Graduated College.... Now what?

I sit here, on the eve of graduation... Like most, I'm sitting here trying to wrap my head around what I have accomplished; the memories I have made; the challenges I have faced; and the incredibly scary, looming thought of what comes next...

In my four years in college I have experienced a wide range of things: good and bad.  I've had bad roommates.  I've had great roommates. Let me tell you - having bad roommates really teaches you to appreciate the good ones.  I've made friendships, I've lost touch with people - some of which I've reconnected with.  Others, its like we never missed a beat.  I was in a car accident (during finals week none the less).  I lost family members due to death, but gained new ones when I was welcomed in by my aunt's loving sisters and their families.  I learned that I could work under pressure, stress, and deadlines.  I solidified my hatred of group projects, but came to terms with the fact that the work place is a group project, and you've gotta get over it at some point.  I faced rejection, as well as success.  I had not one, not two, but three internships, in a field I never thought about going into upon entering as a freshmen: radio.

So, what did I learn from college?

1. Always expect the unexpected... and usually at the worst time.  Life happens.  You've gotta roll with the punches.  Sometimes, good things happen! Sometimes, not so good things happen.  Take things as they come, the reason life is so good is because the hard times make the good things as great as they are.  Embrace the unexpected - in the end, things work out!
2. A closed door means another one is opened... you just have to find it! If you would have told freshmen me that radio was what I wanted to do, I would have laughed and said you were crazy.  Sports was my world.  After facing rejection, I took a desperate leap to find something, hell, ANYTHING, that would accept me.  I was beaten down, lost, confused, and had no idea where to go.  Someone was kind enough to give me a chance, and I somehow built up enough strength to give something unknown a chance... And I LOVED it! 
3. Get out of your comfort zone... sometimes, its not so bad! Sometimes, you've just gotta try new things.  I don't mean go shoplifting.  I mean new experiences! Try new foods, talk with people of different opinions, try a new religion, go crazy.  You can always go back :)
4. The best things come in small packages... this is not a joke. Sometimes, look past the big and glamorous! Great things can come from the most unexpected, overlooked areas.  And sometimes, bigger isn't better.
5. Travel any chance you get... there is a great big world out there! Need I say more? Explore! Find new places. Who knows, it could be you're future home!

There is a lot more I could talk about... College went by in the blink of an eye for me.  I moved 3,000 miles from home, lived on my own, and experienced so many things.  I made new friends, expanded my network, and learned who I am as a person.

You'll never be able to keep in touch with everyone you met, but hopefully you'll be able to remember the times you spent together, and look back on college as a great experience.  It was a lot of work, and a lot of stress, but it was also a lot of fun and something I'll never forget.

I leave my fellow graduates with the following.... It may be an old song but I feel the message still applies...

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance

Battle of the Breeds

If you've read my blog before, you know I am a Penn State supporter.  You also know that I am a fan of Joe Pa, and there isn't a whole heck of a lot that will change that.  I applauded Bill O'Brien's efforts to take what appeared to be a sinking ship and try to resurrect it.  As a former athlete, I loved his "were not going to quit" attitude, and his support of the students that stuck it out at Penn State...

And then came December 31, 2013... The day he left. The day that Bill O'Brien failed Penn State.  At least, that is the reaction you got from most who were in an uproar over the incident.

If you read the news, or blogs, or opinion articles, you know how people reacted to this.  That is not what I want to focus on.  I want to take a moment to talk about how I think coaching has changed over the years.  How it has gone from being a passion to being a profession.

Here's my feelings.  There are two breeds of coaches out there.  One, is a dying breed, if not already long extinct.  Coaches who are passionate.  Joe Paterno, is an example of one of these coaches.  He cared about his players, but more importantly he cared about their success - both on and off the field.  Paterno and his wife, Sue, were both huge supporters of Penn States liberal arts college.  They also donated money to the university on several occasions for various things, including THON and the library.  Sue even tutored football players who were struggling so that they could keep playing football as well as graduate. 

From what I could tell, Paterno's goal was to see his players excel in life - not football.  He wanted to see his kids become successful, well rounded individuals with an education that would get them somewhere in life.  Paterno coached because he loved helping young men become something great.  Paterno coached because he had a passion for coaching. 

So as a passionate coach, you coach for the love of assisting someone to become a better person and athlete.  And that, is enough to satisfy you.

I could beat you to death with what makes a passionate coach what they are.  But I think its pretty well understood.  Money doesn't matter (although it is nice).  The players and their own success matters.  Well just leave it at that.

Now for the second breed... The coaches who coach for a profession.  I want to start off by saying that this is not a bad thing! I'm just trying to put this into perspective.

Lets say you're an athlete - of any sport.  Maybe you get injured, or can't perform at a professional level outside of college.  But you still love your sport.  What is the next best thing you can do? Coach!

Alright. So you're no longer going to be a professional athlete - you're going to be a professional coach.  I state again... PROFESSIONAL.  You probably want to make this your career.  What is the ultimate position for a professional coach? I cant speak from experience here, but I'm gonna go with probably coaching a professionally recognized team of some sort.  Be it the Olympics or be it in a nationally recognized organization, like the NFL, NHL, NBA, etc.

Now... Bill O'Brien.  Professional coach.  Bounced around a little as an assistant coach at a few colleges.  Then lands a job working with the New England Patriots.  That's a pretty sweet deal - he's working his way up the ladder.  And then, this head coaching job opens up with Penn State... Now he would be moving down to the collegiate level (not that there is anything wrong with that) from the pros... It is still a head coaching position - that looks pretty nice on a resume.  Along with that, its taking a team that is hurting pretty bad from not only the death of their coach, but the crippling NCAA Sanctions.  If you can turn that team into something strong and great, you're looking pretty good.

In my opinion, despite how tough of a position it is, you've got a chance to make a pretty good name for yourself there.   So why not take it?  This could lead to bigger things - like a head coaching job in the pros. 

We all know how that story ended.  Well, not ended.  Progressed.  His story isn't really "over" so to speak.  But he's thinking from a career stand point.  Something that someone who is using coaching as a career should do.  So does this make Bill O'Brien a bad person? No! Does it mean he doesn't care about the players? I sure hope not.  I hope that he does care about his players - and I am sure to some degree he does.  But instead of putting all of his focus on them, he's thinking about himself too.  There's nothing wrong with that. 

So here's the deal.  There are, or were, two breeds of coaches. Your Joe Paternos, and your Bill O'Briens.  Ones who coach for the love of their players, and ones who coach for the desire to move up the ladder.  Now I'm not saying you can't have a hybrid of these two coaches.  But I do feel that we have lost a lot of those coaches who are there specifically for the players.  Who turn down professional contracts because of the love they have for where they are, what they stand for, and the number of people they can impact by being simply who they are.

Was I upset that O'Brien left Penn State? Yeah sure.  But I was upset because there were promises made to prospects that he wasn't leaving.  My deal is, be up front! Make your intentions known.  Ha! But in their lies another issue.  If O'Brien came to Penn State and said "Hey, I'm just using this to help boost my resume.  I'll help you out for a year or two, and if a professional contract rolls around, I'm walking away."  Well.... Isn't that... Considerate? If I were an athlete, I wouldn't be too thrilled about that. "Cool. So this guy is coming in just to pity us, and move on."  That isn't the best attitude to have toward your coach...

So as fans I think this is something we need to consider.  We have on our hands, the battle of the breeds... That I think we have basically lost.  Not because of anything we did, but just the nature of the game.  We all want to have our coaches who we love, who stay forever, who we don't want to see go.  But by the flip side - we want to win too.  So maybe the loved coach with an alright team isn't as good as the professional one whose helping lead an undefeated team? Once again another argument... All of which is food for thought.

(Note: Please take this for what it is worth.  Leave the money factor out. Leave the W/L columns out. There are so many factors that go into a topic like this that I know I didn't touch on. So just take this for what it is worth - an opinion about styles of coaching.)