Sports play an important part in the lives of most children in the United States, therefore the quality of a good coach is imperative.

Over 21 million youth between the ages of 6 to 17 play team sports on a regular basis, and another 5 million play moderately. 

According to the Population Reference Bureau, “40 percent to 60 percent of parents feel they spend too little time with their children.” Sociologists at the University of Maryland have found that parents today believe they are busier than mothers and fathers of past decades.

This is where a good coach, and especially a high school coach can step in…

Student athletes are greatly influenced by their teachers and coaches. A high school coach is a teacher, and a leader who inspires and encourages the student athlete to strive for greatness. An excellent coach might even become someone the student athlete admires and aspires to be like and someone to look to for advice and guidance.

Last weekend an epic high school football coach retired after 30 years, Coach John Carroll. Coach Carroll also happens to be one of the biggest influencers in my life, and my high school coach from my alma mater, Servite High School.

To call Coach Carroll of Oceanside High School successful would be an understatement. One would be much more accurate using the term legendary. A small sample of his record breaking achievements include:

• -21 consecutive semi-final appearances
• -17 appearances in CIF section title games
• -13 CIF section titles
• -11 consecutive final appearances
• -7 consecutive section title
• -4 undefeated regular seasons
• -248 career wins at Oceanside High School

Why am I writing about Coach Carroll? 

When I was a young varsity high school defensive lineman at Servite High School, Anaheim, California, Coach Carroll was my coach.  To play for Coach Carroll was an experience that translated beyond physical football knowledge and abilities.  To earn a spot on his defensive squad, all defensive players underwent a three hour, highly intensive workout infamously known as “gut checks”.  These sessions took young men far beyond the physical and mental limitations that they believed they could endure.

Thru motivation, pressure and a command presence, Coach Carroll forged a loose assembly of talent into a cohesive squad, engrained with an unyielding spirit and a never quit attitude.

While this gauntlet like forging of our physical strength came thru an intense conditioning day, looking back, the highest reward received was the life lessons learned from surviving these “gut check” sessions. 

To those of us who made it, we have all carried with us that inner knowledge that when we feel that we are at are maximum effort, we know that if we call out our inner “gut check”, that somewhere within us is the ability to push one step farther, to do one more rep, or to conquer one more professional goal. The fact is coach Carroll has 15 titles and a state championship to add to that resume. My senior year, Servite was 13-1 and went on to win the CIF Section title game against Long Beach Poly and ended up #4 USA Today. That year I earned the Angelus League Defensive Player of the Year and Coach Carroll and staff was the main reason behind that achievement.

I encourage each of you as you progress through life and face moments of athletic and academic challenge, to remember the life lesson of Coach Carroll, and his “gut check”. 

A great coach will teach that within each of us is always the ability for one more step and one more rep. Push forward and best of luck on your continued success. Stay hungry, humble and put a 100% effort into everything you do. Keep a positive attitude because your high school experience comes and goes in the blink of an eye and there are no second chances.

***Interested in taking your game beyond the high school level? Let me help you get a college scholarship! Contact me at chris@coachchris99.com, Head Scout for NCSA. National Collegiate Scouting Association® ~Chris Burget

(NCSA) was founded in 2000 to help student athletes and their families navigate the cutthroat, competitive, and often confusing world of college recruiting. Our team of former college athletes, coaches and scouts, our network of 99% of American college coaches, and our custom technology and tools give you the edge you need in the most important game of your life.