Page 15 - kappbook2020

282 I JOE KAPP, "THE TOUGHEST CHICANO"

give your best at all times. Coach Lewis had been teaching all us gan-

gly, raw, undisciplined athletes back at Hart High how to get the most
out of life by always giving all we had. That would be enough.
"Coach Lewis," I asked, "what did you mean when you used to say,
'We'll play for money, marbles, and chalk'?"
"Ah, so you were paying attention sometimes, hey, Joe? That was
my way of saying the stakes weren't the issue, but rather being ready
and willing to compete is what's important," he said. "Competition
measures the heart more than the body. It's when you learn the most
about yourself, and you should respect your opponents for provid-
ing a means to test your creativity, preparation, skills, determination,
stamina, and honesty."
Even as he spoke, my appreciation of all he had taught me, all I had
learned and applied throughout my own life, began to grow. Choices

I had made and later questioned became more just in light of this
conversation. My favorite memories of sports competition involve
triumphs of spirit rather than winning trophies. Losing never rep-
resents failure, if competition itself is to be valued. Only those who
do not compete fail.
"I'm sorry I'm not going to be at your funeral, Coach Lewis," I said
regretfully. "But I sure am glad you came to see me so I could say
goodbye." My sadness was starting to return.
"What do you mean 'goodbye,' Joe?" he said with a tinge of I know
something you don't in his voice. "I'm counting on you to keep my spirit
around forever. Aren't you going to tell those three little rug rats of
yours about your old high school coach?" he teased.
It was true. Coach Lewis had given me enough of himself to always
stay alive through me. He knew his ideas and values would live on
in his players and be passed down to theirs. He knew it years earlier,
when I asked for his advice about accepting a scholarship to Cal, and
when I sought his counsel before I sued the NFL for the right to freely
negotiate a contract, and when I consulted him about taking the head