Preface

Teaching and coaching complement each other.

In the spring of 1976, I applied for head coach of the basketball program at Immaculate Conception (I.C.) in Elmhurst, a Catholic parish high school of about 750 students. I did so feeling too much the novice, having been coaching and teaching for just three years, and never as the head coach of a basketball program. The late Bill Schaefer, my high school basketball coach and mentor during my post-college/Quigley years, pushed me to apply. I did so as cautiously as a non-swimmer approaching the deep end of a pool as his only option. When I heard I was the chosen one, I did not know whether to cheer or fear. So I did both. Before I left Quigley for my new position, Bill gave me a piece of wisdom I cherish to this day, “Tom, never let the administration be able to fire you because you are a lousy classroom teacher. If they disagree with your coaching style or you don’t win enough games for whatever reasons, that’s one thing, but be the best teacher in your school. Then they can never use that against you. You are paid for your English teaching, not the basketball coaching. The better teacher you become, the better coach you will be.”

I began to realize this truth through various trials and triumphs. Eight years later, after a very successful run in Elmhurst, I accepted the head basketball position at Glenbrook North High School, my first public school venture. My initial interviews consisted of the principal, the assistant principal, the athletic director, and the English department chairman. When I spoke with the chairman, one of his first remarks was, “I suppose I will have to have you, being the head basketball coach. Can you actually teach English?”

Question understood. I was insulted and peeved, but that remark ignited my competitiveness. “I will be one of your best teachers,” I responded. So it began. I enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University to start a Masters in Literature program. That journey took five years of taking courses in the spring, fall, and summer. Winters were out because of the time and commitment of basketball. Those five years were some of the roughest I experienced. Even though the players were very enthusiastic and willing to learn, the coaching was tough since I had taken over a program with players with little varsity experience. Winning became a special dessert, instead of the main course. The majority of the parents were supportive, as are the majority of parents in every school district. There were three sets of parents, however, who made my coaching very trying and frustrating. On the other hand, the classroom teaching was terrific. My colleagues in the English department were outstanding: always curious and optimistic and supportive. With the resources available in that district, po