IT’S A Friday night in September at the Tullahoma High School (THS) football stadium. The brisk chill of autumn has settled along the metal bleachers, and warmly dressed rows of excited fans fidget with anticipation on both sides of the playing field. Bass drummers in the THS band tap a beat, followed by flutes, trumpets, and French horns, then the clang of cymbals joins in until suddenly, the rhythmic notes burst into a steady cadence across the freshly mowed grass. Fans stomp their shoes on the bleachers, keeping up with the band’s pace.
Butter oozes down the sides of the red and white popcorn boxes, and the aroma of steamy hot dogs and nachos drizzled in yellow cheese rises upward from the concession stand below. In the locker room, the Wildcats strap on their black and cardinal red helmets, and coach Maurice Shaw sucks in a breath before blowing his trusty whistle to quiet down everyone’s pre-game jitters. “Gather round, team,” Shaw said. The young men huddle together, extending their arms across each other’s shoulder pads, until they form a tight circle with Shaw in the center. “You all know I believe in every single one of you. Keep pushing and striving, and if you do that, everything will work out.”
Raising their pom-poms high above their heads and gesturing for everyone to rise, the squad of THS cheerleaders boosts the camaraderie of everyone in the stands as each player spills out onto the field one by one. Shaw scans the crowd. Most of his life has been played right here on this field. First, as a player, leading the Wildcats to victory while he was in high school, and now as a coach for his alma mater. As a former Wildcat himself, he has encouraged his team to strive toward greatness by continuing to reach for the title of state champions.
After playing football for “Ole Miss” at the University of Mississippi, the entire nation was open to Shaw, but he returned home to his old stomping grounds to invest in the community he loves. “I wanted to be a professional football player, but God had a different plan for me,” said Shaw, referring to being drafted for military service. As a football team and track coach, his biggest dream on and off the field is to teach his players to always choose to do the right thing. “I want to keep motivating kids to become student-athletes. I want to enroll kids in the program and get them to work hard every day.”
Coach Shaw said God had been the one to bring him success in this life, and he is also grateful to his parents, Wayne and Cynthia Shaw, for their encouragement, along with the rest of his family. “I’d like to thank Coach Winningham and Coach Olive for trusting me and allowing me to be a part of this great high school program.” Shaw isn’t the type of man to brag about himself, but he can spend hours telling you stories about the star athletes he has coached over the last two decades. “Sports help you really get to know a person once you have bled and sweated with that person,” said Shaw. He also offers advice to the parents of potential athletes: “They must want it badly for themselves, not the parents wanting it more. This is important. Why? Because the athlete has to really want to be here, work hard, and do a great job for you.”
As the final kickoff sends the football swirling through the air, coach Shaw squints against the bright stadium lights posted high above the goalpost. A player on the other team catches the ball. He cradles it under his armpit, sprinting toward the goal line. The score is tied, and the time on the clock is running out. He fumbles the ball, and it’s intercepted by one of the Wildcat’s top players. Shaw clenches his fists, his adrenaline feverishly pumping through his veins. Just as the buzzer counts down to zero, they score a point, taking the lead and winning another victory.
The fans rush out onto the field just as an orange and white cooler of ice-cold Gatorade is raised above the coach’s head before splashing across his uniform. In the locker room, the players wipe sweat from their smudged foreheads, and Shaw says, “You did it! You kept pushing! You kept striving! I told you everything would work out.” GN
