Life's lessons

High school sports teams offer a wealth of life's lessons. For one high school in Alexandria, Va., in 1971, the football team and its coaches learned lessons that are both instructional and revealing about our human capacity to overcome racial barriers.

As part of this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances, the head coach and assistant football coach from that Virginia team were in Cape Girardeau to tell of their experiences. The main characters in a movie -- "Remember the Titans," starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton -- were based on these two coaches.

It was fascinating to see the coaches on the same stage in the Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus as the screen on which the popular film was shown Tuesday night. The coaches, Herman Boone and Bill Yoast, also spoke at a banquet Wednesday night at the Show Me Center.

Over the years there have been many inspirational speakers who have, in tribute to one of the most passionate public speakers this nation has ever known, lifted the hearts and minds of audiences at other Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. And there were more such speakers this year. It was a special insight into the King dream to see Coach Boone and Coach Yoast tell how one groups of football players and their coaches handled the combining of white and black players into a football team we could all be proud of.

Thanks, coaches, for sharing your experiences.