We are all Crimson and Gray

My good friend, John McNeley, head basketball coach at Nevada High School, paid me among the highest compliments I have ever received at the recent Winter Sports Meet the Players Night. When speaking of my endeavors as the Nevada High School Athletic Director, he said I "Bled Crimson and Gray." As I reflected on what John had just said and as I gazed into the stands, I saw a former coach of mine, a former principal, many former classmates and many loyal fans of Tiger athletics -- lots of folks with lots of ties to NHS and Tiger and Lady Tiger Athletics.

I appreciated Coach McNeley's words a great deal. John and I both enjoy our teaching and working at Nevada High School and care as deeply for our alma mater as much as any two graduates could.

My Crimson and Gray resumé:

* I am the son of a former Nevada High School head football coach.

* The older brother to a former NHS wrestler and a younger brother to two past varsity cheerleaders.

* A brother-in-law to a NHS women's track record holder and a brother in law to a starting member of the state football runner-up of the 1975 season.

* The husband of a Lady Tiger who won 11 letters during her tenure as an athlete at 800 W. Hickory.

* I was a Tiger basketballer some 30 years ago, teammates with Coach McNeley on the first Men's district basketball champions in school history.

* And finally, to complete my Crimson and Gray resumé, when I was around 6 years old, I once told former Nevada R-5 Maintenance Director Jack Neas who was chastising me for removing the white decorative rocks from the flower beds next to the front doors as you enter Nevada High School, "I'm sorry sir, I don't have to stop, my Dad owns this place."

I guess John was right. Like Coach McNeley and so many of you reading this article, I do love our school which brings me to the point of this article: "We All are Crimson and Gray." If you are an NHS graduate, you are Crimson and Gray. If you currently have or have had in the past a child who has competed in any co-curricular or extra-curricular activity from band to choir to athletics, you are Crimson and Gray. If you are so fortunate as to represent our school now or in the past, you are Crimson and Gray.

In it's finest sense, being "Crimson and Gray" means you are representing a school district that has received accreditation for distinction in performance for 10 years running by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It means you are representing a Missouri State High School Activities Association Leadership School for the past eight years. Few other schools in this state have received this distinction more.

These accomplishments do not represent dust covered banners of the past. It means wearing proudly "Nevada" on the front of your uniform and understanding that it bears a responsibility of higher importance than the name on the back of the jersey. It means understanding what it is to truly be Crimson and Gray.

However, this fall, at times we fell short of what it meant to be Crimson and Gray. I am as guilty as any other parent who attends his child's sporting events and becomes too excitable. I have certainly taken exception to my share of blown calls.

I, as the Athletic Director -- as is true with our coaches and many of our fans -- am simply at times advocating for our kids with the desire to make sure the game is administered fairly. However, recently, we crossed that proverbial line. Last month, I received a MSHSAA report in which an official stated that our play on the athletic field and our actions in the stands was among the worst displays of sportsmanship he has seen in his time as a referee. Those words still sting on a personal level weeks later.

As we approach our winter sports seasons, I want all of us who are proud Nevadans to reflect on that official's words. Let us all look collectively in the mirror. Let humility and a renewed sense of sportsmanship guide our actions not only on the playing field, but also in the stands. I love this quote from a former Texas Christian University chancellor who said, "Losing with honor is losing indeed but competing without integrity is the worst form of defeat."

Understanding that many young eyes are upon us, let's live up to what it really means to be "Crimson and Gray."