I have to admit that Saturday was one of the more memorable days in my time at Hardin-Simmons.
No it wasn’t a 55-10 win over Sul Ross State or senior days for the soccer program, but it was about the 500th game in the coaching career of coach Keeling.
People inside the program know what a special man that Coach K is. They know him as a fair man that loves his players no matter what. He will do whatever is in the best interest of his team no matter what.
He has taken a program and built it from scratch and it is one of the most respected programs in the country. His teams always play hard. They might not be the most talented, team on the field every Saturday, but you never see them not playing hard. With that simple mantra that his players have heard daily, the Cowboys have built that program.
I got the chance to talk to coach Keeling before the game. Every game he makes the walk from the fieldhouse, down the middle of the field and then to through the press box. I am not sure of the exact time, but my guess is it starts somewhere around 10:15 (Keeling time that is) and it probably hasn’t ever changed.
As he was going through the press box he stopped briefly and he thanked me for writing the story I wrote about him last week. In his usual manner, he said it was a pretty good story considering the content I had to work with. I have to disagree with coach on this one. He is a legend, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, and it has been a pleasure to work with him over the last 10 years.
As he was walking out the door he said I just want to win A game. I am sure he was talking about the Sul Ross State game, but I get the feeling that he wants to win THE game. You know the one that is played in Salem, Virginia on Dec. 20th.
This year’s team has overcome some adversity, come together as a group and they get better and better every week. Yesterday was about as perfect of a game as you can play offensively and the defense has improved leaps and bounds. From week one to now it has been an amazing transformation.
Back to the game, the Cowboys took control from the opening kickoff when ZaVious Robbins returned it 100 yards for a score. You could see how special the game was to the players and staff after the game in the celebration honoring their coach. There were many former players at the game, and that included some from his high school coaching days as well.
At a gathering at the Keeling’s after the game the gleam was still there and it was a celebration, but he asked me for scores around the league, like he always does on Saturday nights. He was already thinking ahead to next week.
There is no doubt Keeling is a special coach, but to many he is known more for being a special person.
I got to see how strong of a person coach Keeling was in January when Cowboy player Brentdrick Walker was killed in a motorcycle accident. He held his team together in a very emotional time. There is no book on how to handle that situation at Books-A-Million, but he could probably write one and make some money.
The loss of Brentdrick has had a big impact on this team. You may notice that the Cowboys have been late getting to the field for each of the home games. The reason for that is that every player goes by and touches the locker of their fallen teammate.
Unfortunately, coach Keeling may have to go back to that unwritten book this week as the Cowboy family has lost another one of its own way to early. Former Cowboy Ke-Ke Sims, who played in the 2005 and 2006 seasons for HSU as a cornerback, was killed last night in a car wreck in Abilene. Many of the current Cowboys were teammates with Sims.
The Cowboy family needs your prayers once again. It is so great to have a leader like coach Keeling in charge during the tough times. It is easy to be a leader in the good times, it is the bad times where your true identity is formed.
So what turned into a great day of celebration, turned into tragedy, but with the Lord’s guidance we will get through this again, because He has promised not to give us more than we can handle.
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