Since your son’s father was coach, I would bet anything he played every down no matter how bad he played. And the faster better athletic kid who threatened his playing time was buried on the bench.
Since your sons father was coach, I would bet anything he played every down no matter how bad he played.”
Well, you’re 100 per cent wrong about that. We didn’t play in a “show up and you play” league. Kids had to try out for and make a team and all the coaches in our league played to win. Kids had two-a-days before season started, lifted weights and ran every evening, lots and lots of conditioning, watched films of their game with each play critiqued by the coach - what was right, what was wrong - it was mandatory that every college and pro game that was on TV was watched in our household and all the plays and players were discussed. Any kid on the team who didn’t play well at their position sat on the bench, including all the coach’s sons. There was no partiality shown.
My son certainly wasn’t the biggest or fastest but he ended up receiving an award for the being the best outside linebacker in our league for six years in a row and went on to play that position for two years in college - primarily because he was smart, physically strong, quick off the ball and knew how to read and play against all kinds of different offenses.