An open letter ....

Ravens Devastated By Tray Walker Accident; Harbs Sends Heartfelt Letter To Team

Edit: Tray Walker died hours after Coach Harbaugh wrote this open letter to his team.

Tray Walker, the fourth-round cornerback we drafted last April, is fighting for his life in Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital this afternoon. Tray was seriously injured last night when, riding a motorbike, he collided with an SUV.

This is devastating news to all of us. So young and with such promise, Tray is in all of our thoughts and prayers. His circumstance is critical.

Like a lot of his teammates and other members of the Ravens, John Harbaugh is struggling with all of this. He couldn’t sleep, and this morning he wrote a heartfelt, passionate letter to the Ravens’ players. I asked Coach if we could share his letter with all of you. Here it is:


An Open Letter to Our Team

Men,

Right now, this moment is an incredibly difficult time for our Team and our Family. One of our Brothers, Tray Walker, is fighting for his life. I know we are showering him, and covering he and his family, with Prayer and hope.

That was the kind of phone call you never want get as a coach, as a parent, as a brother, as a friend. This shook me and all of us. Like some of you, I haven’t been able to rest since hearing the news late last night.

As I focused about Tray this morning, some thoughts came to mind that I wanted to share. What would I say to my own son, if I had a son, in a situation like this? You guys are that important to me.

This is what I would be saying to you in the team meeting room if we were together today: There is a lot going on out there and you are going to be involved in tough and difficult situations. You are making and will continue to make important choices pretty much every day. That’s okay. That’s our reality. It can even be very good to be put in different circumstances. To make it right, you are going to have to grow up fast. Probably faster than many of your friends and family.

Please remember to…

Lead in your home. Take care of Your Family and Yourself every single day. Think about who you are and where you are going, and what you stand for. Look after one another. Only then can you be your most effective on the job and in every area of your life.

Please consider your actions and choices. There are always consequences. Choose who you allow to advise you. Consider the quality of the council you take. Put yourself in positions to succeed. Turn away from unnecessary and risky behavior. Take care of your physical well-being. Live a healthy lifestyle. Pursue those things that make you better. Rest well. Eat well. Laugh with those who you love and love you. Fulfill your obligations effectively.

Be your own best friend. Do not be an enemy onto yourself. Turn away from trouble and harm. Walk away from foolish behavior. Ignore silly and unwise advice – You’ll know it when you see it.

Get to know those people in your life who manage to walk free from the weight of self-created obstacles. Get close to those who have gone where you want to go, and have accomplished what you want to accomplish. Grow Spiritually. Think about what and who you want to become.

I am asking you to consider what is at stake in your life. Consider what your thoughts, actions and choices mean to those around you. Live your life fully and with purpose. Have fun and share your happiness. Find Your Faith, and allow God to Grow Your Faith.

Let’s look out for one another. Be a great brother and friend. Inquire. Listen. Ask. Investigate. Reach out. Be There. Take a Step. Go For It.

Remember, We are Brothers in Arms. And, again, take care of each other.

John

We are Family! Maybe not so much.

We are Family was the Sister Sledge disco hit the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates adopted as their theme song on the way to a World Series title. Since then referring to a team as a family has been the popular thing to do, I'm sure the ideal is The Walton's, or the Cunningham family from Happy Days. If only all families could be like those TV families.  Stark reality tells us it just isn't so.

For example, I have an older brother who abused and perhaps still abuses drugs. He's mean surly and genuinely not a nice person to be around. I love him, but do I want him on my team?  No way!  He's family but he's not getting anywhere near my team.

When we hear the term "family" most of us will think of the fictional families portrayed on television. The warm fuzzy people who love and are loved unconditionally.  The championship teams, the championship cultures I have been a part of are not unconditional.  In fact, the championship teams I have been a part of have been highly conditional cultures.

Every team practices technique, tactics, physical conditioning and to some degree in one fashion or another psychology.  This last term, psychology seems to be a catch-all phrase for many. A big part of it to me is the culture of the team. Culture must be practiced and adhered to just as technical and tactical principles of the game must be practiced and adhered to.

It is important to build a strong team culture and just as important to protect the team culture. Just as we fight battles between good and evil in every aspect of our life on a daily basis, we must fight for and protect our team culture on a daily basis,

Winning is important. Success even more so. We must measure ourselves individually and collectively by our performance. Did we improve today? Am I a better player as I step off the pitch than when I stepped onto the pitch a couple of hours ago?  Did we improve as a team?

Accountability.

Accountability to the process must be a primary focus.  The great players hold themselves accountable to improving on a daily basis. They continuously hone their skill sets - technical, tactical, physical and psychological.  The members of special teams hold one another accountable.

Blame is unacceptable. Instead the great players and great teams look for the origin of the "problem" and then put their problem solving skills to work to make that problem go away.

There is no complaining. Instead ways to improve the situation are actively sought, researched and implemented.

There is no procrastination. There exists an urgency to get things done and get it done correctly as soon as possible

A spirit of determination exists that enables individuals and the team to give more than they are asked to give to the cause.

In conditional cultures the individuals seek as much responsibility as they can handle.  Eleven Captains on the field each leading in his own way. And yet they are smart enough and confident enough to share the load with teammates.

Continuous Improvement is a way of life. In the conditional culture there is a constant striving to improve both the individual and the team.

Trust is the glue of conditional cultures. It is the most essential ingredient in effective communication. Trust is the foundational principle that holds all relationships together. Relationships are what define culture and bind individuals together therefore honesty is the cornerstone relationships are built on.

In someways, and most regretfully so, a strong team culture can transcend a family culture. The truly great teams have this type of culture.  ... so too does a truly great family.

Play for the child you were when you fell in love with the game.

Somewhere in your past

 

Behind the hours you have invested

 

With the memories of the coaches who pushed you

 

There is a young boy

 

Who fell in love with the game

 

And has never looked back.

 

 

Play for him.

 

 

 

Why I Coach.

For the vast majority of us there isn't a lot of money to be made in coaching.  I remember keeping track of hours spent in coaching high school one season and the amount I was paid only to discover I was working for less than a nickle an hour.

So, why do I coach?

I love to teach. I find it rewarding to see players develop and improve not only in their sport but as people. It is gratifying to think I had a role in their growth. My youngest child is now a junior in high school and has been playing soccer since the age of five.  I've been there every step of the way as his father and soccer coach. We have both made many great friends along the way and it is pure pleasure to see them on the soccer pitch.

Last night my son Lance played in a high school match against some of his friends from club teams past and present. It was wonderful to see Nate Falk, Patrizio Martinez, Austin Quellhorst, Kaleb Fenwick-Miller, Joe Poeppleman, Matt Dine and Zac Nelson on one side and Lance, Tanner Mayer, Adam Knott, Jonathon Andrews, Matt Dailey and Garrett Moots on the other team.  All presnt or past club teammates, friends and friendly rivals brought together through the sport of soccer. This is what it's all about.

I started with most of these kids when they were around the age of nine and now they are 16 & 17 year olds representing their high school and their communities against one another but also in support of one another. My wife and I consider them all and their parents / siblings as part of our soccer family. We look forward to seeing them and share their emotions. My wife is always rather conflicted when our club team is represented by both teams on the pitch. She wants to see everyone do well and feels elation with a good play by one and concern for a poor play by opponent / friend. 

I had a wonderful start to my day when I received a message from Judy, the mother of a player on the opposing team last night. Judy and her family are members of our soccer family who were representing the opposing school last night. The message read in part, "I will say, it doesn't matter who the players have later on in their years, it is definitely the coach that has them first and builds the basics and knowledge in their head that makes these players the good players later on!  Of course, a good coach to enhance their knowledge later on doesn't hurt, but geee who could that first coach have been for a quarter of our team?!  We sing your praises Tim to all we meet!  Thank You!

That right there (and the handshake, hugs and chats with players after the game) is worth more than money to me. It is why I coach.  Thank you, Judy!

I have received many such communications through the years. They strangely seem to arrive at just the right times. Pick me ups when the grind of a season is upon us. After the season notes that re-energize me to gear up for another season. This mornings message arrived with impeccable timing.  If you are a player or parent of a player, take a moment to send a text, email, tweet with a word of thanks and appreciation to your coach. It will mean so much to them,

In the grand spirit of the soccer.

Tim