Bill Courtney - Against the Grain: A Coachs Wisdom on Character, Faith, Family, and Love

Copyright 2014 by Bill Courtney

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ISBNs: ISBN 978-1-60286-224-1 (hardcover), 978-1-60286-225-8 (e-book)

E3-20210519-JV-PC-COR

To my wife Lisa,
and my four children, Maggie, Molly, Will, and Max,
who teach me something new about love every day

After watching Undefeated, the documentary about the football team Bill Courtney coached at Manassas High School in Memphis and reading his poignant and heartfelt reflections in this book, I was hooked. Courtney comprehends the most essential connection between coaches and players, and, for that matter, between managers and employees. To sum it up in one word: Empathy.

Empathy isnt quite the same as sympathy; it is, rather, something much deeper: an ability to truly immerse yourself in the mind and soul of the individual you are trying to reach by understanding his or her life experiences. Will you always get through to that person? Absolutely not. I have dealt with my share of athletes who erect barriers which no one can possibly penetrate, and Im sure Coach Courtney has encountered similar walls of resistance. Yet, in stressing the principles he holds dear, such as character and commitment and fortitude, he displays the compassion that sets him apart from many coaches and businessmen. His success serves as a moving example of what can happen when people in authority care about othersnot just about winning the next game or securing the next client.

Courtney inspired his teams on the field and at the office to come together as one because of that compassion. The players and employees shared his dreams as if they came up with them on their own, and, in a way, they did. I was most impressed by how he carefully placed every value in the proper context, focusing on each players future long after he puts on his pads for the final time, when the significance of decisions, and the consequences, often irreversible, will mean a lot more than whether he runs the proper route or blocks the right lineman. The odds were usually not in his favor as they arent for many in his line of work; he spent only a few hours a day with these kids, and, to alter their behavior, he introduced concepts counter to the strong forcesfamily, community, etc.that were firmly in place long before he heard of Manassas High. Yet, as much as he respected those forces, not once did he surrender to them. He believed with everything in his soul that these young men would become better football playersand better human beingsas long as they kept their word, acted in a civil manner, and served one another. How quaint in this era of non-stop self-gratification. How refreshing.

Of the lessons Courtney shares, the most inspirational was the one dealing with forgiveness. Forgiveness is rarely easyIve certainly held on to my share of grudgesyet it is always rewarding. Only by expressing true forgiveness can a person extricate himself from the prison he or she built. Courtneys thoughts about grace go a long way towards understanding who he is, and what has motivated him to donate so much of his time to helping others. I was also moved by his awareness that not every player or employee is to be treated the same; some people coach or manage for decades without ever grasping this extremely critical reality and Ive seen many teams at the highest level fail to develop the cohesiveness they need to win for this exact reason. At the same time, Courtney makes certain that every player and employee is held accountable to the single fundamental rule which renders numerous others unnecessary: Do right. So quaint againand again, so refreshing.

I also gained a great deal from the people he writes about who have exerted such a powerful influence in his life. Each person is brought up to illustrate a valuable principle. Many of these individuals are to be admired, such as the Vanderbilt running back who befriended his fallen opponent on the field or the former tenant of the Lorraine Motel who has never stopped following her dream. Yet, as much as he has been inspired by these examples, Courtney never puts the people on a pedestal; the lesson is that, with the proper effort and discipline, we, too, can adhere to the same principles, bettering ourselves and, more importantly, our families and our communities.

Perhaps, however, what I enjoy most of all about this book is how it isnt about attaining successat least not in the classic sense, and thank goodness. There are enough books in the marketplace with instructions on how to reach your potential or bank your first million by age thirtyas if the accumulation of money is the ultimate reward in life; its not. Nor has he written a sports book, despite its focus on high school football. Courtney is going for something else: How all of us can serve and lead one another. I cant think of a more meaningful goal, and he pulls it off beautifully.

Phil Jackson

December 2013

I received a lot of attention after Undefeated, the movie about the 2009 football team I coached at Manassas High, captured the Oscar for Best Documentary. But the most gratifying part was the forum it provided me, first in speeches and now in this book, to lay out the principles that helped those youngsters attain success on the field and my employees to succeed in the workplace. And more important, to understand what it takes to maintain that success for the rest of our lives.

Im often asked, How did you do it? How did you turn a group of largely unfocused kids into a tight and highly motivated football team? Many also wonder, How did you turn an abandoned piece of property in the middle of North Memphis into a $45 million company with 120 employees?

The first question is difficult to answer because my philosophy of coaching doesnt start with Xs and Os. It starts with believing that players win games and coaches win players. I offer my players strong examples of the values that have worked for me, and for other fulfilled people I know, and then I step back and let them draw their own conclusions. Often after thinking about it for a while, they run by me the solutions theyve figured out. Only after theyve absorbed these vital lessons do I coach the Xs and Os. As for my business, once I go through the same exercise with employees I then go over the machinery and balance sheets, seeking the same result.