My dad was an assistant coach then, but, one year later, he was appointed the head football coach at the beloved place that would later become my high school. He would remain at that post for 44 years, when, on his 51st wedding anniversary, he submitted his letter of resignation and retired from coaching.
From the very start, back in 1968, he named his group of young men, "The Rare Breed", hoping ~ and overwhelmingly succeeding ~ in setting them apart not just as football players, but as principled young men of values. The motto of the team remains ingrained not only in those players, but their moms, dads, sisters, aunts, grandparents, and maybe even their children: "Faith, Family, Football."
Now I am pretty sure my dad had no idea that "The Rare Breed" was actually the name of a 1966 cowboy movie starring Jimmy Stewart. But I am sure that, when reflecting on his 44 years with his own Rare Breed, he would identify with perhaps the most cherished of all Stewart's films, "It's A Wonderful Life."
In Frank Capra's delayed classic, George Bailey is an imperfect, somewhat grouchy, but clearly goodhearted man of conviction with big dreams who, upon the death of his father, sacrifices these dreams to take over his dad's business so that the people of Bedford Falls can live better lives and create homes for their families.
It is true my dad made sacrifices, but not pursuing his dreams wasn't one of them. He knew ~ after he gave the priesthood some serious consideration ~ that he wanted to marry my mom, teach high school, and be a football coach. That was his dream, his passion ~ and that's what he did.
He told my mom outright that he wasn't going to make a lot of money, and she reminds him to this day that he wasn't right about much, but he was right about that.
But he amassed untold wealth in those 44 years, and, just like when the people of Bedford Falls came through for George Bailey on Christmas Eve, the Football Family known as the "Rare Breed", the clan that forced me to give up my Saturday morning date with The Jackson Five, became the people I grew to know and love... and who, like family, swarmed my dad and his own in both the best and worst of times.
I was five years old when I figured out that my dad was a high school football coach and that my mom was not going to let me watch Saturday morning cartoons because we had to ride sometimes almost 90 minutes to a football game. I wasn't too crazy about the whole football thing.
But at some point I realized that this was not a "football thing."
Faith. Family. Football.
Faith... I learned believing in someone bigger, something greater than me.
Family...I learned, no matter what our differences, we need to love and support each other.
Football...well, as much as I get excited about it and get the basics, I can't say I actually mastered it. (I was in my thirties when I finally got what the Statue of Liberty play was.)
Because football, as much as we love it, isn't the thing. It's about doing whatever it is we love, the passion in our heart ~ doing our thing.
For me, that "thing" is creating ~ or at least trying to create ~ using art and often technology.
For the past several years, I have wanted to tell the story of the Rare Breed, our "Football Family." It began as fiction based on actual events... then became a non-fiction manuscript since the true story is that good...then talk of a film script emerged.
In the end, at the wise suggestion of a former player, it led to the idea of telling the real story in the form of a documentary, Football Family. (Click for the trailer:) For me, working on this project is "living the dream". Trying to combine over a thousand experiences, be them "good, bad, or ugly" into one final presentation is what I truly love to do.
Still, no dream, no mission, no goal is to come before faith or be more important than family.
In a few short weeks, my own family will come together on the beaches of the Jersey Shore and enjoy each other and the time we have been gifted here on this planet. We will wade in the water, ride the waves, and float adrift the Atlantic Ocean that our grandparents crossed almost a century ago.
Did they cross those waters with football in mind? Not likely. But they came with the belief of Faith, the commitment to Family, and the desire to live the Dream.
So here's to Faith, Family, & Living A Dream. Yours:)
The Football Family Trailer
~ Have a wonderful week~
