Coach Wilson - My Coach

To Whom It May Concern

            It has recently been called to my attention that there is currently an attempt to have the Athletic Director/Coaching/Teaching duties at Buhl High School of Mr. Stacey Wilson removed. This, to my understanding, is being done by the parents of a young man who believed that he is being treated unfairly. I will not speak on this particular situation, acknowledging that I no longer live in Buhl and simply do not have all the facts which have caused issue. But what I can speak on is my experience with the particular man in question, his character, values, and how he has influenced my life.

I am going to start by stating that I do not call him by his first name, his last, “Mr. Wilson”, or any other name. I simply refer to him as “Coach” and that is the way he will be referred to in this letter.

            I remember as a child, elementary ages, wanting nothing more than to one day be a football player at Buhl High School. The players in those days were my heroes and I spent a great deal of my time pretending to be one of them. It was in these years when I became a “Ball Boy” and was really brought into the world I had so desired to be a part of. Having a role in the program brought on another level of responsibility for the coaches. They now had a group of children who they wanted to be a part of the team, but now had to look after essentially. Coach was part of the staff in these days, and I remember him being there and treating us well. We were given small jobs to do, and were expected to perform these jobs, small parts which we were held accountable for daily. At the time I had no idea but this insignificant part would become the cornerstone of my life at Buhl High School. The kindness to get youth involved, the responsibility they assumed by doing this, and the responsibility I was given were all very important.

            As I began playing football and developing my skills the high school coaches were constantly around. They always had words of encouragement, and Coach was there. When high school finally came around I felt extremely comfortable immediately. This was primarily in part to having had the opportunity to already build a strong relationship with Coach over many years. This is when I began to learn the most important lessons. My freshmen year was spent on the Junior Varsity team. I learned many skills on the football field. But it was in the weight room, the summer before and then during the school year, where I began learning the most valuable lessons that year. Coach helped instill a work ethic that I previously didn’t understand. Working hard and doing the right things when no one is watching became apparent, and he showed me the type of dedication and commitment this required.

            My sophomore year rolled around and Wilson and I both found ourselves in a new world. I moved up to varsity, and Coach was now in his first year as a head coach. That year I had to grow up and accept the responsibility which I had been given, but Coach and I had a level of trust built from years of being around one another. I didn’t know how much his dedication to not only his current athletes, but also the youth in the community would prove to be until then. During that year we had success as a team, and Coach was always pushing us and making us strive to become the best we could be. The next year would be another example of the type of man and coach he was.

            My junior year was trying to say the least. We were a dismal 2-6 in the games. This would have been an easy time for a coach to get upset, frustrated, mad, or even give up. But not Coach. Coach was determined to make the best of it. He continued to push us and look for the best out of us. We were not a good team that year, by any stretch of the imagination, but Coach never gave up on us. He never let us get down on ourselves, which is a value I’ve been able to embrace and I am thankful for. In athletics and life there are constantly trial and tribulations. But your true character isn’t showed during your successes; it is instead most obvious in how a person deals with adversity. Coach showed us, by his example and teaching, how important this was. I can look back now at that season and know that I would have not been the same athlete and person without going through that and having Coach lead me through it.

            My senior year was a polar opposite. We had grown into a good football team, a mixture of kids who had created an especially strong bond between one another. We had also grown close to our entire coaching staff. This comfort and chemistry between everyone was essential to our success that season. My relationship with coach had grown in to an almost father-son type. Our trust level between one another had become unbelievable. He didn’t have to say a word to me and I could understand him. It was a bond like I would have never imagined as a child when I was a ball boy for the high school. I call Wilson coach out of pure respect, and in the final home game of my football career Coach made a gesture to me which I cherish still today. It was fourth down and about twelve yards. We had talked about and practiced a fake punt all year, but we’d never pulled the trigger. As I jogged to the formation Coach yelled at me. I turned around and looked at him and he simply said, “It’s your call Senior.” There were two things that struck me about this. Coach had called me something I had never been called before. “Senior”. Such a simple word, but it was what I believe was a sign of our relationship and respect for one another. Needless to say it meant a lot to me. The second thing that Coached showed me in that moment was his trust in me. We had spent every game of our careers together. Up to that point I had played every varsity game with him as my coach, and every varsity game he had coached I had been a player. In that moment he turned over more responsibility to me than I could have imagined. A head coach had turned over the role, ego aside, to a player and possibly the outcome of a game. But it wasn’t just any game, it was the District Championship. I remember making the call, running the fake, getting up from being tackled and seeing Coach’s reaction on the sideline. He later told me, “Hell of a play kid.” I knew that I had become what he had been pushing me and wanting me to become.

            The few stories I’ve shared do the impact of Coach on me and many other kids no justice. He has been an incredible role model. I am so blessed to have played for a man with the character like Coach. The lessons I’ve learned from this man are invaluable. To lose him in the community of Buhl would be an absolute shame. I am sorry that people feel that this is needed, but I must disagree. He is the type of person you can ask for anything and can trust. He is a great coach, leader, motivator, man, father, husband, and I am proud to say I played for him and happy to say that he is a friend of mine now as an adult.

A concerned and saddened Alumni,

Mitchell S. Bourner

Class of 2006

Thank you for everything Coach

A valuable lesson I’ve learned from Coach is how to deal with adversity in life. When you get knocked down, get back up. But the most comforting this about that lesson is that when I do get knocked down in any situation, and when I go to get up, if I look up I know Coach will be there with an outstretched hand ready to help me.