Photo courtesy of  “The Breakfast Club” 1985

Part Two: Journal entry “Role Model” From Coach Daniel Arndt

Growing up in small town Ohio, I will never forget the kid down the street. He was five years older than me but the coolest kid in the town. He was bigger than any other kid, he had the best of everything, and he partied like a rock star. When I say he partied like a rock star I mean he partied like a grown man, drinking beer and smoking God knows what, and always bragging about the girls he was getting.  

I wanted to be Marcus so bad. I did everything I could to act like him, talk like him and just be him. He never seemed as if it bothered him, rather he fed off of it and encouraged us to break into our parents liquor cabinets and steal their booze and cigarettes and to meet him at the ballpark. Once at the ballpark Marcus would ask, “did you snag anything?” One by one us younger guys would begin to pull out what we had  just taken from our parents. Placing the things in front of Marcus like he was a Greek God and we were his followers. 

Marcus would never say thank you or offer to share the stolen goods with us. However he would always ask, “hey Danny did you bring your football?” I loved football and nearly had one under my arm everywhere I went, so he knew I had my football. Rather than partying like rockstars we all split up and would play a pick up game. 

I remember doing this more times than I should have and eventually I was caught by my parents. I was told, “stay away from that kid”. He is a “druggie and a loser and will not amount to anything in life.” I respected my parents wishes and went on to have great success playing football all through school. I ran into Marcus my senior year. He looked like he was doing well for himself being home on leave from the Army. I asked him why he never gave us younger guys the booze or cigarettes? His response shocked me, “Danny I was trying to impress you guys, I hated who I was.” He actually said he looked up to me because I had a plan for my life and he did not.

Marcus was a soldier now, and he marched to the beat of a new drum, he had learned and corrected his mistakes and showed me that a person could change. In that moment I once again found myself looking up to the coolest guy in the neighborhood, and I was thankful he was my .