ITA And UIL Coaches--Men & Women Of Integrity

In today's world noone seems to make the headlines but those who do something illegal or say something that is politically incorrect--but that's not all there is to the story...  Seems that the coaches who garner the limelight are those who are the most disruptive or cause the most problems--but I guarantee you that they are in the glaring minority.  The vast, vast majority of ITA and UIL coaches are truly men and women of high integrity and they deserve to be commended for their lives and work product.  In my 25 plus years of officiating, I can safely say that I have met less than 5 coaches that I would consider to be sadly lacking in integrity and that's a pretty good track record for any profession.

Our blog sometimes focuses on coaches who do strange and stupid things and sometimes cross the lines of what is right and good but they are the minority.  Seems that everyone these days wants to read about the sensational but a person with integrity isn't one to chase the limelight but one who lives and works with values and ethics on a daily basis.

Since our previous post was an article questioning the behavior of a coach, its time to highlight what makes a man or woman of integrity...

Here are the hallmarks of that kind of person and coach:

*  They tell the truth.  An absolute necessity for anyone with integrity.
*  They don't lie.  People can tell the truth and also lie, but that's not the case for a person with integrity.
*  They live the same when there is noone there to know the difference.  That means they can look in the mirror and be proud of what they see.
*  They run their programs with ethics, morals, and standards.  The ones who don't, stand out like a sore thumb.
*  They stand up for their players in the right way.  Far too often we see ranting and raving under the guise of standing up for their players--that won't cut it.
*  They teach values and morals to their players.  Remember--players will emulate what they see.
*  They provide a good role model for their players.  A team will always take on the personality of their coach so what does that tell you?
*  They consistently treat their players with respect and honor.  There is no place for a coach who constantly demeans and denigrates a young man or woman.
*  They treat officials with respect and dignity--even when they might disagree.  We are all humans and deserve to be treated in the right manner.
*  They act like an adult at all times.  Childish behavior negates all talk of integrity.
*  They will overrule their own player when they see them violate the rules or make a bad call.  We seldom see it but its always done by a coach who lives and practices integrity.
*   They don't tolerate bad behavior from their players. Not something that should be up for discussion.
*  They are just nice people.  Couldn't figure out how to describe this in any other way...

I love my job--and I love having the privilege of working with some of the people with the greatest integrity that I have ever seen--and that's collegiate and high school coaches.  Thanks for sharing your lives with us...