It is probably well-known by now that Tarboro’s football team has come home with the state championship. SouthWest and North Edgecombe also went deep into the playoffs. If Reidsville was properly placed in the West, there is a good chance SWE would have also played for the state title. Congratulations to the teams and coaches.
I wanted to use this successful season as an opportunity to highlight how important athletics and coaches are to our schools. As a classroom teacher, I see how important athletics are to our students. It is not just football, but every sport or club with a good leader makes an important contribution to student success. In a society where many of these children do not have the proper support system at home, athletics and clubs offer purpose and pride to these young individuals. Sometimes when teachers have an issue with a student, we get the best results after speaking with the coach.
I have seen this at Tarboro High with the head football coach, Jeff Craddock. For example, I know of a situation where one student was posturing to fight with a football player. This player would usually knock the block off any adversary (ask players from Mountain Heritage), but instead he walked away and said, “I want to play on Friday night.” Another example includes a student that was failing science. It didn’t seem to bother the student that if he failed the class he wouldn’t graduate. What concerned him the most is that he let Coach Craddock down. Many of these students would have already dropped out of school or been suspended every other week if it wasn’t for athletics. Now, many of these students serve as role models for others.
I have learned that students often mimic the character and integrity of their coaches. They watch to see how the coach responds when they are down late in the game, or how the coach responds when they lose the state championship. I know Tarboro players watched closely how Coach Craddock responded three years ago when inept fans questioned Craddock's coaching ability by writing letters to the editor of The Daily Southerner. These were hurtful letters intended to degrade and humiliate him publicly, but Coach Craddock quietly accepted the criticism while ignoring the mean spirit with which they were written. Coach Craddock accepts that part of his mission is not just to win football games but also to shape the moral compass of his players. Often players learn more from losing a game than when they win. They also learn how much work is involved in order to be successful. This helps to explain why our Tarboro players displayed such decency and respect for the losing Mountain Heritage team in Chapel Hill on Friday night: they took the lead of their coach. Our players have learned from Coach Craddock that they can’t just show up game night and expect to win; they have to work every single day to prepare for just a few games.
This character development pays dividends in the classroom and beyond. Students do not only succeed because they want to be eligible to play; they succeed because athletics instills the work ethic necessary to be successful in the classroom. These athletes now know they can’t just show up for the exam; they have to prepare and pay attention every day in class in order to do well on the exam.
We have several good programs in place throughout the county, such as Positive Behavior Support (PBS), but I have never seen a program that can replace the relationship between a player and a coach. It is not because of punitive measures the coaches use but because the coach has developed a relationship with these young individuals. I see that with Coach Craddock and throughout Tarboro High’s athletics, and I expect it is probably true throughout the county.
Coach Craddock and his “Rude Boyz” are the inspiration behind this letter, but it really just reminds us that we need to be aware of the important role our coaches have throughout the community.
Lane Freeman
Tarboro High School
