Somewhere in the second or third row of that pack is #63 (actually, right in the middle behind #67's left shoulder, I think). He's 19 years old and doesn't know what the future holds for him. He's too young to be cynical. Too young to be concerned about the knee injuries he's about to sustain. Too young to realize that the man in the front of the pack -- the man who, I realize looking back at this photo now, was himself extremely young -- had the weight of the world on his shoulders but never once let it show.
Number 63 never second-guessed his decision to let this young coach lead him, and he never should have. In a world where wins and losses, dollars and cents try to define us, Dan McCarney always let passion and courage, friendship and loyalty define him.
If Dan McCarney lost his job, he lost it because he was loyal, had integrity, and played by the rules. While college athletes across the country are driving around in fancy cars, Dan McCarney's players are learning the value of hard work. While players in some programs run stairs to "make up" for breaking the law, Dan McCarney set rules and stuck by them...making tough but fair decisions even when it hurt him and his team's success. While other student-athletes were encouraged to run their programs like a business, Dan McCarney told his players to show their emotion...to embrace joy, fear, and even pain. For Dan McCarney, your heart was as important to wear on your sleeve as your team colors.
Make no mistake: Dan McCarney is a master salesman. He always has the right thing to say. He admits he's a somewhat boring interview. But don't confuse him with an insincere person. The Special Olympics, the children's home he built, and the families of every student-athlete who has ever played for him will tell you you're dead wrong. His schedule may be full, but there's always room in his heart for the people who touch his life in ways both big and small.
He's the man who will have flowers at your grandmother's hospital bed, before everyone in your family even knows she is sick.
He's the man who could make a fortune in motivational speaking. I have yet to hear him do a public speech to which at least one audience member doesn't respond, "I'm ready to strap on a helmet and take the field myself."
He's the man who, upon announcing his resignation, should have been bitter and weary but instead showed even more class and integrity than ever.
There's no need to worry about Dan McCarney. He can -- and will -- do anything. The great sadness I feel over his departure is purely selfish. I don't want to say goodbye. He's our coach.
During the week most people have described as feeling "like someone died," Dan McCarney's legacy lives. It lives in every young man who believed in Coach Mac's dream and came to Iowa State to help him make it a reality. They are loyal, motivated, honest, and passionate men. They are great leaders. They are good people.
They are Mac's kids.
And I'm so glad I married one. Thank you, Coach Mac.
