Country singer Kenny Chesney is a big football fan. You may have seen him hanging with Peyton Manning (see the picture of Manning giving Chesney a Country Music Award last November).
And that’s him getting a hug from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the Patriots box during Super Bowl XLI.
He reflected his love for the game in song with ‘Boys of Fall’ (written by Casey Beathard and Dave Turnbull) off his Hemingway’s Whiskey album released in 2010 (here’s the story behind the song and the video). His latest album Cosmic Hallelujah includes a touching song that pays tribute to coaches – one Chesney cowrote with Beathard. Here are the lyrics:
We loved some and we fought some
We won some and we lost some
We were awful, we were awesome
Weren’t we, coach?
We worked hard, we were lazy
We were heroes, we were babies
Made you proud, and drove you crazy
Didn’t we coach?
All those mottoes, all those reasons, all those rhymes
They stay priceless, they come right back right on time
You were a teacher, a preacher, a mother, a father
A lot less taker than giver
A keeper of secrets and
constantly making believers out of quitters
For all of your time and your heart and soul
you deserve a lot more than a toast
But here’s to you and thanks again
We’ll never forget you coach
The papers loved to hate you
Wasn’t worth near what they paid you
But it never seemed to faze you
Did it, coach?
Those fans could be fair weather
But you kept us all together
Found a way to make us better
Somehow coach
Your door was always open rain or shine
All those hats you wore will always blow my mind
You were a teacher, a preacher, a mother, a father
A lot less taker than giver
A keeper of secrets and
constantly making believers out of quitters
For all of your time and your heart and soul
you deserve a lot more than a toast
But here’s to you and thanks again
We’ll never forget you coach
For all of your time and your heart and soul
you deserve a lot more than a toast
So here’s to you and thanks again
We love you and we’ll hold you in our hearts there with the things that matter most
We’ll never forget you coach
Oh God bless you coach
We’ll never forget you coach
WOW! Although seemingly geared towards high school coaches (references to the papers and the pay…Chesney talks about the song on ESPN ), there’s a lot there for youth sports coaches, too. My favorite line is how the coach “found a way to make us better“. Also, the idea that coaches have the ability to have such an impact on their players that they never forget. Before they got to high school, I would often run into former players of mine who would call me coach.
Hustle & Attitude is a philosophy dedicated to providing a positive environment for kids in youth sports. The coach has such an important role in determining whether a season is positive or not. Done well – following the H&A philosophy…well, you might have a song written about you.
Hustle & Attitude 
Well said.
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