Bull in the Ring... It Saved My Life

Coach Steve Cain

As I get back out on the road for a five week hard run I get this quiet time to reflect on what and who has been important to me in my life.  It helps me to prepare and focus on my keynotes plus it gives me peace of mind.

There’s those people who come and go into your life and then there are those who have had a profound impact on your life and they probably don’t even know it.  I met “Coach” when I was 15 years old, almost 40 years ago (okay you do the math).  I didn’t even know he had a last name because he was “Coach” to me.  He has no idea that I’m even writing this so I may be running a couple extra laps or doing some extra pushups once I post this blog.

To me he was this giant of a man who knew how to play football and had an incredible amount of knowledge on the game, technique, strategy and how to become the best player you could possibly be.  What I didn’t realize until much later in life is that he gave me a gift far greater than being an athlete.  All the things he taught me about the game were important at that time but now reflecting back on it, he was teaching me about how to live life.  I think that’s what I appreciate the most.

Sure I was a smart ass, I was 15, and how the hell he ever put up with me I don’t know.  I do know that he is one of the few people I’ve come across through my journey that I remember what he taught me.  Dedication, determination, perseverance, resiliency and loyalty.  To be gracious in victory and humble in defeat, which neither one of us liked and fortunately it didn’t happen too often.

Most importantly he taught me how to get up when I was knocked on my butt.  That was the lesson I needed most in my life.  “Coach” used to run this drill called “Bull in the ring” where everyone is circled around you, you are placed in the middle and then he would call out a player’s name and they would rush into the middle for mortal combat (so I thought at the time) and eventually when you were in the middle of the ring and so many names were called out for you to battle with, you eventually tired out and would end up on your butt (I did anyways).

For some stupid reason I always asked “Coach” if we could “Play bull in the ring”, oh this got him going, a pack of lions roaring had nothing on him.  As I ran those laps around the field I can still hear his voice correcting me that we don’t “play” bull in the ring, it’s a drill.  You know what, he was right.

Later in life I was knocked on my butt by my own doing, self-inflicted carnage but for some stupid reason I remembered the “drill” bull in the ring and I remember hearing his voice encouraging me to get up, not in a scolding manner but in an encouraging motivating manner (don’t get me wrong it was loud).  I went through a few years of self-pity, shame, guilt and all of those other feelings but I remember the “drill”, keep going and don’t give up.

Today I still get knocked on my butt, however I know how to get back up because of “Coach”.  I owe him a lot and I can finally tell him.  Coach Steve Cain, thank you for what you taught me, thank you for helping me save my own life and thank you for now being a dear friend after all these years, you’re a hell of a man…  Here’s to the drill “Bull in the Ring”