about a football coach's wife....That is if you want to understand
how we can "handle" it that is.
See being a coach's wife is a challenge. I don't have many other
friends that are wives of coaches in other sports. But I can say
that to some extent they probably go through something very
similar to this. Although in my opinion football wives still have
the biggest challenge. So here is a list of some things you should
know about football wives.
1. Football isn't just our husband's job, it's his passion!
This may be a little hard to understand for some. Our husband's don't
just go to work, come home and leave the work at the office. They
spend hours making recruiting calls, drawing up plays and talking to
each other about ideas. It isn't uncommon for Rock to be on the phone
at 11pm talking about some blitz concept he has.
2. We know the game, better than the average player!
Being that they spend so much time in the job most wives become very
aware of the game, understanding all the terms and being able to spot
the mistakes that are happening. For instance I know more about coverages,
fronts, and techniques than the average player does.
3. Events, Vacations and life happens around football!
This is very difficult for most people, even our extended families to
understand. Weddings, reunions, and any event planned between
August and Novemeber will result in either a "No" or a "Yes, 1" in
attendance. Unlike many people their are no sick days. Vacation
is scheduled for late June or July and I have yet to meet a professional
coach who didn't get married in either June or July!
4. We sit in a special section
This is for your protection. Although we tell everyone that it is for the
protection of the families. We do this because the average fan will blame
the coach for any and all things that go wrong. Not many people know that
trying to get a 19-22 year old kid to follow instructions 24/7 is impossible.
I've got tons of stories about Rock telling a player that something is gonna
happen and then the player not listening and it results in a big play. For the
safety of the fan who blames the coach we sit in another section.
5. The game isn't over until the last second ticks off the clock!
We are proud and loyal. We show up at games that we know we have no
chance of winning(although we always hope). We sit through 100 degree
scorchers, rainstorms, and snowstorms. We never leave a game early because
we are losing so bad. We stay till the game is over.
6. We don't need a man to mow the lawn, or fix the faucet!
Having a spouse that works an average of 100 or more hours a week during the
season means that we have to be able to handle all things in the house. The story
for football wives is that we become "football widows" for about 7 months of the
year. We have to know how to pay bills, take care of yard work and fix stuff
around the house. Most of the ladies I know can do all of that and will without
a hesitation. Not only can we do it we take pride in the independence we have.
7. We stick together!
This is pretty simple. The wives of coaches tend to be pretty close to each other.
We go through the same things. We experience the same highs and lows.These
women become not just our friends but our family. I've been blessed to have such
amazing wives in my life!
8. We have our own organization!
This may surprise some people but we have our own organization. It's called the
AFCWA(American Football Coaches Wives Assocation). They meet during the
Coaches Convention and its a social networking and support group for all of us.
9. We are an intergral part of our husband's job!
We take an active role in his job, we make suggestions, try to talk to them about
the things that they are having problems with and offer a lot of support. We make
sure that they keep their networking up and that they talk to the people that can
help them in their advancement.
10. We become attached to the players and their families!
Our husbands spend so much time talking about their players, we know every
single thing that happens. We know about grades, break ups, and life issues for
them all. Over a 4 year period you watch an 18 yr old boy turn into a young man.
We proudly cook and feed the players. We grow close to the families of the
players. They become a part of our lives. I've been blessed to call some of our former
players friends later on in life.
11. We get use to meeting new people!
Football is anything but a stationary job. The average turnover rate for coaches is
4 years.If you are able to spend longer than that in one place than you are blessed.
Moving is a thing that many of us get use to. We have to be able to deal with
meeting new players, wives,coaches, friends. We are a little reserved in making
friends We tend to stick to those that are in a similar situation to us. We do make
friends with others though and we expose them to new things all the time.
12. We do other things too!
Many football wives have jobs or activities outside of the home. We are able to
accomodate the lives of our husband's with the goals of our own lives. We
lead full lives, full of goals and and accomplishments. We know how to balance
the needs of his job the the needs of our lives. Its a challenge but we make it
work.
Well this should give you a look at our lives and a little insight on the things
that make us tick. As the season starts look for more on our season and some
additional insights on the life of a coach's wife!
