Like most coaches, Arlington Martin HS (TX) head coach Bob Wager spends from dawn to well beyond dusk living, eating and breathing football, sacrificing time with his wife and kids to find ways to make his program better.
Some college programs will take you inside the day of the life of their head coach or an assistant on occasion, but rarely do you get to do something like that with a high school coach as he puts in a routine 16-hour day. Especially in the football crazed state of Texas.
However, a recent piece by the Star-Telegram made it happen, taking you inside the life of coach Wager for a day.
When it come to high school coaches, Wager is as energetic and enthusiastic as anyone I've ever seen, and that clearly rubs off on his team.
Jump to the 3:00 mark when he's in the weight room with his guys to see exactly what I mean. The environment created in there is one of a kind, and it's partly because he expects his coaches to lift alongside the players.
Find 15 minutes in your day and watch this one, it's a fascinating look at the life of a coach in a state where football is king. You can also read the Star-Telegram's recap of the video here.
About the 12:45 mark, Wager says, "The older I’ve gotten the more I’ve realized it’s not about winning and losing football games, it’s about having an opportunity to impact society and teach and mentor young people. In the grand scheme of things, regardless of money regardless of time regardless of any of those things at the end of the day what I’m doing on a daily basis, it matters. It’s important that I help those guys grow the right way."
The video closes with some powerful thoughts from coach Wager on what coaching means to him.
"I can't change the oil in my car, I don't know how to switch out the hot water heater...I mean, I'm not much of a handyman. But having an opportunity to wake up be excited about putting my socks on every single day because I'm passionate about helping kids grow into better people...it's the greatest opportunity that I've ever had in my life."