Coaching And Teaching Can Be Synonymous

Written by Posted On Friday, 03 December 2021 00:00

"Nothing is ever so bad it can’t be made worse by firing the coach." wrote former syndicated sports columnist Jim Murray. Murray, arguably the greatest ever, was able to succinctly capture the essence of a sports story with humor and satire. What brings the Murray quote to mind is that this is the time of year when football coaches are separated from their jobs.

So, what is the role of a coach? At the Little League or high school levels, the coach’s focus needs to be on teaching. Players certainly should “play to win the game,” as Coach Herm Edwards says in my book “It’s the Will, Not the Skill.” However, teaching must come first. My belief is coaching and teaching can be synonymous.

As a former high school teacher and administrator, I believe that the role of a teacher is to help students become better people as well as better learners. What if in any given classroom, a teacher treated students as players, for example, some as quarterbacks, some as linemen, some as receivers with each student/player having different abilities? The teacher then helps develop that student’s special talents.

Should college and professional coaches be teachers as well? A former NFL coach, who has won a Super Bowl, told me “In the NFL, you don’t get paid to teach, you get paid to win.” Should that be the challenge for college coaches as well? Can a college or pro coach do both? Pro coaches with whom I had the pleasure of being with on the field did both [Lombardi, Landry, Walsh, Shula, Madden, and Edwards). Players spoke highly of their learning experiences both on and off the field. They appreciated the efforts coaches make in helping them become better people as well as better players.

Good coaches do that. However, all too often teaching takes a back seat to the pressures of winning. The race to be number one becomes too important. Economics often drives winning at all costs.

Will you support those who teach/coach the person inside the player?

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Dr. Jim Tunney

Jim Tunney had an exemplary career in sports. A former high school coach, teacher, principal and district superintendent, he had a 40-year career in officiating football and basketball.

Thirty-one of those years he was an NFL Referee working a record twenty-nine post-season games including four Super Bowls, ten NFC/AFC Championship games, six Pro Bowls and twenty-five Monday Night Games.

He officiated some of the most memorable games in NFL history. His book Impartial Judgment: “The Dean of NFL Referees” Calls Pro Football As He Sees It, chronicles his NFL career.

As a Professional Speaker, he is Past President of The National Speakers Association and a Charter Member of its most prestigious group – The CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame. Jim holds every professional designation of the NSA, including the Oscar of Professional Speaking – The Cavett. NSA named him Philanthropist of the Year in 2007.

Dr. Tunney (a doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California) continues to serve his community as  Trustee Emeritus of both Monterey Peninsula College and York School; where he once served as Headmaster. In 1993, he founded the Jim Tunney Youth Foundation to support local community programs that develop leadership, work skills, wellness and self-esteem in youth. He and his wife Linda live in Pebble Beach, California. They have six children and sixteen grandchildren.

As an author he has written and/or co-authored thirteen books: Impartial Judgment, Chicken Soup for the Sports Fan’s Soul, Speaking Secrets of the Masters, You Can Do It!, Super Bowl Sunday, Insights into Excellence, Lessons in Leadership, Build a Better You and his most recent book, It’s the Will, Not the Skill.

If you are looking for a keynote speaker who educates, motivates and entertains with a lifetime of stories about leadership, team building and sports 831-595-3258.

tunneysideofsports.com/

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