I am constantly reminded that, as coaches, we are an amalgam… a combination… of all of the coaches we have played for or coached with throughout our lifetimes.
The philosophy we believe in… the techniques we teach… how we teach…
And the converse is true. We mentor… teach… inspire all of the players and coaches in our sphere.
We are at the same time a “branch” of one coaching tree, and the “roots” of yet another
I have been very fortunate to have many great individuals influence the way I coach and teach (see posts Genealogy, Your Tree, Immortality).
I bring this all up today because of a post on a Facebook group I belong to (CMSU Fighting Mules Football Alumni) that referenced the “Muleball Creed”.
The Muleball Creed was (and still is) deeply rooted in the folks that played for and coached with Terry Noland during his tenure as head football coach at the University of Central Missouri.
It was in every playbook, posted on our office walls, part of our workouts, discussed during pre-game, and eventually worked is way into the core… the psyche… the very fabric of the people in our program.
It states simply…
“Man’s greatest moment of happiness is to be tested beyond what he thought might be his breaking point and still succeed!”
We all memorized it, believed it, and could recite it at will… in fact I just typed it out verbatim 20 years after leaving UCM… and most everyone else that played and coached there during those years could probably do the same.
It is strikingly familiar to my Creed… Catch Phrase… Mantra…
“You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you… Don’t Believe It!”
“My” Creed?…It IS what I believe… but hardly… exclusively… originally… mine.
Related Posts:
Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!
Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com