Rick left the practice field and started the long walk to the coaches’ office. He knew what it was about and dreaded the moment. As he walked down the long hallways, he exchanged pleasantries with those that he met. This was a long shot anyway, he thought. He wasn’t drafted out of college and he was delivering chips for Frito-Lay just a few months earlier. Quarterbacking at the professional level has always been tough to get.
Upon entering the office, Rick sat in the chair directly across from the coach and waited. The coach ended a call and hung up the phone. He shuffled a few papers and finally folded his hands and looked directly at Rick. “We are letting you go” the coach stated. “We have some injuries and have to make some other moves for different positions and so, unfortunately, we can’t keep you on.” This was the news he knew was coming but it still stung.
The Forty-Niners were his team growing up. He watched them and rooted for them and to be on the practice squad was amazing but this was crushing. He thought of his family and the hopes he had for this chance. Slowly Ricky rose from the chair, thanked the coach for the opportunity, shook his hand, and turned to leave. Trying not to show his anguish, he made his way to the door and exited the building. As he walked to his car, he remembered all the learning that had occurred in the time he had with the Forty-Niners and how thankful he was for it.
Ricky Ray Graduated from Shasta High School, Shasta College, and Sacramento State. He went on to a 16-year career in the Canadian Football League. He led his teams to four Grey Cups, Super Bowl of Canadian Football, and he still holds the record for completion percentage of any passer in the CFL or NFL at 68.2%. One of his fans said this about him when he retired in 2017, “Lost count of how many times my teams were beaten by this guy. As others have said, pure class as an athlete and a human being.”
I had the pleasure of listening to Rick Ray talk this last week and was so taken by his humble and positive demeanor. He said some things that really made me think of what we heard during our training days. He said, “My dad always said to me, practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. I have tried to do that in everything that I do and it has always paid off for me.” Doesn’t that sound familiar? Ricky went on to give two career stat examples. One was all of the incredible passing yards, touchdowns, completion rate, Grey Cups, and other stats that describe an amazing career. The other career stats he gave were the number of injuries, rehab hours, major operations, and countless hours of practice and travel. He said he had both careers. He learned that you have to manage the ups and downs in your life. There are always times when things are amazing followed by major downward spirals that seem hopeless. It is those that realize the time they’re in and enjoy the ups and work your way out of the downs that really make the difference for others.
Thanks, educators, for always finding ways to have more ups than downs for yourselves and for our students. It is work well done. The best compliment for all of us out of the mouths of students we serve would be, “pure class as a teacher and a human being.”
Dream it, Believe it, Dare to make it happen and do the impossible.
https://youtu.be/l4BpzAvopBw
https://youtu.be/QXXPGPNUAbE
Have a great weekend, Rob
Superintendent
Redding Elementary School District
New Millennium Partnership
5885 East Bonnyview Rd.
Redding, Ca 96001