WHY HONOR COACH "A" ?

“COACH A”

I think it’s fair to say that most people have great memories when it comes to their high school experiences.  Those were the days when you had no bills in your name and life was all about having fun, and most of us did just that.  In the midst of all the fun and getting away with various devious activities, we took the time to do the necessary things in order to graduate.  This hurdle, though larger to some than others, represented a time in our lives that we could not have made it through without the help of such people as our parents, teachers and coaches.  These people touched our lives in many ways, making the type of impression that last a lifetime.   

During my days as a student in Memphis City Schools, I could have sworn that my mother was secretly employed by the system.  She, (I mean, we) never missed a PTA meeting, which were always very well attended, leading me to believe that many of you may have felt the same way about your mother  She and my teachers were always on one accord, harmoniously working together making sure that I remained on the straight and narrow road.  If by chance any bad news from the school reached the Faulkner’s residence on my behalf, my mother would show me how much she loved me, then made sure that my father did the same when he got home from work.  I know things and times have changed, but there are still many of you who remember “the good old days.”

The days when you were actually punished for not having your homework or not being able to enter or leave the classroom without the completion of your assignment are long gone.  However, there are still many great teachers who cherish their responsibility of providing our children with an excellent education.  There have always been such administrators and teachers at Hamilton who met this criterion.  Such greats as H.T. Cash, Oliver Johnson, two former principals and George “Big Daddy” Warren, teacher and famous leader of the Booster Club for many years kept the standards very high at Hamilton.  It was and still is serious business being part of the Wildcat family as a teacher, and I had the privilege to do so for three years (1999 – 2001).  I’ll always be thankful to Coach A, who highly recommended me for that teaching position to Sonny Hicks, Hamilton’s principal at the time, who hired me solely on the words of his trusted colleague.

Teaching at Hamilton was an experience that will forever remain a part of my most precious memories.  It granted me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those who had followed in my footsteps as Hamiltonians.  It also allowed me to coach two of my nephews, Omari Faulkner and Justin Smith, who are now both college graduates from Georgetown University and University of Tennessee at Martin respectively.  Though my days of teaching and coaching at Hamilton were amiable, I found out that I did not possess the passion for the profession that others who I admired had displayed.  Two men whose careers exemplified such passion were Coach Lloyd Williams and Coach Theodore Anderson.  I never took a class from either one of these great educators, but I played three years of basketball under their auspices, which was an amazing learning experience within itself.

I always heard Coach A say was that in order to be a good head coach, one had to first learn how to be a good assistant coach.  During many hours of training in the field of sales, I always heard speakers say the same thing in regards to being a good leader – “one must first learn to follow in order to become a good leader.”  Coach A lived by these words daily while serving as Coach Lloyd’s assistant for many years before taking over in the 1985-86 season as Hamilton’s Head Basketball Coach.  These four words sounded like sweet music to Coach A’s ears, because this assignment enabled him to live his dream, something that many people never get to do.  And most would agree that whenever someone is blessed to be able to live their dream and get paid for it, it’s almost as if they do not have a job at all.  Coach A was “blessed like that.”    

Upon becoming head coach, Coach A remained a steadfast figure for great achievement on and off the court at Hamilton close to twenty years.  He continued the winning ways of his predecessor, Coach Lloyd, by maintaining the level of excellence within the basketball program.  Coach A lead his 1991 Wildcats to state championships in basketball as well as track.  His presence exemplified the essence of what it is to be a Wildcat and he shared this spirit with thousands of students who attended Hamilton over the years.  However, his support did not stop at basketball, for he stood tall with the Wildcats in their battles in all sports, particularly football, whether through the glory days or more recently when the Wildcats have had their struggles on the gridiron. 

Coach A was and always will “BE” Hamilton for a lot of people.  For these reasons, I decided to pay tribute to him by honoring him at the First Annual Darrell Faulkner Roast.

With WILDCAT LOVE,

Darrell Faulkner, “Lifer”