If America’s high school and college coaches, both men and women, knew how much influence they had on the lives of their players, they would take what they do a lot more seriously. Of course, many do realize this, but others don’t. That is what I want to speak to you about today, especially as it relates to players’ lives after they graduate from high school and college, if they attend.

I don’t have the latest statistics, but only a very small percentage of high school players make it to the next level — either college or professional levels. Most will look around for some type of employment or find their place in society, and will get married at some point in time. 

I learned the hard way that the most important skill a high school student can master is the skill of becoming an excellent reader if they didn’t learn it earlier. To be honest, a person cannot do anything in our society if they can’t read and write. It’s the key that opens the doors of opportunity for anything we wish to do. One of the things I learned later in life is the importance of reading inspirational and self-help books or listening to recordings of this kind of information.

Here is an area where our coaches can really be of service to their players. If a coach asked their players to do something, they would be more likely to do it than if they were asked by anyone else in their lives, including mom and dad. What follows is a list of books that I have in my library. I have read each one, some more than once. If a coach asked their players to read one book each month, outside of their class work, over time it would really make a difference. Here is a list of those books I am talking about. I can promise you there are some fantastic books on this list. 

The Holy Bible; The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell; Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell; A Game Plan for Life by John Wooden; Gifted Hands by Dr. Ben Carson; Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall; See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar; The Strong-Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson; How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie; He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado; John Adams by David McCullough; Words to Lift Your Spirits by Coach Dale Brown; Common Sense by Thomas Paine; People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads by Lee Pitts; The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart; A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins; The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino; Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do by Dr. Robert Shuller; Psycho Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz; The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen R. Covey; None of These Diseases by Dr. S.L. McMillen; Uncommon by Coach Tony Dungy; Anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription by Dr. Vincent Fortanasce; A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Dr. Ruby K. Payne; Don’t Make A Budget by Ken Robinson. 

It’s been said that “if a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him.”

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)