Football was a game that I looked forward to playing once I reached high school. As a young boy I played tackle in someone’s yard with whomever we could round up for a game. I went home afterward dirty and grass stained much to the dismay of my mother. I couldn’t wait to grow up and play with the big boys on the high school team.

The day finally came that I reported for my first practice. I was issued a uniform that looked the worse for wear. Although it had been washed since the last season it still looked dirty from all its grass stains and ground in dirt. What more could I expect? I was just one of the scrubs. Dressed for battle I took to the field.

It was there that I first met Coach Grabruck though I had seen him in school. He was of medium stature and of good athletic build. He had recently played football for Center College at Danville, KY. 

“All right boys, let’s warm up with some calisthenics,” Coach demanded after a shrill blast of his whistle. There followed a flurry of push-ups, knee-bends, torso-twists, running in place, et cetera. After an hour of warm-up, a lot for guys who took it easy all summer, Coach said, “Two laps around the field and to the showers.”

We were soon put to work learning the fundamentals of the game. We actually made contact with guys on the field, learning proper ways to block and to tackle the opponent. The game was played by different rules in the 1930’s. The biggest difference was that the players played both offence and defense. Substitution was limited. Any player might play the whole game. Now it takes an offensive team and a defensive team to meet an opponent. 

As a scrub I never got into a game my first year. The only perk besides practice was getting dressed for the games and watching from the bench. During my sophomore year I was allowed to play for a few minutes before the end of a game where we led by a couple of touchdowns. I finally made the varsity team in my junior year.

Coach always encouraged the team to play hard and play to win.

“Football is a team sport,” Coach frequently emphasized. “You all have your individual job on every play and you have to work as a team. If one of you fails, then the play doesn’t work right. So study the plays and remember the team objective and your part in it.”

There was a legend that the Middlesboro team had never scored on our field. Before the game with them someone asked, “Coach, would you rather we would win 7 to 6 or tie 0 to 0?”

“Win, of course,” Came the reply without hesitation. We won that game 7 to 6

We were gathered for a big game. We were the underdogs. To conclude his pre-game pep talk Coach said, as on many occasions before, “Remember, a team that won’t be beat can’t be beat.” When we remembered, we won.

Coach always treated his players fairly. Everybody liked him. Guys hung around his office after practice until he said, “Don’t let the doorknob hit you in the tail as you leave.”

It was Coach’s solid leadership, his emphasis on fundamentals and teamwork plus a winning attitude that drove our team to the Cumberland Valley Conference championship in my senior year.

Things I learned from Coach Grabruck were not just about football. That was a minor and temporary part of the experience. These lessons carried over for a lifetime. Teamwork and the will to win were very important parts of my work experience, as well as of most other efforts. Coach was a greater part of my life than I realized. By the way, I managed to always avoid his doorknob.