Keanon Lowe - Hometown Victory: A Coachs Story of Football, Fate, and Coming Home

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In memory of Taylor Martinek

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind.
Always.

Robin Williams

You got the job. I pumped my fist in the air as I pressed the phone closer to my ear. The committee was really impressed with you. I was really impressed with you. You would be a great fit as the next head football coach at Parkrose. Now, feel free to take some

I couldnt help myself. I interrupted Vice Principal Drake Shelton.

Yes. Absolutely. Ill take it.

Drake let out a hearty laugh. Okay, then. Were glad you want to be a Bronco! Im excited to see what Coach Lowe can do! Why dont we set up a time for you to come back and meet the kids? Say Friday at noon? I can pull these kids out of lunch and we can set it up. Ill meet you at the auditorium. Oh, and you might want to start thinking about putting together a coaching staff, or at least try and get an assistant coach on board.

Yes absolutely. That sounds great. Friday. I will see you there.

My head buzzed. I couldnt help but be excited. Id waited two weekswhich felt like monthsfor this phone call, not knowing if I would even be on a sideline this year. I was worried Id botched the interview, opened up a bit too much.

Itd been a rocky year since my best friend and teammate died. When tragedy strikes, it often leaves you in a difficult headspace where, at times, life just doesnt make sense. Id left my dream job as an up-and-coming young coach in the NFL to come back to my hometown and pick up the pieces. To be honest, I was struggling. Losing someone close to you is never easy, but it brought me back home and I was determined to find meaning in his tragedy. I was looking for something to help me move forward, but I didnt know what that something was. That is, until Parkrose High School came into the picture. They were looking for a new head football coach and I was looking for a purpose. Parkrose had its own set of challenges, making the coaching job about much more than just football. Located on the east side of Portland, Oregon, Parkrose was a school consistently affected by budget cuts and lack of resources. The majority of the student body came from hardworking, lower-income, and often broken families. The city of Portland is labeled as the whitest city in America, but Parkrose didnt fit that bill. It was one of the few schools in the area that was a true melting pot of different ethnicities, cultures, and races. As a low-income district, the first programs to be affected when it came to school budgets were the sports programs. There was no tradition of success on the field or court. The Parkrose football program was the worst of them all, with a twenty-three-game losing streak dating back three seasons.

The thought of becoming the head coach at Parkrose excited me. More than just football, it was an opportunity to help a unique group of students that, quite frankly, needed it. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The job was an opportunity to pour my energy into kids that were in a similar situation as I was growing up. Like a lot of kids in our country, I came from a single-parent household. I never had much. My mom sacrificed a great deal to provide me, my brother, and my sister every opportunity, to give us the best chance at future success. Ultimately, she moved our family across town so I could attend Jesuit High School, a private college-preparatory school on the other side of Portland. Somehow my mom made it work, balancing multiple jobs to be able to pay the tuition. In return, I worked my butt off, on and off the field.

At Jesuit, there were unlimited resources. The teachers cared about you, and the coaches were invested, talented, and dedicated to the students success. They did everything they could to get you to college and wouldnt let you slack academically. Parkrose was different. Not everyone could move away for a better opportunity like I did. These kids were here to stay, many of them fighting for a way to get out.

Football taught me my biggest life lessons. It was my vehicle. Its how I became an adult, how I grew into a young man. Its where I found my power and figured out firsthand that there truly is no greater feeling than being part of something thats bigger than yourself. I wanted to come in and give the students at Parkrose a similar opportunity, to show them that there are people out there who care about them. I wanted to be a role model and lifeline.

Id said all this and more in the interview. They must have been wondering why a former Oregon Duck and NFL coach would apply to a coaching ad that had been up for four months on Craigslist, but I hoped my passion would show through.

The school was on a 023 skid, and maybe I was delusional or just searching for some hope, but I believed I could turn it around in a year, no matter who the kids were. Success on a football field comes down to this: if you have a team that cares about each other, and a head coach that always puts his players first, anything is possible. I felt that if I could create a family within this team, then we would win. Thats whats special about high school footballyou get to play side by side with your best friends. Its a time in your life that you will remember forever, but you never get back. My high school teammates went from friends to family, and in some ways, I was here because I had just lost one of them.

I promised Drake that I would give the Parkrose kids what high school ball had given me.

More than the wins and losses, football is about the growth and the grindthe battle you fight within yourself and the lessons you take from them. When its all said and done, our fondest memories arent always the scoreboard, but the experience of working toward a common goal with your friends.

Thanks again for the opportunity, I said. I wont disappoint.

Drake paused for a second. Son there is only one way to go from here.

I put down the phone and smiled. I was about to embark on one of the greatest challenges of my entire life, but I was ready for it. I was just twenty-six years old, but I felt I had experienced a lot, learned a lot, and knew the path toward winning on and off the football field.

Even so, those around me didnt share my confidence and optimism. Parkrose? my mother had asked when I first applied for the position. Why would you want to coach there?

My mom, who was always my greatest supporter, hovered over me while I shoveled the last few bites of dinner into my mouth. It felt strange being back in Portland, after traveling the United States over the past five years. Id played Division I football at the University of Oregon, and had coaching stops in Philadelphia and San Francisco on my rsum. Still, in many ways, it felt as if I had never left.

My mom had a point. Just last year I was standing next to Colin Kaepernick. It was a crazy run, being on the inside while watching him take a knee during the National Anthem. But now, as I sat back in my moms small but warm home, I was ready to lead a program of my own. I looked up at my mom, locking on her always endearing and caring eyes.