Oh, To Be An Athletic Coach
Screen 1 of 6During the spring of 1934 when I was the teacher of a combined fifth and sixth grade in the public schools of South Hill, Virginia I became interested in the position of athletic coach in the local high school, wondering if I should apply for it.
This interest stemmed in part from my own earlier participation in high school basketball and to some degree from the frustration and disappointment I felt concerning the deplorable status of athletics there at South Hill High School. Many parents and sports enthusiasts in that small community apparently shared this dim view of the situation, judging by their comments to each other and their letters to the editor of the town's weekly newspaper. One of our concerns was that the school rarely won any games, but more important to us was the widely discussed low morale of the high school students themselves. These students thought they deserved to win more, and the ones who spoke out said they believed the school could have a more successful athletic program, if some things could be changed. Their proposed changes, however, were not made known in any detail. Perhaps they decided the matter was too delicate to pursue any further.
I should also mention that my interest in becoming the coach was strengthened considerably by the fact that the coach's monthly salary was $95--exactly $15 more than I was making as an elementary school teacher. In those days of the Great Depression, this difference in income was not unimportant. The added prestige of being the high school coach also appealed to me.
Apparently unhappy with the current state of affairs and discouraged about what he thought were poor prospects for the future, the man holding the coaching position at that time had let it be known early in the spring--first informally to friends, then later in an official letter to the principal--that he would not return the following year. This action on his part meant, of course, that applications for the position were in order and that his successor would be chosen sometime soon.
In considering whether I should apply, I felt I was reasonably well qualified in basketball, since I had played that sport both in high school and later with independent teams in Kentucky and Virginia. But my close friends with whom I discussed this matter agreed with me that my qualifications to coach football, baseball and track left much to be desired. And all of us knew the coach at South Hill High School was expected to coach all the sports. He had no assistants. This reservation, along with some other doubts I had caused me to hesitate for awhile in submitting my application. But not for long. I was only twenty-two years old, a time in life when very few things seem to be impossible. Moreover, I felt sure that not very many famous college athletes or experienced coaches would be attracted to South Hill, whose high school athletic teams were known to be poor and where future prospects seemed not to be very good. It was also reasonable to assume, it appeared to me, that potential applicants would be discouraged from applying when they found out the coach had to teach four classes each day--two in English and two in mathematics--in addition to carrying out his coaching responsibilities.
So I applied for the coaching position and waited. In less than two weeks I received notice that I had been appointed. (I never learned whether there were any other serious applicants, but that didn't bother me. I wanted the job and got it.)
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