Page 69 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2024 - Online Magazine

Friendship
the
Coaches + Coffee FACTOR

+ Cardinal's = Community

by Jane Bromley

n our last issue, we featured the story of four artists who record was,” everybody’s story is heard. Clem Mancini
get together regularly for inspiration and friendship. In coached for 42 years, most recently at New Deal and
Ithe past, we have spotlighted the veteran group “Geezers” Roosevelt. Davis coached 15 years but had a 35-year career in
and mentioned the “Yacht Club” who both gather weekly education. Sexton has coached for 48 years and is currently at
at MarketStreet to enjoy each other’s company. Also, in our Lubbock Cooper’s new Liberty High School. Sessums favorite
last issue, we shared the longstanding relationships that built job was his first—at Spur. Boyd not only coached for 36 years
the town of Slaton and showcased the spirited organizations but also served 26 years in the US Army. Other OCA members
of Texas Tech and LCU. Senior Link believes the theme of include Aaron Bourland, Ron Gilliam, and Mike Kirkpatrick,
“community” is so important, we plan to keep bringing who wasn’t even a coach, but “my wife was.” Joe Granado
examples to your attention. wrote via text, “I love all my fellow coaches.”
We recently discovered a group that has been meeting for The key is community. If you are a retired coach, or even if
over 25 years. Known as “The Old Coaches Association,” the your wife is, they’ll make a space for you at the table.
society was started by Greg Sherwood when he was still LISD
athletic director. When the coffee shop at Cardinal’s Sport
Center opened, Texas High School Coaches Hall of Famer
John Cardinal encouraged the group to relocate there. The
members paid dues and bought hats, which provided funds
for shoes and car seats for area children’s homes. “Coach”
Sherwood passed away in 2006, and John passed away in
2013, but the coaches have continued to meet.
Many more are gone now, including Louis Kelley, Carroll
McDonald, and Gus Wilson, but younger ones have joined,
notably second-generation Bryan Davis, whose dad, Coach
Bobby Davis, used to come. The numbers have dwindled to
10-12, but those show up faithfully.
Why, after they have closed the chapter on their careers,
(except for Dewayne Sexton who has retired and been
rehired multiple times) do they continue to come together?
“Coaching is like a family,” Tommy Boyd says. “It’s its
own fraternity,” agrees Davis. Retelling their stories “takes
everyone back to younger times,” says Lewis Sessums. They
enjoy occasional conversations about politics and current
events, but the conversation usually returns to football.
Sometimes it’s about NCAA or NFL—but the best times
revolve around their own (often embellished) stories from
college years at places like Tarleton State (Boyd), West Texas
State (Sexton), Howard Payne (Davis), and even Baylor
(Sessums) or their coaching careers at places like Abernathy,
Sudan, New Deal, and Slaton.
“It doesn’t matter how long ago you coached or what your

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