Book recommendation: Season of Life

This book is AMAZING. Now, it may only be amazing to me because of its subject: Coaching high school football, but I think it has so many lessons to be learned about raising young men in this world today.

There are so many issues involving our young men of today. So many of them are influenced by things they see on MTV, or listen to in the crappy music that is out today. They are taught that they can't cry, they have to be macho, they have to have a lot of money, drive a nice car, wear fancy clothes, etc. These are all some of the biggest farces taught in our society.

The book is about Joe Erhmann, who played in the NFL for the Colts back in the 70's. He was an all-pro defensive lineman and team captain. He's since retired and has become a non-denominational minister. He leads an organization with his good friend (who is actually the head coach of the team) called Building Men for Others. Their focus, as I said, is to teach young men to be MEN in society. They do this via the game of FB.

The day always begins with the HC (Biff) asking the players, "What is our job" and the players respond "To love us". Biff then asks them, "What is your job" and the players respond, "to love each other". Now you tell me where in society are you going to see a bunch of 14-17 year old boys saying things like this?

Through out the book (so far) they spend about 50% of the time just talking to the boys. Teaching them about life, about responsibility, about how to use their talents and never giving up. Its an amazing story.

The main reason I'm so excited about this is because of my aspiration to be a High School head FB coach someday. I've always had an ideal and even started to create a plan of my own, of having a FB program that continually put out good young men into society. Men of integrity, of respect, men who took responsibility in this world. There are so many kids on FB teams I see these days that get away with so much crap in society. From drinking, to drugs, to being biological sperm donors (i.e. knocking a girl up, but not taking responsibility as a father). I want to rid society of this behavior via my coaching FB. I'm tired of seeing cocky young men, who only care about themselves, their stats, and how well they do. I've always had the ideal of what I wanted, but I never knew the way.

With this book, I have a good map of how I'm going to do it. I'm going to take ideas of what Joe Erhmann is teaching as well as other ideas I've gotten from past coaching jobs, and impliment them into one plan.

I'm so stoked about finishing reading this book. This is a book that will become a second set of scriptures to me. Something I will make my assistant coaches read over and over and over. I think the toughest part would be getting them to buy into this way of coaching.

Anyway, thanks honey (Alene) for finding this book for me. You have no idea how much it is going to help me.