Jim Caldwell Jim Caldwell coached under Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay and Indianapolis and then succeeded him as head coach of the Colts. He used to write cards to his daughter, Natalie, when she was away at college. She was several states away, and they both had busy schedules so they didn’t get to talk very much. So every time she needed money, Coach Caldwell would send her a check, along with a note of encouragement and affirmation. He didn't write anything profound or mind-blowing, just things to encourage her. When Jim was finally able to visit her apartment, he saw all every single one of his cards taped to the living room wall. "All of a sudden, I realized I hadn't written her nearly enough," he said. And he realized how much a father's words can mean to his child. Encouragement is powerful. It has the potential to change people's attitudes, which can change how they react to situations, which can change the course of their days, their weeks, or even their years. There are plenty of forces in the world that discourage us, but not many people go out of their way to be encouraging. Be one of them. Red Right 88 The Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders were playing each other in the playoffs in 1981. The temperature was 4 degrees! The Browns were losing by 2 points with 49 seconds left in the game, and they were only 13 yards from the endzone – easy field goal range to win the game. With the clock stopped, the quarterback, Brian Sipe, talked with his head coach, Sam Rutigliano. They decided to run the play now infamously known as “Red Right 88”. The coach told Brian to, “Throw it into Lake Erie” unless the receiver was wide open. As Brian dropped back to pass, his eyes went to future Hall-of-Fame tight end, Ozzy Newsome. He thought Ozzy was open – [dramatic pause] – he wasn’t. The pass was intercepted by the Raiders and the Browns lost the game. The FIRST thing Coach Rutigliano did after the interception was run up to Brian, put his arm around his neck and said, “I love you, Brian.” Sam Rutigliano brought hope to Brian when times were difficult. He could have screamed at Brian for making the mistake that ended their season – he didn’t. He could have just ignored Brian and thought about what questions the media might ask him – he didn’t. He could have used DESTRUCTIVE words, but he chose CONSTRUCTIVE words and to put his arm around Brian to inspire him and help him to heal. .