I am a football coach. I‘ve paced the sidelines from California to Florida and yes, the Mecca of high school football, Texas. I began coaching in 1980 and did not step away from the profession until this fall. It was a wonderful 30 years. During those years I was fortunate enough to win numerous state titles and finish my career with a 141-41-1 record. My former players have gone on to play in the NFL, CFL and Arena League and have been recruited and played for Notre Dame, Miami and Stanford as well as Lambuth, Salisbury St. and Maranatha Baptist Bible College to mention just a few. I was forced to step away from coaching as a result of being diagnosed with terminal cancer. I now get to practice all those things I use to scream into the ears of my players…

I was one of those coaches who was obsessive, compulsive. Throw in a good dose of control freak and you begin to get the picture. I loved the game with all my heart and loved the boys even more. The best thing about my cancer has been the outpouring of love from hundreds upon hundreds of former players, coaches and parents. As any player or coach will tell you in the end it is all about relationships. I did my very best to make the game fun and to build godly young men. I sure miss it…

My youngest son, Nile Kinnick Knapp, just signed a football scholarship to play at Lindenwood University. As I mentioned, I am obsessive, compulsive. Once I knew he had made his decision to play in the NAIA I went to work pouring myself into the history, traditions and 2010 previews for all 93 teams. Here I am 6 months later ready to share with you stories of inspiration and human interest that will give us cause to celebrate all things NAIA football.