Iron Sharpens Iron, Men Strengthen Men

Over the last couple of years, I have been trying to convince a friend of my to guest post on the Ironman Strength blog…up until just recently I have been unsuccessful until now…My friend, Albert Gardner who is a Husband, a Father, and a leader of men has been moved by some athletes and coaches who have announced their retirement in recent weeks and he has decided to share his thoughts on the subject. I know you will enjoy his insight as he delves into the greater meaning of his post…

True Greatness     by Albert Gardner

This past weekend, two football greats announced they were stepping away from the game they love, Ray Lewis and Bob Ladouceur. Though even the most casual of football fans knows of the name Ray Lewis, Super Bowl MVP, guaranteed first ballot Hall of Fame, He is not the one who defines greatness for me; Bob Ladouceur has coached De La Salle Spartan High School football team for the past 34 years by taking them from obscurity to national prominence…even dominance. Under his leadership, the Spartans have never had a losing season, in fact they’ve enjoyed 20 un-defeated seasons, established a record 151 game winning streak, and enjoyed an overall record of 399 wins, 25 losses, and 3 ties. Yet it isn’t the wins, or records, or trophies, or championships that make Bob Ladouceur great;

Coach Lad, as he is affectionately called by his players, has always loved coaching high school football. In his prior life, He had worked as a probation officer but his job brought him mostly frustration because he felt he was getting these young men too late to help them. He believed he had no affect on their lives. But high school, he said, gave him the best opportunity to do something of value, even saying once in an interview, “that he believed he had the most important job in the country, molding young men”. In the process of molding these young men Ladouceur built a dynasty but ironically he never focused on winning. He said they won because he emphasized doing things right. The Spartans “out worked” every team they played so as a result, they beat every team they played. But in Ladouceur’s own words, and the words of his players, “the Spartans didn’t win just because of their hard work, they worked hard and won because of their love for one another”.

That’s right, Love. He wrote about this in a letter titled “What is a Spartan?” A copy of this letter was given to each member of his 1998 National Championship Team and it was later published in a local newspaper in response to all the criticism of his winning program. In the letter the coach wrote:

It’s upsetting in so much that (the criticism) questions the integrity of school officials and coaches sworn to uphold the ideals of our founder St. La Salle. What’s worse, it completely nullifies the hard work, sheer grit and determination of our student athletes at De La Salle. Society has its share of pessimists and sceptics, many believe that success cannot be achieved without dishonesty. It’s hard for them to see our success and not assume that it was achieved by cheating, stealing, or just blind luck. But I don’t care what society believes. I know the truth and I sleep every night with a clear conscience.

He goes on to use words like “commitment, relationship, responsibility, accountability, and trust.” He speaks of being vulnerable and of the self-reflective process in which real growth can occur.I wish I had a coach like that. You may wonder if he personally walked the walk or just talked the talk or maybe saying one thing when the cameras were rolling, and another once they were packed up and gone? Here is your answer, current rival and former De La Salle player Patrick Walsh, recently weighed in on who Ladouceur truly was; “Coach Lad is one of the most important people who I’ve ever come across in my life,” Walsh said. “I’m thankful that my mom and dad paid the tuition and sent me to De La Salle and gave me the opportunity to meet a guy like Bob Ladouceur, who’s affected my life profoundly.” Walsh, a 1993 De La Salle graduate who ran for over 2,000 yards his senior season, gushes about Ladouceur. “Outside of my mom, my dad and my faith, just being a spiritual individual and believing in God, he’s next.” The quotes and accolades from former players to Super Bowl winning head coaches are too long to list, but his impact will not be fully measured in this life.

By now you may be asking yourself “What does all this mean to me?” I’m glad you asked. In his letter, “What is a Spartan?” Ladouceur quotes Jesus Christ and the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30, he then concludes with this:

The assumption here, is that each of us has some sort of ability: talent. Now it’s our responsibility to discover what that is and what’s more, have the courage to use it.

I know most of us won’t be called to coach football, but I believe that if each of us will commit to using our talents humbly…Psalm 25:9, and courageously…1 Cor 16:13, we have no idea how far God will take us…Ephesians 3:20.

Just ask a retired Spartan, who just wanted to make a difference in the lives of a few young men….

Yep…True Greatness…

Albert Gardner, great contribution…thank you.

Until next time guys…