Why I Coach
2/7/2025 2:36:00 PM | Spiritual Formation
Written by: Johnny Cardenas
When I was young I had two huge influences. One was my father who loved the game of baseball and from a very early age he began to share his love of the game with me. He was the first person I can remember who took the time to teach me about the game. About the age of 12, my father saw how far I could take this game and signed me up for Little League with a Coach by the name of Bruce Ford. He was known throughout our city as one of the toughest coaches. He was demanding and very strict and he changed the trajectory of my development. In every stop along the way I had wonderful coaches who not only taught me how to play the game but how to be a man.
The two coaches that I had in college were the first two men who made me want to be a coach. Both Galen McSpadden and Lance Brown took the time to not only make me the best player I could be but the best man and Christian I could be. They both changed my life. They were both men of character and made me a better man. Without a doubt, those two men got me to a level I would have never achieved alone. For that reason I became a coach. I want to be that same sense of inspiration to those I coach. I want men who become fathers and husbands to look back and feel the sense of appreciation I feel when I look back. Not only because I helped them grow in the game, but more importantly, grow in Christ. If one day, a player tells you that you were a big part of their life, then it is completely worth it, and is why I show up everyday to coach.
When I was young I had two huge influences. One was my father who loved the game of baseball and from a very early age he began to share his love of the game with me. He was the first person I can remember who took the time to teach me about the game. About the age of 12, my father saw how far I could take this game and signed me up for Little League with a Coach by the name of Bruce Ford. He was known throughout our city as one of the toughest coaches. He was demanding and very strict and he changed the trajectory of my development. In every stop along the way I had wonderful coaches who not only taught me how to play the game but how to be a man.
The two coaches that I had in college were the first two men who made me want to be a coach. Both Galen McSpadden and Lance Brown took the time to not only make me the best player I could be but the best man and Christian I could be. They both changed my life. They were both men of character and made me a better man. Without a doubt, those two men got me to a level I would have never achieved alone. For that reason I became a coach. I want to be that same sense of inspiration to those I coach. I want men who become fathers and husbands to look back and feel the sense of appreciation I feel when I look back. Not only because I helped them grow in the game, but more importantly, grow in Christ. If one day, a player tells you that you were a big part of their life, then it is completely worth it, and is why I show up everyday to coach.
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