Reflecting on my development as both an athlete and a coach I?m compelled to acknowledge that an important influence on me, other than Coach Thompson was my CYO football coach, Mr. Bob Ralph.

I played on the St. John the Baptist CYO football team with his son Mike from 4th through 8th grades. Mr. Ralph worked all day as the Head of the Service Department at a local car dealership and as a volunteer, came every day to coach as hard as he could. He was an example of dedication that I only learned to appreciate later in life, but more than that he taught me how to listen.

Mr. Ralph was a no-nonsense coach who talked to me in a way that no one ever had before. He saw potential in me and was very straightforward in his demand that I realize that potential. He taught me how to listen to criticism without hearing it as a personal attack.

Mr. Ralph developed my mental toughness, preparing me for my high school and college coaches in an entirely different sport by teaching me not to be shocked or discouraged by the way information was presented. Learning to accept the coach?s challenge and improve myself was an incredibly valuable lesson and was fundamental to my development as both a player and a coach.

I was too immature at the time to understand the importance of the lesson Mr. Ralph was teaching, but I did understand that he wasn?t being ?mean? for the fun of it. Although it took many years for me to articulate exactly what his coaching style had done for me, I knew when Mr. Ralph was done, I was shock proof.

The drive to improve and realize potential, the mental toughness to hear the message however it is presented and the understanding that criticism is instructional are all fundamental lessons I learned from a football coach.