If you’re a football fan, you probably know Lou Holtz as a college football coach. What you may not know is his compelling quest to do 107 things before he died. It started in 1966, when Lou was 28 years old.
At last count, he had achieved 102 of his original 107 goals.
Here are his tips for achieving goals:
Decide what you want to achieve and the date.
Know what talents you must acquire to do this.
Consider who you have to work with to achieve it.
Determine what problems you must overcome to achieve this.
Have a plan.
Share with others why they will benefit.
The inspiration for this list of 107 seemingly impossible goals was the book, The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, which his wife had given him to lift his spirits. After reading that book, he realized that by writing down goals that really mattered, he would find a way to achieve them.
Three years later he was head coach at William and Mary and won the Southern Conference championship in 1970. Going back to his list of 107, one of those things was to be the head coach at Notre Dame. So, when he was offered a coaching job at Minnesota he had it written into his contract, that he could leave at any time if he were offered the head coaching job at Notre Dame. How’s that for keeping your eye on the prize?
The importance of establishing personal goals and writing them down cannot be overstated. According to Holtz, only 3% of people set goals for themselves, so it’s not surprising that so few people are able to achieve truly memorable things in the course of their lifetime.
“Don’t be a spectator, don’t let life pass you by. ” – Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz accepted a coaching job in South Carolina. He and his wife used up all of their savings to buy a house and move from Connecticut to S.C. A week into his new coaching job the Head Coach Marvin Bass resigned.
The new coach promptly fired Holtz. His wife went to work and he became ‘Mr. Mom’. One day, in between changing diapers and watching his 3 kids, he sat down and wrote out a list of goals he wanted to achieve in his life. There was a total of 5 categories:
1. Things he wanted to achieve as a husband.
2. Things he wanted to do religiously.
3. Things to achieve professionally.
4. Things he wanted to do financially.
5. Things to do for excitement-personally.
Of the ones that I know about are:
Jump out of an airplane.
Land on an aircraft carrier.
Be on the “Tonight Show”
Make two holes-in-one.
Play the best golf courses in the world.
Have dinner in the White House.
Meet a sitting President.
Meet the Pope.
Coach football at Notre Dame.
Win a National Championship.
Go on an African safari.
Run with the bulls in Spain with a slower person!
February 27, 2020: Hey @CoachLouHoltz88! We know you are VERY busy! our students are compiling a Bucket List and complain about coming up with 50 items. We know you had 107. Do you have any advice you could share?
CATEGORIES: Lou Holtz had 5 categories – Things he wanted to do religiously, as a husband, professionally, financially, excitement-personally.
The importance of establishing personal goals and writing them down cannot be overstated. According to Holtz, only 3% of people set goals for themselves, so it’s not surprising that so few people are able to achieve truly memorable things in the course of their lifetime.
“Don’t be a spectator, don’t let life pass you by. ” – Lou Holtz
CREATE THREE categories to write goals under. (You can add the other two if you would like.)
family member– child, sibling, grandparent As a high school senior sometimes these relationships take a back seat to school and friends. Try to find some time to spend with family members. Maybe even incorporate sports. Play catch. Shoot some hoops. Play horseshoes or pickle ball. Have lunch – the person may even buy! Really try to complete a few of these before graduation. Even as simple as a phone call or text a week to a family member.
excitement personally (easiest) This is the main focus of the 1st time we completed this activity. It might include travel, sporting events, activities, accomplishments, etc.
student-athlete / student / military / career The next four years will be very important for your development as a person. Write a few goals you would hope to accomplish.
List 51 goals. Lou Holtz listed 107 goals. That could be a target of yours. Since he had 107 goals, he averaged 21.4 per category. So if we use this guide you should come up with 64.2 goals. Let’s shoot for AT LEAST 51 goals.
This is your life. Take the class period to create a blueprint for your success. If Lou Holtz accomplished 102 / 107 that is 95.3% of his goals. If you are successful as Coach Holtz, you will have accomplished 49 of your 51 goals.
In sports and life, you NEVER know. Sometimes lessons present themselves at just the right time. As we entering into the final weeks of the winter sports season and countdown the days to the final spring season of your high school career, it is a GREAT time for reflection. Some of the deepest reflections people have are looking back at the life of a loved. One of the greatest athletes and competitors spoke about a younger athlete who possessed many of the same characteristics.
Lesson
Watch, listen closely to the speech.
Get your assigned chromebook.
Read the directions in google classroom.
Read the questions below the text of the speech.
REFLECT on the questions and answer in detail.
(11:39)
“I would say good morning, but it’s afternoon. I’m grateful to Vanessa and the Bryant family for the opportunity to speak today.
“I’m grateful to be here to honor Gigi and celebrate the gifts that Kobe gave us all – what he accomplished as a basketball player, as a businessman, and a storyteller and as a father. In the game of basketball, in life, as a parent – Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor.
“Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends. But we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend. He was like a little brother. Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe.
“You know all of us have brothers and sisters, little brothers, little sisters, who for whatever reason always tend to get in your stuff, your closet, your shoes, everything. It was a nuisance – if I can say that word – but that nuisance turned into love over a period of time. Just because the admiration that they have for you as big brothers or big sisters, the questions in wanting to know every little detail about life that they were about to embark on.
“He used to call me, text me, 11:30, 2:30, 3 o’clock in the morning, talking about post-up moves, footwork, and sometimes, the triangle. At first, it was an aggravation. But then it turned into a certain passion. This kid had passion like you would never know. It’s an amazing thing about passion. If you love something, if you have a strong passion for something, you would go to the extreme to try to understand or try to get it. Either ice cream, Cokes, hamburgers, whatever you have a love for. If you have to walk, you would go get it. If you have to beg someone, you would go get it.
“What Kobe Bryant was to me was the inspiration that someone truly cared about the way either I played the game or the way that he wanted to play the game. He wanted to be the best basketball player that he could be. And as I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.
“To do that, you have to put up with the aggravation, the late-night calls, or the dumb questions. I took great pride as I got to know Kobe Bryant that he was just trying to be a better person – a better basketball player. We talked about business, we talked about family, we talked about everything. And he was just trying to be a better person.
“Now, he’s got me and I’ll have to look at another crying meme for the next …
(Lengthy laughter and applause.) (Social Media)
“I told my wife I wasn’t gonna do this cause I didn’t want to see that for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me.
I’m pretty sure Vanessa and his friends all can say the same thing – he knows how to get to you in a way that affects you personally, even though he’s being a pain in the ass. But you have a sense of love for him and the way that he can bring out the best in you. And he did that for me.
“I remember maybe a couple months ago he sends me a text and he said, ‘I’m trying to teach my daughter some moves. And I don’t know what I was thinking or what I was working on, but what were you thinking about when you were growing up trying to work on your moves?’ I said ‘What age?’ He says ’12’. I said ’12, I was trying to play baseball.’ He sends me a text back saying ‘Laughing my ass off.’ And this is at 2 o’clock in the morning.
“But the thing about him was we could talk about anything that related to basketball but we could talk about anything that related to life. And we, as we grew up in life, rarely have friends that we can have conversations like that. Well, it’s even rarer when you can grow up against adversaries and have conversations like that.
“I went and saw Phil Jackson in 1999, maybe 2000, I don’t know, when Phil was here in L.A. And I walk in and Kobe’s sitting there.
“And the first thing, Kobe said, ‘Did you bring your shoes?’ (Sole Man)
” ‘No, I wasn’t thinking about playing.’
“But his attitude to compete and play against someone he felt like he could enhance and improve his game, that’s what I loved about the kid. I absolutely loved the kid. No matter where he saw me, it was a challenge. And I admired him because his passion, you rarely see someone who is looking and trying to improve each and every day, not just in sports, but as a parent, as a husband. I am inspired by what he’s done, and what he’s shared with Vanessa, and what he’s shared with his kids. (Use of technology in Public Speaking)
“I have a daughter who’s 30 and I became a grandparent. And I have two twins. I have twins at 6. I can’t wait to get home to become a GirlDad and to hug them and to see the love and smiles that they bring to us as parents. He taught me that just by looking at this tonight, looking at how he responded and reacted with the people he actually loved. These are the things that we will continue to learn from Kobe Bryant.
“To Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, Capri, my wife and I will keep you close in our hearts and our prayers. We will always be here for you. Always. I also want to offer our condolences and support to all the families affected by this enormous tragedy.
“Kobe gave every last ounce of himself to whatever he was doing, After basketball, he showed a creative side to himself that I didn’t think any of us knew he had. In retirement, he seemed so happy. He found new passions. And he continued to give back, as a coach, in his community. More importantly, he was an amazing dad, amazing husband, who dedicated himself to his family and who loved his daughters with all his heart. Kobe never left anything on the court. And I think that’s what he would want for us to do.
“No one knows how much time we have. That’s why we must live in the moment, we must enjoy the moment, we must reach and see and spend as much time as we can with our families and friends and the people that we absolutely love. To live in the moment means to enjoy each and every one that we come in contact with.
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. And as I look in this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died, or else you wouldn’t be here. Those are the memories that we have to live with and we learn from.
“I promise you from this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother and I tried to help in every way I could.
“Please, rest in peace little brother. “
Answer the following questions. In the google doc, list the theme title, then answer ALL the questions. (It might be a good idea to cut and paste into the document.)
Attitude of Gratitude: “I’m grateful to Vanessa and the Bryant family for the opportunity to speak today.” (Gratitude List)
#1 Gifts: “I’m grateful to be here to honor Gigi and celebrate the gifts that Kobe gave us all – what he accomplished as a basketball player, as a businessman, and a storyteller and as a father. In the game of basketball, in life, as a parent – Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor.
A few of Kobe’s gifts were as a basketball player, as a businessman, and a storyteller. All of us possess certain gifts that we can share with others. We can be a good listeners, artists, speakers, have a good sense of humor. LIST 3 gifts you possess.
FOR EACH GIFT: Write a 2-3 sentences about how you developed the skills. What age? How often? Also explain how you see your self using this gift for the rest of your life.
For ONE GIFT, select an individual or individual who help you grow this gift. The person could be an mentor, teacher, coach, or possibly a peer who you share this passion.
#2 Siblings & Rivalries: Things he wanted to do religiously. Very similar questions. Select one or combine both.
A. Rivalries: “And the first thing, Kobe said, ‘Did you bring your shoes?’ (Sole Man) “Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends. But we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend. He was like a little brother. Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe.
LIST your biggest rival in sports / competition.
EXPLAIN the competitions involved – wiffle ball, street hockey, 1 v. 1 basketball, soccer, monopoly, 2K, Rainbow 6, other video games, high school sports, club sports.
EXPLAIN how long this rivalry has existed. What ages? What levels of competition.
ANALYZE how this rivalry has helped you grow as a competitor, athlete, and a person.
B. Siblings: “You know all of us have brothers and sisters, little brothers, little sisters, who for whatever reason always tend to get in your stuff, your closet, your shoes, everything. It was a nuisance – if I can say that word – but that nuisance turned into love over a period of time. Just because the admiration that they have for you as big brothers or big sisters, the questions in wanting to know every little detail about life that they were about to embark on.
(If you are an only child, you can substitute a relative or friend.)
LIST your siblings (or cousins) in chronological order.
UNDERLINE & BOLD one relationship with a sibling.
EXPLAIN this relationship (older brother / younger brother, etc.), your role in the relationship, and how important this relationship is to you. Also EXPLAIN how that relationship has changed as you have aged and PREDICT how the relationship will evolve in the future.
BONUS: Feel free to write a response for EACH relationship.
#3 PASSIONS: At first, it was an aggravation. But then it turned into a certain passion. This kid had passion like you would never know. It’s an amazing thing about passion. If you love something, if you have a strong passion for something, you would go to the extreme to try to understand or try to get it. Either ice cream, Cokes, hamburgers, whatever you have a love for. If you have to walk, you would go get it. If you have to beg someone, you would go get it.
My Passions: We have talked a lot about passions this year. You have listed goals and steps to achieve your goals.
LIST your greatest passion and the age you identified this passion. (1 complete sentence)
EXPLAIN how you have developed this passion up until now. EXPLAIN SPECIFICALLY what you are doing TODAY or have done in the past with your passion. What are you doing to develop it? Who are your working with?
PREDICT how you will use this passion in your future? Will you seek a career? Will you create a podcast or website?
#4 Sports Specialization: “I remember maybe a couple months ago he sends me a text and he said, ‘I’m trying to teach my daughter some moves. And I don’t know what I was thinking or what I was working on, but what were you thinking about when you were growing up trying to work on your moves?’ I said ‘What age?’ He says ’12’. I said ’12, I was trying to play baseball.’ He sends me a text back saying ‘Laughing my ass off.’ And this is at 2 o’clock in the morning.
What did you think the most about at the age or 12 (grade 6)?
Who did you share this activity with?
Describe a typical 12-year-old day in the “life of You.” After school list a fairly typical spring or fall afternoon.
#5 Relationships and Mentors
Relationships that Develop as a Result of Sports: “But the thing about him was we could talk about anything that related to basketball but we could talk about anything that related to life. And we, as we grew up in life, rarely have friends that we can have conversations like that. Well, it’s even rarer when you can grow up against adversaries and have conversations like that.
Mentors, workout partners and seeking others to improve: “But his attitude to compete and play against someone he felt like he could enhance and improve his game, that’s what I loved about the kid. I absolutely loved the kid. No matter where he saw me, it was a challenge. And I admired him because his passion, you rarely see someone who is looking and trying to improve each and every day, not just in sports, but as a parent, as a husband. I am inspired by what he’s done, and what he’s shared with Vanessa, and what he’s shared with his kids.
Mentors are individuals who often are older and more experienced in a particular field or specialty. Some times these individuals can be older players, as in the case of Michael Jordan. Sometimes these individuals can be team or private coaches. Sometimes they can be family member. LIST a person who has been a mentor to you or the person who is the closest to being a mentor. DESCRIBE the ways this relationship has developed and how it has helped you grow in the particular field / sport as well as how you have grown as a person. OR if you have been a mentor, answer the above questions from this perspective.
How often do you seek advice through texting. Do you have a “go to” person for texting about important topics? How often do you text this person? What times of the day?
#7 Life after Sports: “Kobe gave every last ounce of himself to whatever he was doing, After basketball, he showed a creative side to himself that I didn’t think any of us knew he had. In retirement, he seemed so happy. He found new passions. And he continued to give back, as a coach, in his community. More importantly, he was an amazing dad, amazing husband, who dedicated himself to his family and who loved his daughters with all his heart. Kobe never left anything on the court. And I think that’s what he would want for us to do.
Dear Basketball: Kobe created an award winning short film. His creative side was revealed once his basketball career was over. As high school students and student athletes, you have busy schedules with a TON of commitments. List a THREE things you hope to explore later in life that you might not have the time for now.
#8 Time is Limited. Focus on the most important people and priorities. “No one knows how much time we have. That’s why we must live in the moment, we must enjoy the moment, we must reach and see and spend as much time as we can with our families and friends and the people that we absolutely love. To live in the moment means to enjoy each and every one that we come in contact with.
Bucket List FOR REAL: Earlier in the year we completed a bucket list assignment. This is the REAL DEAL! This is NOT an assignment although it will be checked. This is your LIFE! This is what you feel is TRULY important and worth spending the limited. Create a FINAL bucket list for class. Lou Holtz had 107 items. Read the following and start your FINAL bucket list for Mr. Molloy and hopefully you.
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. And as I look in this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died, or else you wouldn’t be here. Those are the memories that we have to live with and we learn from.
This is an extremely hard question to answer and perhaps it is too difficult to answer. Only answer if you feel comfortable. Who is a person who has died that you felt of piece of me died?
“I promise you from this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother and I tried to help in every way I could.
“My baby girl. Gianna Bryant is an amazingly sweet and gentle soul. She was very thoughtful and always kissed me good night and kissed me good morning. There were a few occasions where I was absolutely tired from being up with Bianka and Capri, and i thought she had left to school without saying goodbye. I text and say, “No kiss?” And Gianna would reply with, “Mama, I kissed you. You were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you.” She knew how much her morning and evening kisses meant to me, and she was so thoughtful to remember to kiss me every day. She was daddy’s girl, but I know she loved her mama, and she would always show me and tell me that she loved me. She was one of my very best friends.”
Parents appreciate special traditions and relationships. Continue them as long as possible.
She was an incredible athlete. She was great at gymnastics, soccer, softball, dance, and basketball. She was an incredible dancer, too. She loved to swim, dance, do cartwheels and do jumps into our swimming pool. Gigi loved her TikTok dances.
Playing multiple sports is very important at early ages. Class of 2024?
Who is TikTok famous?
We will not be able to see Gigi go to high school with Natalia and ask her how her day went. We didn’t get a chance to teach her how to drive a car. I won’t be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day. I will never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy, dance on the dance floor with me and have babies of her own. Gianna would have been an amazing mommy. She was very maternal ever since she was really little.
Cherish the little milestones in life.
Kobe and I have been together since I was 17-and-a-half years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidant and his protector.
Kobe was the MVP of girl dads, or MVD. He never left the toilet seat up. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are. He taught them how to be brave and how to keep pushing forward when things get tough. When Kobe retired from the NBA, he took over dropping off and picking up our girls from school since I was at home pregnant with Bianka and just recently home nursing Capri.
Sabrina Ionescu’s full emotional tribute to Kobe and Gigi Bryant at memorial service (Full Text)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m3KoK-o-Fs
“Growing up, I only knew one way to play the game of basketball: fierce, with obsessive focus. I was unapologetically competitive. I wanted to be the best. I loved the work, even when it was hard, especially if it was hard. I knew I was different, that my drive was different. I grew up watching Kobe Bryant, game after game, ring after ring, living his greatness without apology.
“I wanted to be just like him, to love every part of the competition, to be the first to show up and the last to leave. To love the grind. To be your best when you don’t feel your best and make other people around you the best version of themselves. And to wake up and do it again the next day.
“So that’s what I did. Wake up, grind, and get better. Wake up, grind, and get better.
“A year ago, my team, Oregon, was playing at USC. The morning of the game, our coaches told us that there was a surprise for the day. I was thinking Nike sent us some new shoes or swag or something. The game starts, and shortly after, Kobe walks in with his daughter, Gianna, and two of her teammates. They sat courtside while my jaw sat dropped. They watched the entire game, and that was the first time I met Kobe.
“Kobe, Gigi and her teammates came into the locker room after the game. He congratulated us on the win that day and our season up to that point, but said, and I’ll never forget, ‘Don’t shoot yourselves in the foot.’ He meant don’t settle, to keep grinding, control what you can. The national championship wasn’t far, and our goal was to win it all.
“I remember Gigi, excited and smiling in the locker room. I’d always watch a ton of film of her playing basketball. She had a fadeaway better than mine. I asked her where she wanted to play ball in college and she said UConn. She had the will and determination to be able to play wherever she wanted, and if she wanted to go there, I wanted her there as well. She and her teammates hung out with us for a while, starstruck and a little shy, but always observing. Whichever school she would come to choose, it didn’t matter. If I represented the present of the women’s game, Gigi was the future, and Kobe knew it. So we decided to build a future together.
“I worked out twice with Gigi over the summer. I’d gone down to help Kobe coach his team. Gigi had so much of her dad’s skill set. You could tell the amount of hours they spent in the gym, practicing her moves. She smiled all the time, but when it was game time, she was ready to kill. Her demeanor changed almost instantly when the whistle blew.
“I remember one time someone grabbed her jersey and she sort of just knocked them down and then stepped right over them. Me and Kobe looked at each other, smiling, and he goes, ‘I don’t know where she learned that from.’ I laughed and said, ‘I do.’ You can’t teach that, and definitely not at her age. Kobe was right. She had it. I loved watching how hard she worked and how much her teammates loved her, but also her own desire to be great. She always wanted to learn, to go to every game she could, college, NBA, WNBA. Kobe was helping her with that, because he saw it in her, just like he saw it in me.
“His vision for others is always bigger than what they imagine for themselves. His vision for me was way bigger than my own. More importantly, he didn’t just show up in my life and leave. He stayed. We kept in touch, always texting, calls, game visits. I’d drop a triple-double and have a text from him. ‘Another triple-double, I see’ with the flex emoji. Another game, another text. ‘Yo, beast mode’ or ‘Easy money.’
“I felt some pressure early on in the season and he wrote to me: ‘Be you. It’s been good enough and that will continue to be good enough.’ He taught me his stepback. He told me that if I could bring that to my game, it’d be over for any defender trying to guard me. He told me how high my arc needed to be on my shot, how to angle my foot, which leg to kick out, how much power to push off. ‘Real sharpness comes without effort,’ he said. He was giving me the blueprint. He was giving Gigi the same blueprint.
“He united us. He made it so that the outsiders who outworked everyone else, who were driven to be just a little bit different every single day to make those around them, behind them and above them a little bit better every single day. And they weren’t the exception, they were the rule.
“I wanted to be a part of the generation that changed basketball for Gigi and her teammates. Where being born female didn’t mean being born behind. Where greatness wasn’t divided by gender. ‘You have too much to give to stay silent.’ That’s what he said, that’s what he believed, that’s what he lived. Through Gigi, through me, through his investment in women’s basketball….
“I would say good morning, but it’s afternoon. I’m grateful to Vanessa and the Bryant family for the opportunity to speak today.
“I’m grateful to be here to honor Gigi and celebrate the gifts that Kobe gave us all – what he accomplished as a basketball player, as a businessman, and a storyteller and as a father. In the game of basketball, in life, as a parent – Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor.
“Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends. But we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend. He was like a little brother. Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe.
“You know all of us have brothers and sisters, little brothers, little sisters, who for whatever reason always tend to get in your stuff, your closet, your shoes, everything. It was a nuisance – if I can say that word – but that nuisance turned into love over a period of time. Just because the admiration that they have for you as big brothers or big sisters, the questions in wanting to know every little detail about life that they were about to embark on.
“He used to call me, text me, 11:30, 2:30, 3 o’clock in the morning, talking about post-up moves, footwork, and sometimes, the triangle. At first, it was an aggravation. But then it turned into a certain passion. This kid had passion like you would never know. It’s an amazing thing about passion. If you love something, if you have a strong passion for something, you would go to the extreme to try to understand or try to get it. Either ice cream, Cokes, hamburgers, whatever you have a love for. If you have to walk, you would go get it. If you have to beg someone, you would go get it.
“What Kobe Bryant was to me was the inspiration that someone truly cared about the way either I played the game or the way that he wanted to play the game. He wanted to be the best basketball player that he could be. And as I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.
“To do that, you have to put up with the aggravation, the late-night calls, or the dumb questions. I took great pride as I got to know Kobe Bryant that he was just trying to be a better person – a better basketball player. We talked about business, we talked about family, we talked about everything. And he was just trying to be a better person.
“Now, he’s got me and I’ll have to look at another crying meme for the next …
(Lengthy laughter and applause.)
“I told my wife I wasn’t gonna do this cause I didn’t want to see that for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me. I’m pretty sure Vanessa and his friends all can say the same thing – he knows how to get to you in a way that affects you personally, even though he’s being a pain in the ass. But you have a sense of love for him and the way that he can bring out the best in you. And he did that for me.
“I remember maybe a couple months ago he sends me a text and he said, ‘I’m trying to teach my daughter some moves. And I don’t know what I was thinking or what I was working on, but what were you thinking about when you were growing up trying to work on your moves?’ I said ‘What age?’ He says ’12’. I said ’12, I was trying to play baseball.’ He sends me a text back saying ‘Laughing my ass off.’ And this is at 2 o’clock in the morning.
“But the thing about him was we could talk about anything that related to basketball but we could talk about anything that related to life. And we, as we grew up in life, rarely have friends that we can have conversations like that. Well, it’s even rarer when you can grow up against adversaries and have conversations like that.
“I went and saw Phil Jackson in 1999, maybe 2000, I don’t know, when Phil was here in L.A. And I walk in and Kobe’s sitting there.
“And the first thing, Kobe said, ‘Did you bring your shoes?’
” ‘No, I wasn’t thinking about playing.’
“But his attitude to compete and play against someone he felt like he could enhance and improve his game, that’s what I loved about the kid. I absolutely loved the kid. No matter where he saw me, it was a challenge. And I admired him because his passion, you rarely see someone who is looking and trying to improve each and every day, not just in sports, but as a parent, as a husband. I am inspired by what he’s done, and what he’s shared with Vanessa, and what he’s shared with his kids.
“I have a daughter who’s 30 and I became a grandparent. And I have two twins. I have twins at 6. I can’t wait to get home to become a GirlDad and to hug them and to see the love and smiles that they bring to us as parents. He taught me that just by looking at this tonight, looking at how he responded and reacted with the people he actually loved. These are the things that we will continue to learn from Kobe Bryant.
“To Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, Capri, my wife and I will keep you close in our hearts and our prayers. We will always be here for you. Always. I also want to offer our condolences and support to all the families affected by this enormous tragedy.
“Kobe gave every last ounce of himself to whatever he was doing, After basketball, he showed a creative side to himself that I didn’t think any of us knew he had. In retirement, he seemed so happy. He found new passions. And he continued to give back, as a coach, in his community. More importantly, he was an amazing dad, amazing husband, who dedicated himself to his family and who loved his daughters with all his heart. Kobe never left anything on the court. And I think that’s what he would want for us to do.
“No one knows how much time we have. That’s why we must live in the moment, we must enjoy the moment, we must reach and see and spend as much time as we can with our families and friends and the people that we absolutely love. To live in the moment means to enjoy each and every one that we come in contact with.
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. And as I look in this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died, or else you wouldn’t be here. Those are the memories that we have to live with and we learn from.
“I promise you from this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother and I tried to help in every way I could.
The Making of A Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal – Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team:
Amazon: On the fortieth anniversary of the historic “Miracle on Ice,” Mike Eruzione the captain of the 1980 U.S Men s Olympic Hockey Team, who scored the winning goal recounts his amazing career on ice, the legendary upset against the Soviets, and winning the gold medal.
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of …
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List the captains for your sports teams over the years. Circle the best one. Be prepared to discuss your answers.
List the adjectives that describe a good captain?
Have you ever been named captain of a sports team? Name the team and the responsibilities of your position. Explain the other athletes who shared your roll. Evaluate your performance as captain.
