Triangle Hug-A-Coach Day

All of us give coaches a hard time, which is mostly justified considering the amount of money these people make to teach a game. We usually give coaches too much of the blame for losses and credit the players too much for victories. These coaches are all aware of the things that come along with the professions they’ve chosen, so they understand and better be able to handle the criticism – right or wrong – that comes along with the job. We have plenty of examples right here in the Triangle of coaches who do or did have trouble with this aspect of the position.

The flip side of these lucrative, highly coveted and prestigious positions involves the inherent stress and lack of job security. Just look at what has been going on this year with UNC and NC State, outside of the rivalry. The Tar Heels fire football coach John Bunting halfway through the season, and the Pack follows suit by canning their own football head man, Chuck Amato, following the campaign. Wolfpack women’s basketball coach Kay Yow suffers a recurrence of breast cancer and has somehow found the strength to come back and lead State to 12 of 14 wins and a berth in the Sweet Sixteen. NC State men’s hoops coach Sidney Lowe suffered dehydration and fell out during a game in Chapel Hill and dealt with after-effects during the next game in Tallahassee, leading him to re-evaluate how he copes with the day-to-day responsibilities of his job and his health habits.

Now, we’ve learned that new UNC football coach Butch Davis has had to undergo chemotherapy for adult non-Hodgkins lymphoma after a cancerous growth was discovered during a routine dental exam. It certainly makes you put the rivalry side and appreciate what these men and women give of themselves and their families every single day. They are well-compensated and treated like royalty much of the time, but I think most of us would agree that they aren’t exactly getting a free pass and they are working hard for that money.

Best of luck to Coach Davis for the strength he needs as he deals with this latest development. He has a great resource down the road in Coach Yow, and I wish both of them a speedy and full recovery.

As always, consider a donation to The V Foundation for Cancer Research if you don’t already, and take some time to appreciate and support all of our coaches today.