burner in our society. From the top on down, we have observed a decline in the slow, painful process of character-building. It has been replaced by expediency -- the quick fix in the teaching or learning process.

Coaches feel they have enough on their plates. They are not looking to fix the world or the human condition. And it is sad. They don't understand Or they ignore the huge influence they have on the kids around them, and how enormously rewarding their interaction can be.

A few years ago, the lack of character and selflessness of our players made for a painful, disappointing year. Whenever it came to crunch time, our guys folded -- both on and off the field. They blamed each other for their problems, and the disease spread. It almost drove us out of coaching.

It was obviously time to realign our philosophy and program. What we started then -- and have continued to do ever since -- is reshape our program to emphasize the character traits we wanted on our team.

A Motto

We started with a point of focus that we called "IT." The "I" stood for Integrity, being true, honest, and trustworthy. The "T" stood for Trust, believing in someone or having confidence in his faithfulness.

We promoted this expression as our team motto. We put it on paper, we put it on T-shirts, and we mentioned it often. We borrowed the slogan from a great man of character and a fine coach, Les Steckles, now with the Tennessee Titans.

Drug Testing

The next thing we did was push for Mandatory Random Drug Testing for all athletes in our school district. We felt that drug and alcohol abuse was the No. 1 killer of teamwork and morale in high school sports and that we had to give our players a reason to say "no" to it and to "save face" at the same time. Random drug testing for voluntary activities, such as football, has been supported by the Supreme Court.

If a kid is asked to partake in illegal drugs, he can say, "No, I might be tested tomorrow." This testing may not save everybody, but it will definitely curtail temptation among kids who still have a conscience.

It has really helped us make a dent in the drug abuse on our campus and has strengthened our team resolve and morale. It is tough to count on kids who are stoned or show up with a hangover the day of a game.

Operation Sunshine

This is our way of showing the kids how good they have it. We bring them into the worlds of the less fortunate. Every Thursday after a light practice, we hop in our cars and go to various places for a "cheer up" mission. We take our players (who dress in game jerseys) to: local care homes for the elderly, latch-key programs for kids who must wait for working parents, rescue missions for the homeless, or pediatric hospitals for sick kids, to name a few.

We usually sing our fight song, hand out autographed game programs, or just sit and visit. It has done wonders for the kids who thought that the world revolves around them and their needs. It has really enlarged their capacity to care about others.

Pre-Game Spealters

Every Friday after the team meal, we have a brief pre-game meeting, immediately followed by a motivational talk by a guest speaker.

We try to bring in key people in the community whom our kids respect and will hopefully emulate. We have had a policeman, pastors, corporation leaders, and many others.

The talk goes beyond "go out and win" speeches. We ask the speakers to emphasize the character-building times in life. It's a great way for the kids to meet quality people they might never have met on their own.

Leadership Council

We have been guilty of whining about the leadership on our teams. It finally dawned on us that unless we began to train and teach leadership, we might never see it. Now, we have our team vote for 6-7 guys whom they feel have the "IT" factor.

We meet with them every month from January to July. We have pizza and we go through a book on leadership (John Maxwell's 21 Indispensable Qualities to Leadership).

We have the kids tell us what they learned from the book, and assign homework based on how each of these qualities pertains to their position as a leader.

We also divide the team into sections and assign a leader to each. The leaders are required to keep tabs on each of their players and to assume various responsibilities for our off-season activities throughout the year. We get them used to leading before the season actually begins.

We end with a get-away to a remote place where we officially launch the season. We ask for their input on the team's attitude, goals, and policies, and tell them what we expect in all these areas.

Our leaders have become the heartbeat of the team. They represent the players to us and us to the players. We make them realize that if they fail to epitomize the character we want, we cannot hope to transfer it to the rest of the team.

By incorporating these traditions into our program, we believe we are changing the world, or at least the part we deal with. In short, we are turning our players into better people.

The immediate benefit is that we enjoy being around each other. That's no small thing when you spend as much time together as we do.

What also is amazing is how the character you build off the field is reflected in the success you achieve on the field.

Of course the long-term benefits that go beyond the X's and O's may never be observed by our staff, but we know that what we sow we surely will reap -- and so you will, too, if you give it a chance.