“When you drink from the well, remember the well-digger.”
Chinese proverb
Happy Thanksgiving from Iowa.
I have two stories from Iowa that tie into not only Thanksgiving, but into the theme of emotions that I’ve been writing about a chunk of this month.
Jim and John Harbaugh are not just the only two brothers to ever be head coaches in the NFL, but tonight they will play in the first brother coaching against brother game in the history of the NFL. (USA Today called it the Harbaugh Bowl.)
Both Jim’s team (San Francisco 49ers) and John’s team (Baltimore Ravens) are top ranked in their divisions and could end up playing again in the Super Bowl. Think their parents are proud? I’m sure they’ll have a memorable Thanksgiving. But it sounds are if they’ve always had a spirit of thankfulness.
In a tradition that goes back to when Jim and John, their sister Joan were little kids and lived in Iowa with their parents, their father would shout, “Who’s got it better than us?” In unison they’d shout, “Nobody!”
“At the time they lived in a tiny two bedroom-house in Iowa City, where Jack was an assistant coach at University of Iowa. Sometimes they had a car. If not, they were walking — what a terrific opportunity to work on basketball dribbling skills! Jack convinced the boys how great it was that they could bunk together in a tiny bedroom and talk philosophy and share each other’s dreams.”
Ann Killion
Sports Illustrated.com
That is a spirit of giving thanks. “Who’s got it better than us?” has been used by Jim Harbaugh to help fire his team up. (See the last video below.)
And since I’m on the topic of football, I should mention the game last Friday night that many have called the greatest upset of the season when Iowa State University had its most important victory in their entire history. ISU had never defeated a team ranked as high as Oklahoma St. (OSU was #2 at the time of the kickoff). The OSU quarterback was on a short list of favorites for the Heisman Trophy. OSU was just a couple wins from playing in the BCS championship game. But by the time they left Ames, Iowa those hopes had ended. ISU won in double overtime.
Imagine the emotional journey of ISU coach 44-year-old Paul Rhoades who not only just became a head coach for the first time two years ago, but was raised just 20 miles away from where that memorable game was played. So that explains why he’s a little emotional in the video below that was shot in the locker room right after the game.
And for good measure here’s a locker room talk where 49er Coach Harbaugh asks, “Who’s got it better than us?”
[…] Happy Thanksgiving from Iowa. I have two stories from Iowa that tie into not only Thanksgiving, but into the theme of emotions that I’ve been writing about a chunk of this month. Jim and John Harbaugh are not just the only two brothers to ever be head coaches in the NFL, but tonight they will […] Original Source… […]
Great stuff Scott! Happy Thanks giving to you all too!