Honor Your Favorite Teacher Nationally Acclaimed Coach Taught Students That ‘Everything Communicates’ By Paul Bowers, Georgia Power president and CEO and 2013 A PAGE Turning Event Honoree
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uring my years in the public school system in Pensacola, Fla., I was fortunate to have been introduced to educators who taught as well as inspired. My English, math and science teachers not only taught me the fundamentals of those subjects, but they lit in me a fire for learning that continues to this day. These teachers built a foundation for learning and they inspired me to believe that I could accomplish anything. The educator who most influenced my life was Coach Carl Madison, a Hall of Fame high school football coach whose teams won several state championships. The former national High School Coach of the Year is an iconic figure who has touched thousands of lives. Coach Madison expected perfection in all aspects of life—in the classroom, on the field and in your conduct. As I look back now, I realize that Coach Madison taught us more than the fundamentals of football. He taught us the fundamentals of how to be successful in life. The idea of “everything communicates” came from my three years on his team. Coach Madison taught his young athletes that the way you conduct yourself both on and off the field communicates a lot about yourself. Coach Madison instilled in his players that it wasn’t good enough to be satisfied with being “average.” To him, average was another Carl Madison and Paul Bowers word for “mediocre.” And if you were happy being mediocre, you wouldn’t be playing very long for Coach Madison. The state titles that his teams won are a great accomplishment, but Coach Madison’s greatest and most lasting accomplishment is the molding of hundreds of boys who grew into men—men who are now winning at the game of life. Great coaches are also great teachers. Coach Madison was a teacher and a true educator. He n made an indelible mark on all of us who were fortunate enough to call him “Coach.”
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January/February 2014
