Sight and Vision
As the football recruiting coordinator, I asked each of the other assistant coaches to give the rest of the staff 3 different traits you were looking for when evaluating a player for your position. Every coach was different. For example, Ty Smith, an outstanding evaluator and defensive coach, might look for these qualities in a defensive lineman:1. Quick feet 2. Long arms 3. Flexible hips. Our receiver coach, Jeff Morrow, looked for 1. Great hands 2. Speed out of the break 3. Toughness and durability.
For me as the running back coach, I looked for 1. Ability to make someone miss 2. Runs with leverage. 3. The most important thing: Has great VISION. I wanted a player who could see the entire field including holes before they ever opened. Speed was important but don’t bring me film of a recruit who could run a 4.3 but ran straight ahead like Zeke the mule with blinders on. Outstanding vision in every sport separated the great ones from the good ones. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Ted Williams, Barry Sanders, Wayne Gretsky, Kerry Goode and Caitlyn Clark come to mind.
Too often, sight is taken for granted until it is taken away. For me, I was extremely blessed in 1961 as a nine-year-old, to keep my sight. I say “blessed” since I was within a fraction of a fraction from being blind in my right eye after running into a 20-penny nail in a barn as my brother chased me. Running with what’s left of your eyeball in your hand, tends to slow you down. In 1961, Dr. Shaler Roberts probably used duct tape and fishing line to help with the surgeries. I didn’t care and it’s the reason that one of my favorite gospel tunes is “I Saw the Light.”
Some see barriers. Others see hurdles. It’s a matter of choice.
Have you ever noticed how those who are blind are often called vision impaired? To me, they are sight impaired; not vision impaired. Michael Cleveland has won so many IBMA Bluegrass Fiddler of the Year awards that they should rename the award after him. When he was 8 years old and first learning to play the fiddle, I was coaching at Louisville and would slip off to Henryville, Indiana to listen and pick bluegrass music at the American Legion Hall. I would often pick on stage with Michael and his playing sounded like 2 cats fighting in a toe sack. Boy did that change. Both my sons would walk Michael down to the creek to play in the mud. He loved it. By the way, Michael Cleveland is blind but has better “vision” about his music than those with sight. A few years ago, I ran into Michael and his band, playing at a festival at Plainsman Park in Auburn. What a reunion after more than 30 years. He even asked about Jake and Joe Claude. Speaking of bluegrass legends, guitarist Doc Watson was blind and is considered one of the very best flat-top pickers to ever pick up a Martin guitar. Years ago, I was honored to pick with Doc at a festival while he was waiting to go on stage.
Other blind musicians? Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Terri Gibbs, Ronnie Milsap, Jose Feliciano, and Clarence Carter. Each of these ignored their sight impairment and became world-class artists. Being from the Shoals area, we all claim Helen Keller as our own since she was born in Tuscumbia. In addition to her blindness, she was also deaf. If her life story doesn’t inspire you, your inspiration meter is broken.
For those of you who don’t follow Sean Dietrich and his blog “Sean of the South,” you are really missing something. He has become the godfather to a young blind girl named Becca. Their life journey will have you laughing and crying, in a matter of minutes. To add to his story, he adopted a blind bloodhound named Marigold who was abused, causing her to lose sight. Sean is her “seeing eyed person.”
The greatest blind golfer of all time was Charley Boswell from Birmingham. During his career, he shot 3 holes in one and won more than 16 championships. Most don’t know the entire story. Boswell played football at Alabama and was drafted to play professional baseball. In 1941, he was drafted into the Army and served as a captain during World War II. During action, he attempted to rescue a wounded soldier from a burning tank when it exploded, leaving him permanently blinded. That’s when he took up golf. He became one of Coach Paul Bryant’s closest friends. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
There was a popular story that made the rounds involving Coach Bryant and Charley Boswell. Bryant would call one of his coaching friends and extend an invitation for a 2-man golf match. He would even say that his partner was totally blind. When the other team showed up, Coach Bryant said that since his partner was blind, they would have to agree to one special rule after the bets were made. When they agreed, Coach Bryant would say: “We are going to tee off at midnight.” They would all die with laughter since the Bear got the best of them again.
As a coach, one of the toughest messages that you have to make is informing a player that one of his loved ones has passed away. I will never forget this inspirational story from a coaching clinic. The player’s mother asked the coach to break the news about his dad’s death the morning of the game. The player chose to play the game and had the best game of his career. In the locker room afterwards, he noticed the young man smiling and celebrating. The coach was confused.
“Coach, you never met my dad who was my inspiration and hero. I never told you he was totally blind. Today was the first game he ever saw me play.”
Never forget the closing verse of Amazing Grace:
“Was blind But now I see.”