20 Years in Football: The Toughest Player Ever

In 20 years coaching college and pro football I have seen my share of tough-guys. I've coached guys who played hurt, overcame a tough upbringing and persevered after being cut multiple times. 

One individual stands out above all the rest when it comes to toughness.  One guy, who has displayed a mental toughness beyond all others.

In football the words mental toughness are used by every coach.  What exactly is mental toughness?  Different coaches define mental toughness differently.  To me, mental toughness is the ability to stay positively focused on the present, no matter the past circumstance. 

No one personifies this definition of mental toughness like my friend Danny Sipple.  He is my hero.  

Born with spina bifida and a laundry list of secondary ailments, Danny got his first wheel chair at age 5.  Danny has had 43 surgeries and has been in and out of hospitals countless times. MIRSA, kidney and bone infections, amputation and 3 stints on a ventilator... Danny has beat them all.  I have never asked what Danny's life expectancy was when he was born...it is irrelevant.  I do know what Danny's current life expectancy is... He expects to live each day 100% to the fullest.  See, it's not that Danny has beat all these odds, it's the way he does it.  He defies the odds each and every day with a smile on his face and with a genuine concern for others.  He stays positively focused on the present, no matter the past circumstance.  Each person Danny encounters is a blessing for the individual who crossed Danny's path.  He is the person that brings me the most strength and comfort when times are "tough" in my life.  He is the example when trying to teach mental toughness to my children.

Danny is a passionate fan of Jesus Christ, his mother and multiple Chicago sports teams.

When I met Danny almost 10 years ago it was random luck (or divine intervention)at Riverfest.  A county-fair-type gathering in our village of South Elgin, IL (a Chicago Suburb).  I said hello and asked Danny how he was doing.  Danny was sporting his now-familiar overalls and Cubs hat and the conversation quickly turned to sports.  Danny began to share his passion for his favorite teams, which included the Chicago Rush Arena Football Team. Danny went on about  "how awesome" the Rush were and how much he loved going to the games.  At the time, I was coaching for the Rush.  (A fact I did not share with Danny as we talked for almost an hour).  Later that night, I introduced Danny to my family and friends and he brought his Mom (Kim) over to meet us.  Small world...My family had been stopping to see Kim (and her dog Hogan) at the village hall before my daughter's preschool.  Danny eventually found out I coached for the Rush.  A friendship quickly ensued...

We had Danny over to our house for dinner with AFL legends Dennison Robinson and DeJuan Alfonzo.  I began hanging out with Danny.  I was doing something I thought would benefit someone else.  To be honest, someone I thought was less fortunate.  Little did I know, I was the one who would benefit from our friendship.  Little did I know, I could only hope to be as fortunate as Danny. 

I don't know the exact number of times I have been to see Danny in the hospital.  I can't guess how many phone calls have come from his hospital bed.  I'm not sure how many times Kim has called asking for prayers that Danny makes it through the night.  No clue how many times Kim has called to let me know Danny made it through another surgery.  But, I do know, it never gets old when Danny calls to say "Hey Brother, guess where I am? That's right, I'm home!" 

I also  know the exact number of times I have heard Danny complain, feel sorry for himself or have a negative attitude. I know exactly how many times I have heard him wallow in self-pity.  A big fat zero!  That's right...zilch, zippo, nada, never...Danny defines mental toughness.  Through the 104 degree fevers, the breathing tubes jammed down his throat, the 119 day hospital stay, bed sores, doctors appointments, surgeries and more... to Danny every day is a blessing.  Every challenge an opportunity.  Every mountain, no hill for a climber.  He remains focused only on the present, no matter the past circumstance.  Danny is mental toughness defined.  Through all the challenges, Danny has a passion for life.  A spirit and positive outlook unmatched .  That's why he is my hero!

Recently, Danny recovered from what was expected to be a minor hospital stay.  He called, as he always does, to tell me he was home. When I spoke with him, I did not tell him I loved him and that he was my hero.  As we were wrapping up the phone call, my door was open and someone came in to ask me a question.  I got off the phone without letting him know.  The next day, I received the all-to-frequent call from Kim asking for prayers.  As often happens, his fever had spiked and Danny had been rushed back to the hospital.  As he always is, Danny was so excited to be back home the day before.  I felt awful and was filled with regret for not letting Danny know how I felt about him.  I vowed I would never let that happen again.  Now, I always tell Danny how much I love him and that he is my hero.  I will not miss the opportunity  again.  Danny taught me that.  Danny has taught me to look for opportunities.  Danny gives me free advice.  Danny prays for me to be a better father.  Danny has taught me more about mental toughness than any player I ever coached.

So today on your 28th Birthday Danny,  I thought I would share a little bit about the toughest player ever. The toughest player in the biggest game.  We can all learn from you Danny.  May we all see ourselves as fortunate .  May we all show more concern for others.  May we all stay positively focused on the present, despite our past circumstance.  

You are my hero.  I love you brother!  Happy Birthday, Dan-man!

Barta’s Bold Move Propels Hawkeyes

Sometimes the boldest leadership move is to stay the course. To properly explain the back story around the Iowa Hawkeyes program following the 2014 season I am going to share a personal story.

Last Christmas Eve, I found myself in the heart of Hawkeye country as I do every year.  The state of the Hawkeye football program soon became the hot topic.  After listening to family pile on, I defended the Hawkeye coaching staff and found myself in a more-than-lively debate with my two brothers-in-law.  They were absolutely convinced Ferentz had to go.  With 20 years’ experience coaching college and pro football and five years competing against the Hawkeyes, I felt qualified to quickly “set them straight”.  After all, how hard could it be to get two highly-intelligent humans to accept an educated point of view? 

In short, I failed miserably. What I thought would be a 30 second discussion turned into an hour-plus long debate.  Frustrated that they would not accept my short explanation (and always one for a good debate) I pressed on deciding to use logic and reason to win the argument.  We went through every school in the Big 10 ranking each on facilities, access to talent, tradition, fan support and finances.  With a little debate, we came to an agreement on where Iowa fit in.  Next, we used some quick math to estimate the number of times they Hawkeyes “should” defeat the other Big 10 teams over a ten year period based on the criteria mentioned above.  We applied the same logic and math to a typical non-conference schedule and we used the agreed upon numbers to come up with an average win total. I don’t recall exactly what that number was, but I do remember (even with the early years uder Ferentz included) Iowa was over the agreed upon number.  It had worked...I “won” the debate...not so fast my friend. They still wanted Kirk gone.  They are fans (short for fanatics you know J) and were ultimately not interested in logic and reason, instead preferring to settle on emotion and sentiment.  Fans often fail to realize that for each team that finishes with a 10-2 record someone else (on average) has to finish 2-10.  50% of the games every Saturday are lost. 

I am not saying I saw an undefeated regular season coming for the Hawks. I did not.  That is not the point of this story.  The point is that following the 2014 season, most in the Hawkeye fan base were beyond reason.  They wanted change.  My brothers-in-law showed more patience than most.  They at least wanted to have an intelligent argument. 

 

When the Hawkeyes roll into Indianapolis today the black and gold will be thick.  There may be more Hawkeye fans than there was at home games to start the 2015 season.  Hawkeye fans made their opinion clear this last year and were “voting with their feet” in record numbers.  For the first time in a long time there were large empty sections in the stadium.

This is where the true leadership of Gary Barta comes in.  He did not do what was popular.  Instead, he had the courage to do what he thought was right.  He stayed the course.  Make no mistake, if the Hawkeyes had underperformed this year Barta may have had his house on the market.  The pressure from fans and boosters forces many coaches and AD’s to focus on survival rather than leadership. Faced with that same situation in today’s college football landscape most AD’s are folding faster than a garage sale card table.  Bold move Barta!