One, Two, Three, Hoooooray for Gary Lee: Lessons Learned from Coach D

By Randy Rose | Nephew and Former Player of Coach Gary Davenport

Monday, October 7th, 2024. To some, it’s just a random date… just “another day,” that is now “living” as a statistic in a historical book measuring the passing of time. Most days are like that to all of us. They come and go with no real significance or meaning unless we attach meaning to it…or, unless something that has its own meaning or value to us on a personal level occurs on that day. Both of these scenarios are the case for Monday, October 7th, 2024 – a date that DOES have significance and value for MANY people.

On October 7th, 2024, the Texas High School Coaching world lost an important person…a man whose career spanned 43 years, and that coached (maybe served is the better word) within many communities across our great State of Texas. This particular coach impacted many lives, both directly and indirectly, during his time. However, before I go any further, I must confess an ulterior motive for the writing of this article. October 7th, 2024 is also a very important date for me personally…it’s not only the day the Texas Coaching world lost a great one, it’s the day I lost my Uncle, Coach Gary Davenport – a man that I consider to be far more than just a great coach.

Please know in advance…I hesitated to even write this article, because I don’t want it to appear as if I’m seeking accolades for Coach Davenport (humility was one of his most important values, and he wouldn’t want the focus to be placed on him ). I am also not seeking condolences, nor do I have any agenda OTHER than this: I wanted to share three valuable lessons I learned from watching my Uncle’s life and coaching career that I feel are relevant to everything I value about YOU...our amazing high school coaches, educators, and community servants. Those lessons are: 1. Gratefulness: 2. Investment; and 3. The power of reverberation.

What each of you do matters beyond just the wins and losses (although, I know the world most often judges success in the sporting world that way). While I acknowledge wins and building programs are an important and necessary part of high-school sports, I hate that the amazing values and lessons you as coaches and educators pour into the young men and women (at such a critical period in their lives) are often lost in the craziness we all live and operate in during this time. Coach Davenport cared about people…they mattered to him (especially the youth). Coaches, you matter…you’re important to these youth you are investing in, and to your fellow coaches. THAT’S what I’m writing about today…the lessons that my Uncle, Coach Davenport, taught me…which are all underscored with the idea that the value you add to other human beings is what matters most.

If you will indulge me, I would like to share just two quotes (of many) I found in an online article a day after Coach Davenport’s passing. Please know…these quotes aren’t meant to pay homage to Coach Davenport, they’re meant to lay the foundation for the lessons I learned from HOW he lived and coached, and why the work all you do is so incredibly important in our world today:

“He was hard, he was tough, but you always knew deep down that he truly cared about you,” Sinton head football coach Michael Troutman said. “I can remember several times when he was getting on me, but then he would end by telling me he loved me. That was the first time I heard that from a coach. We lost a coaching legend and it hurts. We lost a big part of South Texas football and someone who was a big part of my life.” -- Coach Troutman, Sinton (and former player for Coach Davenport)

-Corpus Christi Caller Times (online) – Author, Rey Castillo , Updated 10/18/24

“He was a great man to work for! He taught me things I still use today. He mentored me and a lot of other coaches. We were a family when we worked with him. He fostered that culture. All of us have been back and forth on the phone with each other since we heard the news. We are so very saddened by his passing. We loved him.”

-KRIS 6 News (online) – Author, Larissa Liska, Updated 10/9/2024

If you look at the words of these coaches…who are currently impacting youth today…there are valuable lessons to be learned. Although there are too many lessons packed in those statements to cover in this article, there are three lessons I mentioned above that I want to share with you. These are the very things you as coaches and educators are doing for our youth and for your peers…things that matter now and that will matter for generations to come.

Gratefulness:

I know it’s cliched, but it’s so true – the loss of someone close to you will shift your perspective, and it’ll do it quickly. Patience is a lost virtue in our society today…we expect wins immediately, we want social media likes immediately, and we don’t have more than a few minutes to spend talking to someone when we can just snap them. We often don’t even have the time to learn how to practice patience. What’s sad is, most of the time, we’re not even patient enough to invest in, enjoy, take pleasure in, and work on/in the relationships with those most important to us. We get caught up in busyness…in “life,” and we forget to be grateful for those relationships with those around us. And then, one day, all of those missed (and future) opportunities to practice gratefulness for those relationships are gone. Very suddenly, those missed opportunities all matter more than any of the busyness or other “things” that seemed more important at the time. It’s imperative that we take every opportunity to be grateful for the people, the “things,” and those special moments we are afforded in this life. Above all, it’s important that we are grateful for the relationships we have in this world. The aforementioned quotes, above all else, were recognizing the value of relationship. So…I challenge you –tell someone important to you that you love them, give someone a hug, call a friend just to talk, or actually listen to the story your child is trying to tell you. In short, practice gratitude…intentionally…you never know when you won’t be able to do it again.

Investment:

Today, in the sports world, it feels like the investment is more in winning and money, than in the player. While this is expected in professional (and now college) sports, it’s also becoming the norm for high school sports. This article isn’t about sports though. The quotes above tell a secret. The references to Coach Davenport in the quotes above don’t speak about his investing in winning. They speak about his investing in humans. He was investing in the culture. He realized that by investing in the people, it ALLOWED for the wins to follow (and he enjoyed a greater success as a coach by celebrating the people WITH the wins ). The secret is this… if you invest in the right things, the outcomes will take care of themselves. The wins will follow. The money will follow. The happiness will follow. The joy will follow. The legacy will follow. These blessings are all natural byproducts of investing in others with a pure heart. We often work so hard to make sure we’re checking boxes, doing the work, putting in hours, and whatever else…but we don’t often take the time to make sure that what we’re investing ALL OF THAT EFFORT into is the right thing. What are you investing in these days? Is it your loved ones? Relationships? Service to others? The youth? Your peers? Or, is it the dollar, the car, the recognition, or likes on a social media platform? Coach Davenport had it figured it out…investing in others creates success for all – now AND for years to come. It’s so simple…or, maybe it’s not.

Reverberation:

I do like the word legacy, but honestly, I like the word reverberation better. Reverberation means “to be repeated several times as an echo, or to have continuing and serious effects.” Isn’t that what we’re all really after? To be important to others…to matter. To have DONE something that MEANT something? The quotes I shared above (and other ones online) are reverberation quotes. “He impacted everyone,” “He will always be a part of who I am,” and “We loved him.” Coach Davenport not only impacted THESE individuals, but he is also impacting the coming generations THROUGH them. It’s like an echo traveling through time. We often talk about the concept that everyone is a leader and impacts SOMEONE. Every encounter you have with another human being could be a potential impact that is echoed through time. Something as simple as telling an athlete or fellow coach that you love them may impact them forever. It may be the one thing that shows the person another way of living, a different version of life than they’ve been experiencing so far…one of love and care…one that they can carry forward and use to help impact the “next person.” Don’t discount the power of reverberation and how the smallest of voices (or actions) can carry forward in a big way. You are an important human being and have opportunity as a coach to impact soooo many others. When you embrace the power of reverberation (your service to others), you can change the world. Even after you’re gone.

So…are you using your voice? Are you investing in others? Are you grateful for those in your life or that you encounter every day? If so, you WILL change the world. Think that’s dumb? You might, but I don’t believe so. After all, who would have thought a small-town kid from Brady, Texas would grow up, and through coaching, profoundly impact thousands? Yes, thousands, because the coaches and youth he interacted with are carrying forward his gratitude, his investment, and are echoing his time on this earth to new generations of youth. That’s the best return on investment possible.

I thank Coach Davenport for these lessons and for giving us the opportunity to share them with others. I thank all of you for being servants to our state’s youth and for continuing to make relationships matter during a time where the world places value on other things. Although Coach Davenport took his game to Heaven’s grandstands, I do believe his echo is still reverberating here on earth. I thank you for keeping his echo going while also creating your own.

Read the entire December 2024 Issue of Texas Coach here: https://issuu.com/thscacoaches/docs/dec24upload?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ