PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

December 7, 2022

INTEGRITY

Wednesday, November 28, 2018, Jeff Brohm announced that he would be staying as the head football coach for Purdue.   He has been heavily recruited by the University of Louisville to be their coach.  He said that he was a difficult discussion since he was from Louisville and had been the starting quarterback  and for several years an assistant coach for the university.

In his announcement he mentioned that a number of his players approached him about his decision.  They were all hoping he would stay.  In part this influenced his decision.  He said, “After intense and thorough discussion, I believe it is important to finish the building process we have begun and honor the commitment I made to our football program, players, and recruits.”

Brohm’s decision reminds me of another page in Purdue’s sports history.  John Wooden was an All-American basketball player at Purdue.  In 1947 he was asked to be the assistant to the then Purdue head basketball coach Mel Taube until Taube’s contract expired with the understanding that he would replace Taube.  Wooden declined because Mel was a friend of his and he did not feel right with the arrangement.

In 1948 Wooden signed a three year contract with UCLA.  When Mel Taube’s contract expired in 1950 John Wooden was offered the position of Purdue head coach.  The offer meant more money and a return to his alma mater.  Also, his wife was interested in returning to the Midwest.  Wooden turned down the offer because he had a three year contract and he intended to keep it.

What makes Brohm’s decision so noteworthy is that it would seem to be so atypical.  Many involved in sports would seem to be more interested in always looking for greener pastures rather than fulfilling the obligations and commitments one already has.  Integrity would seem to be a quality sorely lacking in today’s sports scene.

Proverbs 11:3 says: “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”  In a similar manner Proverbs 28:18 says, “One who walks in integrity will be safe, but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.”  We are all familiar with Jesus’ version of the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

John Wooden was known for his Pyramid of Success.  The pyramid was undergirded by his personal faith.  Much of his advice comes from scriptures such as Proverbs 11:3, Proverbs 28:18, and Luke 6:31.  His integrity was an integral part in his being an All-American basketball player three times, having his UCLA teams be the national champion ten times, and having been the national coach of the year seven times.   People with integrity can finish first.

One of the questions parents ask when a son or a daughter is being recruited by a coach is can I trust my child to this person.  This is a concern not only for the coach’s knowledge of the game and his or her coaching philosophy but also their character.  Most athletes who play college sports will never move on to the next level.    They will go on to something else.  What will serve them well in the years to come from their college sports experience is what their coaches taught them about what it means to be a successful man or woman.  Parents would do well when helping their children choose a coach for whom to play is to choose one with integrity such as Jeff Brohm or John Wooden.

(Note: this article was originally published December 9, 2018.