Today, I attended the funeral of one of my former players. Kyle Magwire was 27 years old and was killed in a motorcycle accident. I was unable to attend the visitation or wake so I made sure to attend the funeral.

Kyle was a senior who played on my first basketball team here at Millard South High School. He was an interesting young man who had a birth defect that caused his shoulders to roll forward, which in turn caused him to have a noticeable hump on his back. He was listed in the basketball program as 6-1, but without the hump he would have been 6-4.

Two years after high school he had the hump corrected and he looked fantastic. He was an athletic guard who we were counting on. The only problem was that Kyle failed a first semester class which made him ineligible for the second semester of his senior year. He and I were both devastated. The plan was that he would play the first three games of the season and then his career would be over at MSHS. He was averaging 16 points a game through three games. He played three games for us!

Kyle and I kept in touch over the years as we crossed paths at various events. Funerals sometimes can serve as dual purposes. The obvious one is to mourn the passing of a loved one; the other is a chance to see people you only see at weddings and funerals. There were a ton of Kyle's former classmates and teammates at the funeral. It gave me the opportunity to connect with a lot of my former students and players. The church was packed to the rafters so I didn't get a chance to speak with the family before the funeral. After the funeral, everyone went out to the front of the church to release a balloon in Kyle's honor. One of the pallbearers was also a senior on the same team as Kyle, so I went over to share a moment with him before he left for the cemetery. I walked past Kyle's family who was already in the hearse ready to leave the church. I didn't feel that was a good time to share my condolences so I continued across the parking lot. I was about 20 feet from the hearse when I heard Kyle's father, Gene, say "Hey, Coach...."

I turned and met Gene halfway between the hearse and where I was standing. We gave each other a huge hug. I tried to express my feelings - I was at a loss. He said two things to me during our embrace: "Kyle loved you Coach! He loved playing for you." He played 3 games for us!

As I made the walk back to my car, I took a minute to reflect on what Gene had said to me. "Kyle loved you Coach...." Tears were running down my face. At that moment I realized that I never knew how much of an impact I had on Kyle and his family. He played 3 games for us!

As you finish your summer season or embark on a new school year with a new group of young people, never forget the impact you have on the young people you are working with and their families. My guess is that 95 percent of the time, coaches never receive a formal thank you or are told personally the impact they have made on their students’ lives. With that said, never underestimate the influence you have on these young peoples’ lives. These students need teachers and coaches more today than ever before. Whether these young people play their whole career for you or three games as Kyle did for us, never forget you are making an IMPACT on the lives of young people!