[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 2, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S12155]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                            COACHED FOR LIFE

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, today I wish to speak about the 
life lessons we learn from participating in athletic activities and 
from the coaches who teach our young athletes. Michael T. Powers, 
author of many inspirational books once said, ``High school sports: 
where lessons of life are still being learned, and where athletes still 
compete for the love of the game and their teammates.'' High school 
sports are a way of life across Montana and they create an important 
sense of community in small towns and cities all over Big Sky country. 
In many areas across the state, small high schools will pool their 
resources to field football teams each fall; many play six or eight man 
games.
  This year Ed Flaherty, a native Montanan co-authored the book 
``Coached for Life'' about the experience he and his teammates had on 
the State champion Great Falls Central High School football team in 
1962. I was inspired by the stories of these young men and how the 
lessons learned on the field from their coaches shaped who they became 
as people and their experiences later in life.
  The young men that made up Great Falls Central's 1962 Championship 
squad truly embody the best of Montana ideals and values, like hard 
work and taking responsibility. They labored tirelessly both on and off 
the field and achieved not only athletic glory, but also learned the 
value of a good education and how to be role models and ambassadors for 
their school. Great Falls has always been a working class town and many 
families made significant financial sacrifices to allow their children 
to attend Great Falls Central, a private Catholic school. Coaches Bill 
Mehrens and John ``Poncho'' McMahon, reminded the players each day that 
playing football at Central was a privilege and that they had a 
responsibility to their teammates, their school, and the community to 
give it their all on each and every snap on the practice field, in the 
game, and in the classroom. No doubt the coaches pushed these young men 
each and every day, they did it to instill discipline and to make them 
the best they could be.
  The 1962 season was a special one for Great Falls Central. The goal 
of the team was to win the State championship. A year earlier, the 
coaches drove some of their players north 115 miles to Havre to watch 
the State championship game, not only to scout two of the best teams in 
the State but also to witness a championship win. The Central players 
took it all in and knew they wanted to be the ones holding up the 
trophy the following season. The Mustangs achieved that goal, making it 
through the 1962 season undefeated and beating their rival, the 
defending State champions, Havre High 34-6 in the Montana Class A State 
championship game in front of more than 5,000 elated fans on their home 
field.
  Having gone through this experience, the men later in life were able 
to rise up against the many challenges that were thrown their way. At a 
team reunion in 2002, 40 years after their championship run, the 
players and coaches got together to reflect and share their life 
stories. Some have gone on to be teachers and coaches, passing on the 
life lessons they learned from Mehrens and McMahon. Some, like Ed 
Flaherty, have achieved successful careers in business and in turn gave 
back to their communities. Some served their country heroically in the 
military. All have taken the lessons they learned from the fall of 1962 
and have helped their communities and become leaders. Ed Flaherty has 
compiled these stories in his book and brings to life that amazing 
season and what it truly means to be coached for life.

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