Coach Hearne was never my football coach and we have never actually met. But, I'm still grateful for Coach Hearne as he has been a major influence on my life. Sounds weird right?
When I was 18 years old, I wrestled for Missouri Valley College in Marshal, Mo. While at Missouri Valley I met an extraordinary human being named Venshard Dobbins (aka Vince). Vince played football and ran track for the college and we lived on the same floor of the dorms. He was a tall guy, monster athlete, and always had a smile from ear to ear. That's Vince.
I would see Vince on campus or at the dorms and he'd always shake my hand, give me a hug, and say "How are you today Brother Chad?". Then he would actually sit there and listen, not just a "How's it going?" as he passed. No, Vince is the kind of guy that asked how you are and really wanted to know what you had to say.
If you've ever heard the saying "People won't always remember what you say, but they will remember how you make them feel." That's Vince. He made you feel special every time you had a chance to talk with him.
Vince often asked if I'd like to come to Church with him on Sunday, but I kept making excuses not to go. Finally, one day Vince asked me to go to church with him and I said "Yes Sir, I'm in". That's the day God started changing my heart and my world. I attended Sunday school classes, Church services, and partook of Church meals with Vince the rest of that school year. All throughout that time he showed me what a man of God looked and lived like in this world. He helped me understand what it was to have a relationship with Jesus. Vince was a man that walked the walk and talked the talk.
To be honest, I could go on and on about the impact Brother Venshard Dobbins made in my life. I could tell you about all that God did in my life then and all that He is continuing to do even now. But, what I want to tell you is this...
Coach Hearne influenced Vince in a positive manner when Vince played football for him. Vince became a great football player, went to college and that's where I met him. There he became a positive influence on my life and paid forward what he had learned from Coach Hearne. Then I became a better man and have tried my best to spend my days as an athlete and now a coach paying forward the lessons Vince taught me.
So even though I didn't play football for Coach Hearne and I've never met him, he has been a positive influence in my life. The funny thing is this, Coach Hearne has no idea what impact he made on my life. But that is the point of this blog post, we may never know how far our influence will reach. All we can do is try our best right now, where we are, to be a positive influence on those around us. In doing so, we could change their life for the better and hopefully they pay it forward to someone else. When we do this a lot and the cycle gets repeated, a small number of people can make a huge difference in this big 'ol world we live in today.
Thank You Coach Hearne and Brother Vince for being such Strong Men of God and for the impact you've had on my life!
Below is a video about Coach Hearne's new book "Friday Night Lights: Untold Stories From Behind The Lights." My good friend Vince is featured in the video (:39 second mark) and also in this new book. His story is incredible, absolutely incredible.
Friday Night Lights: Untold Stories From Behind The Lights
God Bless,
Coach P
P.S. Here are a couple other takeaways from this lesson:
1. Successful people usually have a number of untold stories that have taken place on their success journey.
2. Successful people often have one or more people that inspired and mentored them along the way. They have one or more people that influenced or impacted their lives in a positive manner.
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| Venshard Dobbins |
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