I’ll never forget one game in particular my senior year at RCH in the fall of 1970. It was an away game, we had already suited up, everyone wearing full pads and equipment, and we were taking a short bus ride from the locker room to the football field. I was crammed in at an angle in the aisle row, towards the back of the bus, sort of crunched in my seat next to another player, our gear and shoulder pads squeezing all the room between us. It was very quiet on the bus.
FOCUS & DISCIPLINE __ Coach Vaccaro liked everyone to stay quiet and focused right before our games, to think about the game plan and mentally get into the zone. He was a big proponent of staying focused on what you had to do. Don’t allow distractions. Don’t let your mind wander. He taught us an excellent philosophy for football. It was also an excellent philosophy for life. POWERFUL & FEARLESS __ Raymond Vaccaro was born in 1929, first year of the Great Depression. He was captain of the varsity football team at Rome Free Academy in 1949 and was an excellent athlete despite being shorter than most of the other players. He was tough, built low to the ground, extremely powerful and absolutely fearless. He served with distinction in the U.S. Army in Korea. He was devoted and focused and always gave it all he had . . . as an athlete, as a soldier, as a leader, as a coach.
PERFECT PRACTICE __ Coach Vaccaro channeled the same coaching genius and hands-on leadership power as the late, great Green Bay Packer head coach VINCE LOMBARDI. Perfect technique. Perfect practice. ALWAYS. He explained blocking and tackling techniques, then demonstrated them, then we practiced ourselves, over and over, always with perfect form. When demonstrating tackling drills on the football practice field with us, wearing only shorts, cleats, football jersey and a whistle, he would easily grab us in our full gear and pads and just throw us around like rag dolls. He was strong as a bull and afraid of nothing. We idolized him. 
BUZZING PANDEMONIUM __ As we’re all trying to stay quiet and focused sitting in the moving school bus, suddenly, a huge bumblebee flies in the side window. Pandemonium sets in. The bee is buzzing in between and around our heads. Some of the younger guys in the seat right in front of me start to panic and squeal and yell and flail around. It was chaos. That’s when I spotted him coming down the aisle directly toward us.
“UH-OH, here comes coach,”
I thought to myself.
“UH-OH, here comes coach,”
I thought to myself.
KUNG FU FOCUS __ Coach Vaccaro quickly motors down the center aisle to the back of the school bus and abruptly stops right there directly in front of me. He never says a word. The bee is buzzing in and out. Everyone’s in a panic and squirming around and squealing, and then, suddenly . . . . WHACK!!! Coach snaps out a sizzling, stinging Bruce Lee backhand and slaps that bee in mid-air about 8 inches in front of my face.
IT'S TIME FOR FOOTBALL __ Before I could even begin to mentally digest and comprehend this crazy scene that just played out right before my eyes, I immediately turned my head to look back at coach . . . but, NO, he's already gone. He never said a word. No whistle. No clipboard. No play diagram. No Vince Lombardi inspirational quote. No discussion. No Italian pasta. No wasted effort. No nothing. NADA! He simply smacked that bee in mid-air, knocked it flying out the window, and immediately turned around to return to his seat. It's time for football. No distractions . . . BEE IN THE MOMENT BOYS ! ! !
MEANINGFUL LIFE LESSON
I was just a 17-year-old kid at the time and this was one of the most amazing things I’d ever witnessed. And now, as I fondly and humbly and lovingly remember our cherished Coach Vaccaro some 40 years later, it’s still one of the most stunningly powerful, realistic, kinesthetic life lessons I’ve ever experienced.
I was just a 17-year-old kid at the time and this was one of the most amazing things I’d ever witnessed. And now, as I fondly and humbly and lovingly remember our cherished Coach Vaccaro some 40 years later, it’s still one of the most stunningly powerful, realistic, kinesthetic life lessons I’ve ever experienced.
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BOYS NEED MEN __ Coach Vaccaro, you were such a powerful, loving inspiration for ALL OF US . . . and so much more than simply an amazing high school varsity football coach. You also boldly and gracefully served as the positive adult male role model that many of us (especially me) really needed during these vulnerable, volatile, influential, wildly-transformative, emotional rollercoaster teenage years. You believed in us. You stood by us. You were there for us. You were a rock for us . . . a solid, stable, loving foundation that allowed us to make mistakes and still learn and grow and mature and help each other develop into good players and good teammates and good men.
BE ALL YOU CAN BE __ We thank you Coach for the wonderful lessons you graciously taught us about TEAMWORK, DISCIPLINE, doing our BEST, living life to the FULLEST, staying centered and FOCUSED regardless of life's crazy distractions that sometimes try to buzz around and get into our little heads. Powerful lessons. We're all better men today just because YOU WERE THERE FOR US.
Your strong presence and sacred fatherly energy remains in our hearts and souls to this day and continues to motivate us and guide us.
We love you. We bless you. We behold the Lombardi in you.
Thanks for everything Coach. ❤️ 🙏 ❤
❤️ - 🙏 - ❤️ - 🏈 - ❤️ - 🙏 - ❤️
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