Rich in Tradition

 

Rich Imbriani Retirement Party

If you are lucky, you have at least a few people in your life who linger in your consciousness for decades as mentors, coaches, teachers, or others whom you aspire to make proud with what you have become.

Football changed my life - not just the sport itself, but the approach to sport and life and winning. And I only participated as an athlete for two years - most of that participation being from the sidelines. You might think the tale of a number two high school kicker might not even warrant a footnote to any story worth telling - and in the great history of Cajon athletics you would be correct - but the greater tale is bigger than one athlete. 

Rich Imbriani took over as head varsity football coach at Cajon High School in 1991, my junior year, after a very long and successful tenure by Chuck Pettersen. What a blessing it was to have been on teams led by each of these two men, and reflecting back, Rich's decades as coach and then Athletic Director really was the continuation of a tradition that excellence truly runs deep in the hearts of those who seek it with dedication and serious determination. As a 16-year-old, the lesson was clear that sports were serious business, and we had a responsibility to work, learn and perform. Having worked with and for Rich as a coach in my earliest adult years, the lesson was that we owed our athletes a specific heritage that was to endure through them as they persevered in the goal of learning to win. As an alumnus who has returned nearly every year since graduation to follow Cajon Football, reaching out throughout those years to Imbriani, the realization was that he loved sports, but he truly cared most about all of us as individuals and how we were doing in life.

The best teachers, leaders, and coaches leave a mark. The accomplishments and championships are indicators of what we did, but the instillation of values that enrich life and the expectation of some unique realization of success are the lasting impacts imparted by the great ones. It's not that we as alumni live in a constant state of approval-seeking; we understand we were blessed with a moment in time when someone cared enough to stand up and show us the way, and we recognize a responsibility to measure up to our potential. You don't win for your coach, but you honor him with how you play the game.

Rich Imbriani is one of those leaders, and the world is better for it.

Thanks, Coach. Enjoy your well-earned retirement. I expect to hear great things.

Excellence Runs Deep

The "Let's Win" Competition

It was a calm and slightly cool afternoon today as I took great pride in returning after 14 years to a school where I had coached varsity soccer to see one of my former players coach her team in the CIF Playoffs. While I can't claim responsibility for her great knowledge of the game, I was just simply happy to see her success and hoped maybe one thing I said or did contributed to her being able to be there for her girls. At half-time, I checked my phone for any news, and there was - that my first football coach had passed away.

It has been a very fortunate blessing that San Bernardino, California has been the home of some excellent coaches in many sports. Who I am - and similarly true for countless others - is a reflection of what these good people have bestowed out of little more than the love of the game and love of other people. Gary Porter taught me discipline and dedication. John Hague taught me sportsmanship and professionalism. Robin Goodman taught me courage and toughness. Rich Imbriani taught me intensity and determination. Chuck Pettersen taught me motivation and how to be a champion.

One of our weekly "team books" given each Monday

Coach Pettersen, or "Coach P", only coached me for one season - his last at Cajon High School - during 1990, and as a kicker, the majority of practice time was spent away from the rest of the team. However, he made an impact on me as an athlete (and later as a coach) like no other. I was fifteen years-old, and for the first time in nine years playing sports, I learned how passion and excellence were two things that were uniquely integral in winning at a high level. What he delivered to his teams was not just a road map for victory or intense physical training. Coach P taught us to care for what we were doing and whom we relied upon as teammates. He created an atmosphere in which we could thrive and an expectation not only that winning was possible, but it was a necessary part of life. We did win a league championship that year, but perhaps more important to me, he taught me how to win.

The strange thing about coaching is that you never really know the impact that you make. You can count the wins and the losses. You can count the playoff appearances and league championships. However, the little things you strive to impart to the integrity of another human may always remain a mystery; one can only be proud of what we all managed to achieve together. At least, among other things, our coach can rest in peace knowing that there are scores of men who grew up knowing that "Better is Best", one should always strive to "Be Somebody", and "Excellence Runs Deep."

Oh yeah... Let's Win.

After my last game of my first season coaching - at Cajon