1). “Trust in God, He’s in Control”.
2). “Trust in God’s plan for your life”.
3). “Trust in the power of prayer”.
Charlie Sorrels: born May 28, 1954, died January 12, 2017.
Those reared in a southern evangelical church of most any Christian denomination might identify the above statements as the three points of an experienced pastor’s sermon. They would be wrong on all counts. Those are not the words of an experienced pastor. They are the words of a football coach. Word’s that I did not hear when originally spoken, but that I understand were indeed delivered from a pulpit. Spoken by a man who by his very nature issued challenges in a variety of ways, to a variety of people, in a variety of settings. Had I not been present at the funeral of Coach Charlie Sorrels, I might never have known that Coach Sorrels had spoken these words. Jim Huffman of First Baptist Church in Pottsville, Arkansas was one of two pastors who delivered messages to those attending the funeral. During the funeral, Reverend Huffman revealed that Coach Sorrels had recently spoken to the congregation of the Pottsville church, and challenged them with that very message, “Trust in God, He’s in control. Trust in God’s plan for your life. Trust in the power of prayer”.
About a month ago, a good friend of mine, Charlie Sorrels, lost a short, but very intense battle with cancer. Charlie and I were connected in many ways. Friends since 1965, Charlie and I were also fellow students and graduates of Atkins High School, as well as Arkansas Tech University. Additionally, we were teammates, taking the field together as Atkins High School Red Devils. A few short years later we walked those halls of Atkins High School as instructors, shared the shade of the old tree that had provided respite for many generations of players and coaches on the AHS practice field, and roamed the sidelines of Lemley Field as fellow coaches. But that was years ago. With the passing of time, our careers separated us. The journey of life moved my family and I several times, while Charlie continued his career at the only place he ever really wanted to work. Recently, we only saw each other a few times a year. Usually, I would run into Charlie at statewide coaching events, or sadly, at the funerals of relatives and friends. Despite the fact that our visits were short and infrequent, Charlie would always greet me with a big smile and sincere questions about family and career.
Although Charlie was two years my junior, we ran in the same circles. For the uninformed, that is standard fare in small communities. We were part of a group of young men addicted to sports and competition. Additional connections were many. For a time, his two older brothers played in a local garage band that provided the music for the many Saturday night dances I frequented. In an interesting twist, I met my wife at the home of his future Mother and Father in law. Charlie’s soon to be brother in law, Frank and I were classmates and friends. His wife, Connie and my wife, Karen share some common relatives by marriage. Charlie’s oldest daughter, Jill, and my oldest son, Jamie were classmates in early elementary school. Charlie’s father, Carl Sorrels, was our high school football coach. The last time that I had spoken with Charlie in person was at the funeral of his father in law, J.R. Boren. Fittingly, Charlie’s own funeral on this mid January day, would be the last we would attend together.
Many stores of Charlie’s willingness to compete, anytime, any place, at anything were shared at the funeral, as well as during the days preceding. The stories I heard were all true. I’ll add a few. Charlie and his brothers were all exceptional athletes, and as previously mentioned, his father was our high school’s head football coach. As hard as this might be for some to fathom, Charlie had a pole vaulting pit in his backyard. Occasionally, a bunch of us would gather at the Sorrel’s home and stage an impromptu track meet. We had the vaulting pit to use for pole vaulting and for high jumping. Charlie constructed a few hurdles so as not to slight that event. We used a five-pound weight lifting plate for a discus, and a piece of jagged concrete for a shot put. If you’re a fan of track and field, you know that any good track meet is decided by the last race. The mile relay! Those were the days before metric conversion. The race is known as the 4 X 400 Relay in today’s vernacular. So, naturally, at Charlie’s insistence, we would close out our meets by running the mile relay. Each leg of the race circled the entire block. I know, we were nuts. Despite the insanity, I cherish the memories. Later, when we were both students at Arkansas Tech, Charlie and I found ourselves enrolled in the same anatomy and physiology class. True to form, Charlie issued a challenge. Let’s see which of us could set the curve in the class. You see, Charlie was driven to challenge others to improve their performance, not only in athletics, but in everything. In anything. We finished one two in that anatomy class. The thing was, Charlie liked to win, but more so, he driven to see others succeed .
Like many of us, in his later years, Charlie had some dietary restrictions. In his youth, however, Charlie Sorrels both loved and devoured fried chicken. Fittingly, another of his challenges would be to see who could do the best job eating chicken. This was not a test of speed, rather a contest of effectiveness. When Charlie and I were both Atkins assistant coaches, our Head Football Coach and Athletic Director was Larry Carter. Coach Carter always marveled at the way Charlie left nothing on the bones. “Just dry bones”, Larry would often say with a smile on his face.
Once, as coaches, we were involved in a basketball game between the Atkins High School coaching staff and a touring team composed entirely of women. The purpose of the game was to raise additional funds for our school’s athletic program. Our competition, known as the “All-American Redheads”, insisted their opponents be men. Their perceived advantage was a 6′ 11″ post player named Spike Callahan. Spike’s real name was more feminine but all I remember is Spike. In reality, the height advantage was more than perceived. We had no one near that height. Our tallest player was about 5′ 11″. Charlie and I were the two shortest coaches, and we were vertically challenged not only in height, but also in jumping ability. Even in high school, the only way either of us could dunk a basketball was to pull the school’s trampoline under a basketball goal in the gym, but that’s another story. As is often the case, youth, a competitive nature, and foolishness are inseparable. The two of us decided to gain an emotional advantage over the opposition by dunking during pre-game warm ups. That would show Spike! No trampoline was available, but we did have Mike Casto. Mike was not a coach, but one of our former athletes and now a college student. Because the Atkins High coaching staff did not have sufficient numbers to provide us with a full team, let alone substitutes, we recruited a few ringers to play for us. Mike was one of those. Jody Jenkins, another former athlete and college student was the other. Mike, being the larger of the two, was drafted to assume a position on his hands and knees near enough the basket to allow Charlie and I to use Mike’s back as a springboard to provide sufficient lift to dunk. Hey, it worked! I’m thinking Jody was inspired to join us. The Redheads were amused, but would not allow it during the game.
Young coaches are often challenged by the very athletes they coach. For some reason some of the young men feel a need to prove something. On one such occasion, after coaching pole vaulters, Coach Sorrels was returning a vaulting pole to storage. An athlete out to prove himself issued such a challenge to Charlie by grabbing the pole from behind impeding Charlie’s progress and causing him to stumble. Instinctively, the young Coach Sorrels defused the situation, and ended the young man’s threat forever with a challenge of his own. Charlie’s response? “How would you like to wear this pole home extending from a certain part of your anatomy”? Coach Sorrels didn’t mince words.
I’m certain an interview of his many friends and former players would provide volumes of examples of challenges issued by Coach Sorrels through the decades of his career. Challenges issued to motivate. Motivate not just to improve performance or to provide a chance of victory, but challenges meant to change a life or lives forever. To make a young person a better man, a better woman. Sometimes the challenge was issued with words. Sometimes, Coach Sorrels led by example. At other times it was just that look he got in his eyes. Despite the method, Charlie was always challenging those around him.
To be fair, I’m certain Coach Sorrels had his detractors. We all do. Perhaps some detractors would add a negative story of two. To those I would ask, who among us has not done something of which we are not particularly proud? Who has not spoken a word they would like to retract? To undo an unkind deed done. The truth is, time brings maturity, maturity brings judgment, and judgment brings wisdom. Perhaps, for the truly wise, an encounter with Jesus Christ saves us from our very selves. May I remind you that this very Jesus, the greatest teacher of all time said, “Let he that is without sin cast the first stone”.
Coaches are teachers. It is impossible to develop competitive teams without teaching. Effective teachers realize quickly that to reach as many students as possible as quickly as possible, the words chosen matter. The words must be simple. The words must be the truth. The words must come from the heart. To use any other approach is a waste of time, for the majority of the students will not understand, and the instructor must reteach the material . Wasting time is counter productive when teaching, because in only a few days comes the next test. Or the next opponent. Time is always short. Another day, another deadline. To complicate matters, we are not guaranteed to live until the next deadline.
So, to be effective, teaching must be simple, honest, and from the heart. Although he was not physically present that day as many hundreds gathered in that packed gymnasium to mourn his passing, Coach Charlie Sorrels was present in spirit. Present and speaking to us from eternity. In the simple, honest, heartfelt words of the motivator he was, Coach Sorrels continued to challenge all by asking that we believe in and trust in the very Creator of the Universe. “Trust in God, He is in control. “Trust in God’s plan for your life”. “Trust in the power of prayer”.
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