This article is an excerpt from the book “I Believe in Cream, Apples, and Football – Thoughts for Coaches” by Larry Beckish.

1. REMEMBER nothing in football is as important as your family.
2. Make an EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT in coaching – be a coach who CARES. Allow
   your heart to lead the way and your brain to manage the details.
3. Make LOYALTY a character priority. If you can’t be loyal to coaches on
   the staff, the school, and the players, do yourself and them a favor -LEAVE
4. Place HONESTY on the list of personal priorities. HONESTY keeps things
   from getting out of hand when the wheels of a football program begin to
   wobble.
5. LISTEN and LEARN from criticism, personal and professional. Always keep
   inmind how criticism affects you, then apply that thought when criticizing
   players.
6. DON’T worry about factors outside your control. If you are bent on
   expending energy worrying, worry about finding creative solutions to the
   problems facing you.
7. PRACTICE self discipline. Don’t expect more discipline from your players
   then of yourself.
8. KEEP complaints to yourself. NEVER take dissatisfaction outside the
   office. Take problems to people who can act upon those concerns.
9. Set EXPECTATIONS for your players – and yourself. Then develop a well
   thought out plan to meet the EXPECTATIONS.
10. DON’T argue with another coach on the field. DON’T ever permit players
    to become involved in a dispute between coaches.
11. NEVER, NEVER negatively play the offense against the defense or visa
    versa or team unity will disappear as quickly as a falling star. Respect
    another coach’s on the field problems.
12. KEEP yourself in reasonable physical condition so you can be more active
    on the field than a blocking dummy.
13. DON’T worry who receives the credit for success. If you are doing a good
    job, the important people will recognize it.
14. ENJOY the KIDS – they are what coaching is all about. Their success is
    your reward as you grow older.
15. Strive to have the BEST COACHED position on the field. Do little things
    to give the kids an edge – handouts, extra film time, and a little pre or
    post practice time.
16. Maintain an honest level of ENTHUSIASM. Don’t try to be someone else,
    simply be yourself – it’ll work. False ENTHUSIASM is ugly.
17. Be POSITIVE with the kids you coach. Coaching is about building kids up,
    not tearing them down.
18. COACH’EM like you would want your son or daughter coached.
19. Take the time to THINK about your future as a football coach. Know where
    you want to go and make a plan to get there. Make a plan for after coaching.
20. REMEMBER friends in the coaching profession when things aren’t going
    well for them. RETURN their phone calls when they are looking for a new job.

In “I Believe in Cream, Apples, and Football – Thoughts for Coaches”, Coach Larry Beckish draws on his experiences and a coaching philosophy that developed during his career as an assistant coach at the collegiate level. With coaching stints that included stops in the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten, including the opportunity to work with coaching legends like Frank Howard, Bill Parcells and Lou Holtz, Coach Beckish wrote ‘I Believe in Cream, Apples, and Football – Thoughts for Coaches’ and ‘The Trap Option – 40 Plus 60 Equals Option.’