David Howard

I always looked upto Coach Carter. He had a way of making you feel special. Had it not been for Coach Carter, Coach Taylor and Coach Bell, I would have walked away from the football team. In early January 1968 I got into a fight with one of the soon to be seniors of 69. We where in the shower and words became a fight. Coach Gray, head coach at the time wanted to give me swats for the fight thinking I started it. Bottom line I refused them and he told me I was through with the team, so I threw my gear across desk at him. Thats when Coach Carter pulled me aside and said we needed to talk. He along with Coach Taylor and Coach Bell took me over to the B-team side of the fieldhouse. They all three set me down and we began to talk about the mistake I was making. We talked about right and wrong, team, togatherness, how I would miss what they knew I love to do, and they talked about faith in God and how things would work out. They told me to ask Coach Gray to forgive me for what I did and to let him know how the fight was started. They also said they where going to tell me something I could not speak of at the time. It was that Coach Gray was on his way out and it had not been made public yet. So I did as they said and I was not given the swats because the soon to be senior was not given any. Coach Gray reinstated me to the team and he was gone two weeke later. So thank you Coach Carter for being the man you where. I know that God is taking care of you and Coach Taylor and Coach Bell.                                 David Howard #75