Letter to the Editor – Life’s Lessons on the Gridiron

(Editor’s Note: The following letter received by Bucktail Football Coach Bruce Ransom came after the recent Penns Valley-Bucktail football game; it is being reprinted with the permission of coach Ransom and Penns Valley coach Martin Tobias)

Coach Ransom:

I wanted to contact you and see if I could get some information on your
player (#34) who was injured in our game. Is he ok? We have all been
 quite concerned. Any information that you could share is appreciated.

Also, I really needed to share with you how impressed I am with you, your 
coaches and your players. I have the utmost respect for your program. You 
have an incredible group of young men of whom you should be very proud.
 (I am having a difficult time trying to put this into words.)

You and your team are what high school football should be all about. Your
 players play the game hard. They play it the right way – fair and physical 
with no excuses. They play with respect for the opponent but no fear of
 the opponent. They were demonstrating good sportsmanship throughout the 
contest and after the game as well. So often we (Penns Valley) do not get
 to experience this type of a contest. In our locker room after the game,
 as we talked, our players were amazed at what they had been a part of. No 
trash talking, respectful competition, helping each other up after a play, 
complements for a nice play, the list goes on. You and your team helped me 
to teach more to our players in one evening than any of them could have
 ever imagined.

I try to teach life lessons along with coaching football. I have told our
players that others notice when you do the right thing. (Both on the field 
and off of it.) You and your team helped me to reinforce that very 
important point.
 Thank you for the honor and privilege of witnessing a competitive contest 
played in such a manner.
 Good luck to you and your team. You do a great job. If there is ever 
anything we can do to help out in any way, just let us know.

Martin A. Tobias

History Teacher/Head Football Coach

Penns Valley Area High School