"Coming together is a beginning:
Keeping together is progress;
Working together is success!"
~Henry Ford~
As we reflect on our Inaugural Season, we think about everything we accomplished as an organization. With the odds stacked against us and naysayers heckling us from the sidelines, we relish in the fact that our organization succeeded.
What is Success? It is a question that has been asked of us many times since we stepped onto the gridiron. Is Success winning? Maybe. Is Success making it to the playoffs? Sure. Is Success winning the league championship? Of Course. But those are small victories in the challenges we face everyday.
In 1989, St. Jude the Apostle in South Holland, IL won the Catholic Grade School Conference of Chicagoland's (CGSC) Varsity Championship. It was a fantastic season, they won, made it to the playoffs all behind the then future NFL Quarterback Donovan McNabb. How do I know that, I was on that team. Who else remembers that, probably the other young men I played with and the coaching staff. That's it.
So the question we have to answer is: What is the purpose of this team? Is it to win games, get in the playoffs and win championships. That will come. I have no doubt. But if that was our purpose, as an organization, we fail.
At St. Ann Football, our purpose is bigger than football, it's life and it's faith. It's being vested in our players lives, on the football field, at school, in religion, everywhere. Football is just football, it starts in August and ends in November, and the following year the cycle continues. It's our means to get our message across. Our purpose is not to create football players. Our purpose is to create virtuous young adults who understand their values, live their values, and truly take those values to heart.
Let me try to paint a picture of how that worked. In a game on the near north side of Chicago, our Varsity team scored a touchdown. It was a long road to get that feat under our belt and it was exciting for everyone. As a coach, I pulled the player aside and said, Nice Run. I was fully expecting "Thanks Coach" but instead I got," Coach, that was a team effort. If the snap wasn't good and the line didn't have good blocking and our other backs did not block, I would not have scored. This is not my touchdown, this is the entire offenses touchdown"
How many 13 year old boys would give up the glory of a 96 yard touchdown? But in that moment, this young man got it. He succeeded, because he understood the value in the moment was not taking the glory, but being thankful to his teammates for making it happen.
St. Ann Football is a values-based organization. At the onset, we outlined five core values: Faith, Integrity, Generosity, Humility and Trust (F.I.G.H.T.) In 1947, Senate Chaplin Peter Marshall said: "Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for—because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."
So back to the question I posed at the beginning of this entry.
What is success?
Success is... Starting with 37 young men and ending with 37 young men (100% retention)
Success is... Integrating the families into the program's culture - the team values are family values(Weekly Team Dinners, traveling to local high school games, Mentor Appreciation Day)
Success is... Holding our athletes accountable for their actions - in a caring way so they understand the impact of their actions.
Success is... Having a coaching staff that believes each athlete is part of the team and deserves respect.
Success is... Being part of each athletes journey and celebrating their individual successes with the team.
Success is... Standing for something so you don't fall for everything
Our athletes stand for something. Join us in 2014 and be part of craze: Be Part of St. Ann Football.
