Coaches get a bad rap for always being on their phones, forgetting their lucky polo/khakis/hat/whistle and needing it brought to the field house, or writing random plays on stray pieces of paper like a napkin or a receipt.
Our biggest complaint is the fact that they are barely around due to practice, a game, recruiting, meetings, or anything sports related. And then when they are, they don't know how to do things the right way...I mean how we typically do things.
And don't get me wrong, they deserve it all (and then some). But there are a lot of reasons why you should marry a one.
Marry a man that can leave at 4 am, spend five hours in a car (there and back) to sit out in the summer sun and recruit all day, but when he's just pulling in at 9 pm, he acts like he only spent the day sitting at a desk. He charges in, giving out hugs and kisses, with kids jumping all over him. And you don't even sense a hint of exhaustion on his face or in his behavior.
Marry a man that isn't afraid to repeatedly say, "Let them have fun," about your ten-year-old's basketball team when the parents only want to talk about unfair calls and blind refs. He has seen kids pushed past their limits and become burnt out, so they either get hurt or stop loving the game. He's the one the parents will listen to, and he's not afraid to share his expertise.
Marry a man that has 60 boys, all their parents, countless fans, and multiple other coaches needing him to figure things out. But he sees that you are struggling with your three little people and offers to take them with him, knowing full well that they will do more harm than good. But he knows you need a break more than he needs one less thing to worry about.
Marry a man that works outside all day, almost every day in all weather, but most especially the summer's heat, but will come home and unload 50 bags of mulch and distribute them all around your yard because you decided you wanted to have your friends over for a barbecue but the level of neglect in the flower beds makes it look like the house has been abandoned for months.
Marry a man that can carry the weight of a team, every individual player, and the other coaches' hopes and dreams, as well as his own, but won't stop until you've found your path and purpose too. He could have just landed the biggest recruit in the country or finally beat his cross-town rivals in a big overtime game, but he celebrates your victories just like they are his own too.
Most people don't really know what makes for a great coach. They think he has all the answers and will know just what to do off the top of his head.
But the truth is what makes him great is that he never gives up. No matter how often he loses, fails, or gets pushed down, he's willing to try again with minor adjustments to the game plan. He wants to leave a program and its people better than he found them and is ready to do what it takes for as long as it takes to see that happen.
So, if you want to marry a man like that, then you have to marry a coach.
And even though it might not always feel that way, when you marry a coach, you're his number one undertaking.