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Give Credit Where Credit is Due: Reward the Program Kid

by: Mike Kuchar
Senior Writer, American Football Monthly
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America loves the underdog. No question about it. There’s a reason why Rudy, the true story of Dan Ruettiger, the walk-on from Notre Dame, was arguably the best football movie of our era – better than the half-fantasy flicks like The Program and Any Given Sunday. There’s a reason why Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky won the 1976 Academy award over Martin Scorcese’s classic Taxi Driver. There’s a reason why Jason McElwain, the autistic team manager at Greece Athena High School in upstate New York, took home a 2006 ESPY Award after coming into the closing minutes of a game and scoring twenty straight points. Rooting for the underdog is embedded in our culture.

In our June issue we had an overwhelming response to our ‘Fifth Down’ question that asked how to go about motivating the unmotivated athlete. It was a terrific topic that produced a ton of good suggestions. As coaches, chances are we were the quintessential overachievers – so we search the ends of the earth trying to get in the minds of our best players. Some of the best coaches ever to walk the sidelines, such as Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick, weren’t the best players. What made them successful was finding a way to reach out to each kid. My favorite Lombardi story was when he personally wrote every kid on his St. Cecilia (NJ) team individual ‘hate’ letters before a big game. He even took the time to sign each letter with a different members signature of the opposing squad. It was an incredible way to motivate his players before a big game – and it worked.

Truth is, the motivated athlete is easy – half the battle is won already. But the percentages of these players being the best athletes on our team are rare. It’s the overachievers, like us, that are usually the core of our programs. Which is why AFM is partnering with Hammer Strength/Life Fitness to develop the first annual Hammer Strength Football Player of the Year award. By definition, the award is intended to celebrate the high school player who best exemplifies what it takes to become a fierce competitor regardless of size or speed. It’s a national award grouped into four categories: work ethic, leadership, consistency and academic honors. It’s your opportunity as a coach to push for the kid on your squad that you feel has ‘punched the time clock’ so to speak, and has done everything you asked of him to better himself and your program. The winner gets free Hammer Strength gear, a new addition to your weight room and a profile in our March issue of AFM. So why not reward him? We’ll all read his story, and chances are, we’ll love it.

Yours in football,

Mike Kuchar
Senior Writer
American Football Monthly
MikeKuchar@AmericanFootballMonthly.com





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