I have had the privilege of doing play-by-play for football and baseball at a high school level over the years, both from the press box and on radio in Lexington, SC and St. Cloud, Florida. I currently broadcast Pop Warner football at Harmony, Florida.

When my children were growing up, I had the privilege of coaching on a Pop Warner level. Occasionally, someone will come up to me at church or in a restaurant and say “Hi Coach.” I know I am speaking to one of the kids with whom I used to work. For anyone who has ever coached youngsters, that is the kindest title anyone could call you. It is a show of respect to accord you the title, despite not having done it for years.

Coaches are a special breed of people. They spend more time with children than the parents of those kids. It is quite understandable that they would bond with them as I did with my own coach and mentor, the late J. W. Ingram. A love-hate relationship evolves as kids try to please their coach with good playmaking and victories.

My youngest son, Christopher, was an All-Conference center and a pretty decent athlete. His older twin brothers, Cory and Jason, were (as they say in the movie Rudy) five-foot-nothing and a hundred-nothing.

In four years at St. Cloud High School, they never missed a football practice. In four years, they never started and about the only time they ever got into a game was when the Bulldogs were well ahead or well behind. In four years, no matter what level on which they played, their teams never lost to arch-rival Osceola in nearby Kissimmee.

They never missed a practice, a game or a class in school, receiving perfect attendance honors. Did they ever want to quit? If they did, they never shared that with their parents. Were they hurt by their lack of playing time? If they were, they never told us or their coaches. They simply showed up as if they were starting every play on both sides of the ball. I always admired that in my sons.

Recently I came across a letter that was written to them by their high school football coach, John Wallauer, who is now retired. Here is the letter.

Dear Cory and Jason,

I will address this letter to both of you because, as you well know, in four years I could never tell you apart anyway. I hope you never took this personally. During my 25 years coaching career, I have worked with at least six pairs of twins and I could not tell them apart either.

From time to time, I sit down at the end of the year to write a letter such as this one to some of the young men who have been a part of my program. This is the only letter I have written this year.

I want to thank you for all that you have done for St. Cloud High School and my football program. What did Cory and Jason do for the St. Cloud High football program? Did you set records? Catch touchdown passes? No. You contributed something more important. You gave our program “character.”

Your courage, work ethic, honesty and integrity set an example for others to follow. There were times when you could have given up and quit, but you did not. You simply accepted the challenge and worked harder.

This letter is about “respect.” Respect is what you have worked so hard to earn and so rightfully deserve. As the years pass and the memories fade, as they have over the past 25 years, I know I will remember at least two things: the win in the “Spurs” (St. Cloud’s only win in 50 years in that stadium) and the “Aun-sters!”

In closing, I would like to share one last thought with you. Do not ever forget that your success is the result of the love and guidance given you by your parents. Young people are the product of their environment and your environment, no doubt, was a special one. I know they are proud of you; I hope you are as proud of them.

Best of luck always Cory and Jason. I hope your life is filled with happiness and success.

Sincerely, Coach John Wallauer

PS- Please do not be offended when we meet and I ask, “Which one are you?”