Former NFL star:
o
Coaches have vast
influence on players
Onetime Linebacker Joe Ehrmann now uses life to motivate
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
More than 100 local
coaches heard from former
Baltimore Colts Lineman Joe
Ehrmann last week during a
two-day seminar hosted by
Athletes for Others, a local
Nonprofit.
Ehrmann shared advice
last Thursday afternoon at the
Lawrence Joel Veterans
Memorial Coliseum, provid
ing tips to enhance the
coaches' ability to guide
young lives on and off the
field.
"We've got a special
opportunity, not only for
today, but for the future,"
commented School Board
Member Buddy Collins before
'introducing the former NFL
standout to the group. "We ...
have but one moment in time
to educate our youth."
An ordained minister and
football coach, Ehrmann's
work outside the stadium
threatens to overshadow his
football career, and that's all
right with him. At 59,
Ehrmann has spent the better
part of the past three decades
working to bring about social
change.
A 1973 first round draft
pick, Ehrmann enjoyed a suc
cessful career in the NFL that
spanned more than a decade.
But in the midst of his
great success, Ehrmann faced
an even greater tragedy, as he
watched his younger brother
lose his battle witti cancer at
age 18. The experience taught
Ehrmann some tough lessons
and shaped the course of the
young athlete's life.
"At that moment, you get a
clear understanding of what's
really important," he related,
"...here's what I know to be
true for me and for every sin
gle one of you.,, all of life is
about relationships; it's about
your capacity to love and to
be loved."
Since that time, Ehrmann
has worked tirelessly to
strengthen the things in life he
deems important - relation
ships, justice and love. His
rather unique journey was
chronicled by Pulitzer Prize
winner Jeffrey Marx in the
book, "Season of Life: A
Football Star, a Boy, a
Journey to Manhood."
Though he learned the
hard way that money and suc
cess aren't everything,
Ehrmann says much of the
wisdom he imparts to others
in his motivational speeches
stems from his experiences on
the football field.
Football teams are like
Collins
small communities where
each individual strives to
achieve goals that benefit all,
Ehrmann said. The same
principles can be applied in
many areas of life, he sur
mised.
The role of the coach is
vital to many young lives,
Ehrmann told the group, and
the examples - good or bad -
that each coach sets will
undoubtedly be emulated.
"From the bottom of my
heart, I don't think there's a
more important group of peo
ple in this community ... than
coaches." Ehrmann told the
audience. "There i^no other
institution or religion that
brings more people together
than sports."
Ehrmann advocated for
coaches to strive to be encour
aging of the athletes that look
to them for guidance, whether
they are the star players or
those who rarely make it on
the field. He railed against
coaching methods that focus
on criticism and belittling ath
letes.
"Every coach ought to
understand what their purpose
is," he asserted. "I coach to
help boys become men of
integrity and purpose."
Van Dyke
from page AW
as a dance professional.
In addition to her work at the
university, she directs and
choreographs for her own com
pany, the Jan Van Dyke Dance
Group, and works with the
Dance Project at City Arts,
which offers more than 25 class
es each week to children and
adults in downtown Greensboro.
She co-founded the North
Carolina Dance Festival in 1991
and has served as its coordinator
ever since. The festival, an
annual showcase of North
Carolina-based dancers and
choreographers, will include
performances in six communi
ties around the state. Her book,
"Modern Dance in a
Postmodern World," was pub
lished in 1992.
A recipient of a
Choreographer's Fellowship
from the state of North Carolina
and a Fulbright Scholar, Van
Dyke spent three months teach
ing dance at Portugal's
Universidade Tecnica de Lisbon
in 1993, and she spent six weeks
at the Western Australia
Academy for the Performing
Arts in 2000. In 2001, she
received the Annual Award for
Contributions to the Field from
the NC Dance Alliance.
Photo by Layla Farmer
Joe Ehrmann talks to local coaches.
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