I would like to honor my Little League Baseball, Middle School Football and Freshman Wrestling, coach.
Coach Dean Peterson.
After my Mom and Dad, Coach Peterson was the most influential person in my life.
Because of him I have a very high regard for coaches and the coaching profession.
Because of him I tried to make my cities little league program the best it could be. When I was coaching I would always try to emulate Coach Peterson as I worked with the kids. I ended up being involved in little league baseball for well over twelve years.
Because of him one player that I coached until he was twelve asked me to be his sponsor when he was eighteen and getting confirmed in church.
Because of him one of the eight year old’s I coached made his dad laugh. The dad said, “Sorry you guys lost”, to his son. Without missing a beat his son shoots back, “We didn’t lose dad, coach says we just ran out of time.” That dad just looked at me and laughed. We were getting hammered but they did call it for time. I always told my players that when they were little.
Because of him I have a few ‘glory days’ moments that, honestly, I clung to when things were their darkest in my life and I felt like a complete loser.
“You know Charlie, I coulda’ been a contender, instead of a bum!”
They are few, but because they are few, they are very pronounced and vivid memories in my life.
I first met coach Peterson in elementary school when he was doing a positive program for kids using ‘Do-So the Dolphin’. I was in second grade and when you were picked to handle the Do-So the Dolphin puppet it was a big deal. You felt special, not invisible.
Or at least I did.
Coach Peterson also had his own kid’s and like any good dad followed them through school and their sports, coaching all the way.
I was a fringe kid and wasn’t really into sports. I was only in little league baseball one year, that I can remember, but what a year.
I remember coach showing me how to reach across home plate with the bat, I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. He just chuckled a little bit, walked up, showed me what to do and we moved on. That pattern would be repeated often between him and I. I never felt like he was bothered by that. I felt bad because I didn’t know what he was talking about but he never made it worse for me.
Thanks Coach.
I guess that happens when the only home plate you ever saw was round and said ‘Neenah Foundry’ on it!
It was 1980 and I was 10 and a 1/2 yrs old, thank you very much. I would end up playing center field and pitch a little for The Lions.
The season was really fun, we won some and lost some.
We ended up playing for the city league championship at the end of the summer.
After a game that we won, I remember sitting on the bench with the team and Coach was talking to us. When he was finishing up he said, “Let’s hear you roar, can you roar?” Being a bunch of kid’s obviously we were to self conscious to roar. I don’t remember anybody roaring.
Even though I wanted to with all my heart!
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