#4 Offensive Coordinator

Offensive Coordinator. Chick Graning. A Mastermind of complex offensive schemes.  The Genius with a Bird’s-Eye-View from The Tower.  Chick Graning loves Football.  Two-time High School All-American and Captain of the football team at Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. All-Star Running Back under the tutelage of the infamous Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech.  Legendary for the brutal, cheap-shot that he received in Georgia Tech vs Alabama rivalry game that broke Chick’s jaw (picture from Chick at Tech).  I’m super privileged to have played on his Offensive Line as Left Tackle.  Chick believed in me as a starter when others doubted.  I’m grateful for him for this was a formidable period of my development as a young man and I needed to be around men like Chick.  He led his Players with heart-felt affection.  No doubt, he loved us like he did his own children and we loved him as if he were our Father.  At Blakenship Field he had a commanding view of the field from the press box from where he executed his well-orchestrated game plans.  More interesting though, on the road, he had a scaffolding Tower built on our sideline.  From The Tower he called the Plays that eventually led to a dreamlike season with 13 Wins and 0 Loses.  My gut tells me there’s never been a High School Coach as smart as Chick Graning in the United States.  He taught Economics and could have easily had a career on Wall Street.  Yet Football was his Calling and he stayed true to his Bliss.  And we the young men that had the privilege of playing for Chick were given a gift that propelled us all onto becoming strong independent men.

#3 Defensive Coordinator

Defensive Coordinator.  Paul Brewster.  The epitome of a tough Defensive Coach.  A strong, disciplined man who showed love for his Players in his own way.  Brewster would often say: “I don’t have time to tell you all the things you’re doing right.  When you come down to the Field, leave your feelings up on the fencepost and pick them up on your way out.”  Brewster initiated us boys into men.  He taught us how to be respectable Warriors.  He taught us how to fight in the “Sweat Box".  None of us will ever forget “Top Cat”. It’s was a form of hand-to-hand combat with a broomstick-handle like weapon that was padded on both ends.  One of his favorite sayings was “You’re going to get your Tally-wacker knocked up into your watch-pocket.”  Good advise to always be on-guard when you enter the Field-of-play.  I learned this the hard way. When I was a Sophomore, I stood daydreaming during practice one hot afternoon and a Senior came out of nowhere and blindsided me—knocked me flat on my back.  I jumped up, the Senior shrugged and said, “Coach Brewster told me to do it.”  My head was In-the-Game every practice after that hit.  In 1979, on another hot practice day, I watched him whip the bare-calves of a big defensive tackle with his leather whistle strap.  He demanded the big lineman get his feet moving in the drill with an offensive lineman.  This was totally acceptable in 1979 and he was initiating us boys into being men.  We needed the tough-love Brewster dished out to us.  We feared Coach Brewster in a respectful way.  We loved him and we knew he loved us all in return.

#2 Head Coach

The Head Coach.  Emory Hale.  No one loved more than the Big E.  He loved his Players dearly.  He loved their families and knew all the Mothers and Fathers, even siblings by first name.  Most all, he loved to win.  Losing, even the thought of losing made him physically ill.  His leadership style was uniquely his—it could not be replicated.  Big E led with a palpable passion and relentless energy that was contagious to all who crossed his path.  He pushed us and pushed us and pushed us more until we got close to his drive for perfection, yet we never fully satisfied him.  It would take a novel to fully explore the complexity of the Big E.  Make no mistake, this was his Team and the 1980 Championship was His Win—all others were playing supporting roles.  He delivered Wins and that’s what Oak Ridge demanded him to do.  No boy was turned away by Big E.  If you wanted to be a Wildcat and you were willing to endure the rigorous practices and being constantly pushed to exhaustion physically and mentally, you had a jersey.  I personally owe much to Big E and I'm grateful for the love he gave me. Thank you, Big E.  You deserve a standing ovation for the love you so generously bestowed on every single boy who desired to be a Wildcat.

#1 The Champions

40 years ago we were The Champions.  Being a member of the 1980 State Champion Football Team in Oak Ridge, TN was a special honor.  This was a special team.  What made this team special was love.  The Coaches loved the Players.  The Players loved the Coaches.  The Players loved each other.  The entire community took great pride in loving the Wildcat Team.

Oak Ridge, TN Football has a rich legacy that dates back to the 1st State Championship in 1956.   I’m writing a series of post that highlights the unique players of the 1980 Championship Team. The post that I’ll share are dedicated to my refections of this Special Football Season of 1980 and the Seniors who graduated in 1981. This is Post #1. In the next Post, I’ll speak to the Coaching Staff (pictured above), the Special Men who led their Players to a 13 Won and 0 Lost Season and finished #3 in Nation.  

Striking Terror

Striking Terror is the action-packed story of Micah, a teenage amateur magician who travels from his London home to stay with relatives in Jerusalem. While there he befriends Shireen, a young Palestinian girl. Unbeknown to Micah, the girl is preparing to blow up the bus he rides to school. When she changes her mind, she earns accolades—and threats of vengeance. Micah must use his magic skills to rescue Shireen from a murderous brother whose honor Shireen has besmirched. But  nothing is what it seems. While Shireen seeks to become an advocate of peace in a divided country, Micah suspects a hidden agenda, a sinister plot to turn his new, unsuspecting friend into an agent of death and to plunge the land into the abyss of war once more. Unless they can uncover the truth in time…

This unique book is by Denis Lipman and written for young readers aged 11-14.
To learn more about Denis Lipman click here.

Building Self-esteem Through Reading

Building Self-esteem in Boys Through Reading

Below is an excellent article written by C.J. Quinn.

Reading is a critical component of creating self-esteem. According to the Child Development Institute, LLC, “Self-esteem is a major key to success in life. The development of a positive self-concept or healthy self-esteem is extremely important to the happiness and success of boys.”  Reading builds boys’ self-esteem because it fosters a more proficient reader, thus cultivating a more confident person. You can’t give a child self-confidence; they have to earn it. A good way to gain self-esteem is through reading. As your boy reads, he becomes more proficient and learns valuable lessons from the stories. Pulitzer prize-winning author of Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt said, “Stock your mind. It is your house of treasure.”

Nurturing your boys to enjoy the art of reading is an undertaking. One suggestion to help boys read is to incorporate it into their everyday routine. After they get settled down for bed have your boy(s) read for a minimum of 30 minutes before lights out. This could be any kind of reading; silent reading, parents or siblings reading aloud to one another, and/or listening to books on audio. eBooks can be especially instrumental because they can look up vocabulary words they may be unfamiliar with. Furthermore, reading is a valuable time for your son to wind down from the day and use his mind more introspectively. You can even turn it into a time where the family reads together; all reading silently or aloud. This time together is more important today due to our fast paced, frenetic society.

Let your boy(s) choose the books they read. Give them many different selections. Take them to the library, a bookstore or let them peruse the eBook libraries. The goal here is to get your boys to want to read. Schools often choose books that are uninspiring. When a boy has the ability to pick and choose what he wants to read, this spurs an interest in reading and gives the boy motivation to read. Boys enjoy reading about adventure, action, fantastical stories and humor more than any other genres. Boys will read if the story engages them.  

Turn the concept around from reading as a chore, into reading for pleasure. According to the National Literacy Trust research, only 1 in 4 boys read outside of class every day.”  Promote reading by giving your boy ownership in his choices. Reading a series is vital because your son already understands the plot, they know the characters and are curious to see what the next book brings. This builds on their reading skills because they are already invested in the story, which is a great hook.

If you have a boy who is struggling with reading at school, make sure that you give him stories he can be successful in reading. In 1946, researcher Emmett Betts suggested that we should be giving students texts in which they could read at least 90 percent of the words and comprehend at least 75 percent of the information. This enhanced both learning and attitude. If your reader struggles with reading, it can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. It can affect them in school, in their relationships and with their peers. This in turn can affect their feelings of self-worth.

When boys read fantasy it gives them a place to explore their fears. Books that have characters in them that they can relate to are essential to the success of boys reading. Through reading about other fictional characters whom they can connect with to sort out who they are. That personal exploration allows boys to put things in into perspective in their own lives. Boys need outlets to read to build their self- esteem as people. Nurture your boys to become successful readers if you want to help them build self-esteem.

C.J. Quinn is the author of Talia and the Capture of Wrath, a middle grade fantasy novel that promotes environmental awareness. After traveling the world, she settled down to start a family, which has proven to be the biggest adventure yet. She currently resides in Seattle with her family. Click here to learn more about her very cool book.

The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts

In the seaside town of Melcombe Regis, England, 1724, Oliver Cromwell Pitts wakes to find his father missing and his house flooded by a recent storm. He’s alone in his ruined home with no money and no food. Oliver’s father has left behind a barely legible waterlogged note: he’s gone to London, where Oliver’s sister, Charity, is in trouble. Exploring damage to the town in the storm’s aftermath, Oliver discovers a shipwreck on the beach. Removing anything from a wrecked ship is a hanging offense, but Oliver finds money that could save him, and he can’t resist the temptation to take it. When his crime is discovered, Oliver flees, following the trail of his father and sister. The journey is full of thieves, adventurers, and treachery--and London might be the most dangerous place of all.

In the tradition of his Newbery Honor book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi mixes high adventure and short, page-turning chapters with a vivid historical setting featuring a cast of highwaymen, pickpockets, and villainous criminal masterminds. The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts is impossible to put down.

Avi has penned yet another masterpiece.  To learn more, click here.