{"id":303718,"date":"2015-10-26T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/a-coach-for-life\/"},"modified":"2015-10-26T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-26T15:00:00","slug":"a-coach-for-life","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-coach-for-life\/","title":{"rendered":"A Coach for Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>guest: Dru Joyce II | Series: More than Championships | A coach can be a powerful influence in the life of a young man. Dru Joyce knows. As the director of the Northeast Ohio Basketball Association and head basketball coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, he has been mentor to some of the nation&#8217;s best young players, including LeBron James. Hear Dru tell how love for his son drew him into coaching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a head basketball coach in Akron, Ohio, Dru Joyce has been mentor to some of the nation&#8217;s best young players, including LeBron James. Hear Dru tell how love for his son drew him into coaching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-10-26.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"25.45M","filesize_raw":"26684704","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2906,2821],"tags":[5077,5848,5849,4052,4096],"podcast_series":[8107],"cwp_profile":[3060],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303718","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-becoming-a-christian","category-reaching-out","tag-character-development","tag-coaching","tag-life-coach","tag-mentor","tag-mentoring","podcast_series-more-than-championships","cwp_profile-dru-joyce-ii","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303718\/a-coach-for-life","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303718\/a-coach-for-life","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"5XTC6O0wMK\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-coach-for-life\/\">A Coach for Life<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-coach-for-life\/embed\/#?secret=5XTC6O0wMK\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;A Coach for Life&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"5XTC6O0wMK\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"As a head basketball coach in Akron, Ohio, Dru Joyce has been mentor to some of the nation's best young players, including LeBron James. Hear Dru tell how love for his son drew him into coaching.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-10-26.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Before he was ever a successful high school basketball coach, Dru Joyce was a student athlete who had just found out that his girlfriend was pregnant and who realized his life was headed in the wrong direction.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru: <\/strong>It was not a moment that I\u2019m very proud of, even to this day. I was in the little apartment that we had; and I was washing my face, honestly. I looked into the mirror and the Lord just kind of showed me who I really was\u2014I didn\u2019t like it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>for Monday, October 26<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll hear today how God got a hold of Dru Joyce\u2019s life, turned him around, and prepared him to pour into the lives of thousands of other young men, as a basketball coach. Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. So, I think this is accurate\u2014I think if we were to go, today, to the halls of Ozark High School\u2014down there by the trophy case, where the records are posted for the\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I don\u2019t think there\u2019d be any record posted there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You don\u2019t think? You don\u2019t think they\u2019ve got it up there?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, I haven\u2019t been back to the gym since probably a couple of years after I graduated from college; but there\u2019s no record \/ formal record book. But I have followed their basketball over the years.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You, at one point\u2014and I assume it\u2019s still the case today\u2014you had the single-game scoring record for Ozark High School.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Forty-four.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Forty-four points in a game.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Forty-four points.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been out trying to do lay-ups in the driveway. I can\u2019t get 44 points in one driveway session, and that\u2019s with nobody guarding me. [Laughter] So I just bow down to you with that kind of a record. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, it\u2019s in that context that we want to welcome a true coach to the broadcast\u2014Coach Dru Joyce joins us on <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>Coach Joyce, welcome to the broadcast.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Thank you for having me. I\u2019m honored to be here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Dru is the Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Basketball Association and the head coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. In twelve seasons\u2014or is it now thirteen seasons?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Fourteen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> In fourteen seasons, you have three state titles?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And one national title; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And he\u2019s the author of a new book called <em>Beyond Championships<\/em>. I just have two questions for you\u2014number one: \u201cHow many athletes, in those fourteen seasons, have you coached?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Wow!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Approximately.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Approximately I would say, generally, 15-20 a year\u2014so we\u2019re talking 300; yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Close to 300; alright. The second question is: \u201cWho was the best?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> The best player then and the best player now, maybe in the world, is LeBron James.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> This is the man you coached?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes, from 11 years old, all the way into high school\u2014as the first two years, I was the assistant coach; and the last two years, I was the head coach\u2014but I\u2019ve been in his life since he was 11.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> In case there\u2019s a listener right now who doesn\u2019t know who LeBron James is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Seriously! [Laughter] You think there\u2019s somebody out there, who\u2019s going, \u201cWho are they talking about?\u2014LeBron James?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, Bob, you\u2019re a Spurs fan. Bob, what are you wearing? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019m wearing my Spurs t-shirt. It\u2019s the championship t-shirt from 2014, when the Spurs meat the Miami Heat and LeBron James! I had to wear it today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And he wore it for Coach\u2014Coach Joyce! [Laughter] He\u2019s a cool operator.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s right! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> His feathers were not ruffled\u2014Coach Joyce just looked at Bob like he was a referee who made a bad call. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIntroduce our listeners to who LeBron James is.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> LeBron James, arguably, in today\u2019s world of basketball, is the best player in the NBA. He has won four MVP trophies, and he has led his team to four straight finals. He did win two\u2014they lost two\u2014but he did win two.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Who was one of the teams that he did beat?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> San Antonio, I think, was one of the teams. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes, I think so\u2014that\u2019s right. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> But we won\u2019t mention that; you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I want to read what LeBron James wrote in the forward to your book, <em>Beyond Championships.<\/em> He said: \u201cAs a young kid in Akron, Ohio, I was like a lot of other kids. I wanted to play basketball and hang out with my friends. So when Coach Dru asked me to play on his team, at the time, it was all about basketball; but looking back on it, I now know there was something far greater at work that made me walk into that dusty Salvation Army gym in Akron.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe goes on to talk about how he grew up in a single-parent family and how you became the father, the mentor, the coach that he never had.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> LeBron and his mother are very, very close. Over the years, he and my son became best friends. Because of that\u2014their relationship\u2014and then the opportunity to coach him, we grew a great relationship and experienced a lot of great things over those nine or ten years that I was actively involved in his life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You have seen, as you\u2019ve coached young men for more than a decade, how powerful a coach can be in the life of a young man, growing up. In fact, in a lot of ways, basketball is kind of secondary on your agenda to what you want to do in the lives of these young men; isn\u2019t it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes. Years ago, when I started coaching, I was just a dad who, like most fathers, wanted to be involved in his son\u2019s life. My son loved basketball and he wanted to play, and I had an opportunity to coach. Once that opportunity grew into the travel team, we decided\u2014I say \u201cwe\u201d because there was another father or two that helped me put together the Northeast Ohio Basketball Association. We understood, at that very moment, that this was a ministry opportunity. It was an opportunity for us to live a Christian example in front of young boys, at a very impressionable age. We structured everything that we did around that idea. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I have to ask you\u2014as I hear you even articulate that\u2014I have to ask you about the family that you grew up in\u2014about your mom and dad and whether you came to the convictions that you have today\u2014was that something passed on to you, or was that something that you had to come to on your own?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> In some ways, I was brought up in church. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy father didn\u2019t attend very much\u2014he attended some\u2014my mother made sure that I attended. I think that, as I grew and I got involved in sports, I just saw other men \/ other dads\u2014my father was never very much of an athlete and he really wasn\u2019t involved\u2014but other men were involved in coaching. I think that was where I first saw the father\/son or even that adult mentorship opportunity.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs I grew and had children of my own, it was just that fatherly instinct\u2014I just wanted to be involved in my son\u2019s life. God took something that was very small and humble and He made it what it is. I never really thought about going beyond being that rec-league coach; but as the opportunities presented themselves, I ran to them, and grasped hold of them, and tried to do what I believed God would have me to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> When you were a player \/ when you were a young man, was there a coach or two in your life that had a profound impact?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes. In high school\u2014my coach at East Liverpool High, was a very small city, with not a lot of professional men \/ especially African-American professional men\u2014one coach that I had in high school football and track\u2014a young African-American man, just out of college. What I really appreciated about Coach Hernandez\u2014he was just so open with us \/ he was honest.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> He shared with us, and it wasn\u2019t about the sport. It was those moments, when we were acting as kids and kind of thinking maybe in a wrong way\u2014he steered us back and kind of made it clear to us that: \u201cYou\u2019re part of something bigger than yourself here. You need to understand the opportunity that sports may give you.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI appreciated that about him and wanted to emulate that lifestyle. So, honestly, that was my desire, graduating high school\u2014was to go to college, get a degree, teach history, and become a football coach because that was my sport. I was a football player \/ I didn\u2019t even play basketball. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI had one of those traumatic experiences\u2014in ninth grade, I went out for the team and I got cut. What happened the next year\u2014I go to the high school JV\u2014junior high coach now becomes the Junior Varsity Coach. So I just took the assumption that it wasn\u2019t for me and continued to play football, which, honestly, was my first love. I didn\u2019t try out for basketball. It\u2019s so funny. I went back, a number of years ago\u2014a friend of mine was being inducted into the High School Hall of Fame. He asked me to introduce him. I had the privilege of saying to that coach, who cut me all those years ago, how he stunted my basketball growth. [Laughter] You know, kind of: \u201cLook at me now! I\u2019m a basketball coach.\u201d [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe took it well\u2014we had fun with it. He was the Athletic Director and has since retired. He was a great man; but in that moment in my life, I just didn\u2019t have anyone to say: \u201cHey, Dru! Go try it again.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And you could have used somebody\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014a coach who believed in you at that point. You went all the way through high school and into college and kind of went the party route.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes. [Deep sigh] Yes, I went, my first year, to Ashland College. I went there to play football. I was a pretty good student\u2014I wasn\u2019t great, but was good enough that I was able to get a small scholarship, along with the grant aid. It wasn\u2019t a bad situation; but, honestly, Ashland like\u2014it was just too small. As I say in the book, I kind of had one foot inside the church and one foot outside\u2014I took that route and wanted to go to where there were more kids, and bigger parties, and those kinds of things. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI went to Ohio University, and the lifestyle was pretty wild and crazy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> The foot that was outside the church was headed in the wrong direction.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> It kind of pulled the other foot too. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes. And you made a mistake\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014that ultimately, in the providence of God, resulted in something special. Share that story.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes, I was very much a womanizer. I had been involved with a number of different ladies at the time\u2014three to be exact. I was full of myself \/ full of my ego. I was doing what I saw everyone else doing\u2014but nothing positive\u2014but in that time, I ran into one of the young women, who is now my wife of 36 years. You know, I pretty much felt like I had made a decision: \u201cI\u2019m going to stop all this playing around, and I\u2019m going to be committed to that relationship.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHowever, another of the young women told me she was pregnant. I was raised that: \u201cIf that happens, that\u2019s a responsibility. You should marry the woman and take care of the child and raise the family\u2014that\u2019s what you do.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It was your responsibility, as a man. If you\u2019re going to father a child, you\u2019re going to be the child\u2019s father.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> That\u2019s it. There was no second-guessing that. I shared with my wife, Carolyn, that this is what had happened. As much as I would like to be with her, this was what I had to do\u2014this was what I had to do\u2014there was no way around it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> She was not your wife at that point.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> No. She was not. She would want me to be very clear about that too\u2014she was not.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, anyway, the young woman and I went back to Ohio University for what would have been going into my senior year. I don\u2019t know\u2014honestly, to this day\u2014I just realized that she wasn\u2019t pregnant. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t know the details, but I recklessly \/ very recklessly pushed her out of my life. It was not a moment that I\u2019m very proud of, even to this day. The relationship ended, and she went back home. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was in the little apartment that we had; and I was washing my face, honestly. I looked into the mirror and the Lord just kind of showed me who I really was\u2014I didn\u2019t like it. I didn\u2019t like it; and I cried out to the Lord: \u201cWhat have I become? Who is this person?!\u201d I didn\u2019t want to be that person anymore. I realized the hurt that I had caused a lot of different people in just living my own selfish way. I did what I only knew to do\u2014I fell to my knees and I cried to the Lord to come into my life and save me\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014to help me along the way to become the man that He would want me to be because I had really made a mess of it, trying to be the man I wanted to be. In that moment, I accepted Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> There was enough spiritual foundation that had been paved in your life that, when the time came, you knew where to turn.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes. As I said, I had one foot in the church and one foot out. But I knew enough that we have a Lord and Savior and that He\u2019s there if we choose to allow Him in. I made that choice in that moment.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Some people will pray a prayer like that in a foxhole situation, kind of like you were in, and then they forget the prayer they prayed a few weeks later. It stuck with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes. You know, honestly, the pain that I had caused the people\u2014the young woman I was involved with\u2014it impacted me. That just wasn\u2019t who I was. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen I was in high school, the football \/ the sports\u2014they grounded me. They kind of gave me my identity. When I went off to college and was no longer involved, I had nothing\u2014no identity. So, I did what most kids do\u2014you try to make some kind of reputation, if you will, or some reason for someone to like you or want to be around you. I just fell in with that crowd, and that\u2019s what we did. It was that party lifestyle\u2014the lifestyle of \u201cDo as much as you can do for yourself, without regard to anyone,\u201d at that point.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, when I prayed that prayer, I knew that it was time for a change. As I looked around, the Lord had kind of made it so that it was very clear. You know, a lot of those friends, who had been with me in those, let\u2019s call them \u201cthe wilder years,\u201d were no longer around\u2014they had either left school \/ flunked out of school\u2014but they were gone. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was kind of in a situation where, you know, I was stripped of all those things around me that would say, \u201cCome back this way\u201d; and I\u2019m thankful for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So you made a beeline, pretty quickly, to the second-most important decision you ever made in your life. You knocked on a door\u2014and I thought: \u201cWow! That took some <em>serious<\/em> courage to go do what you did.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes, I recognized that I loved the woman\u2014her name is Carolyn.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You had told her you\u2019d gotten a girl pregnant\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014and had broken off the relationship.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Exactly. This was a few months later\u2014it didn\u2019t happen just right away\u2014but I had to build the courage to go. I wrote some letters that never got returned. I was going home for Thanksgiving break and I said, \u201cI\u2019m going to go.\u201d I went, and knocked on her door. It was a moment I\u2019ll never forget.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Her dad came to the door. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes, and you know, her dad didn\u2019t give me too much\u2014I wasn\u2019t welcomed in. I was kind of\u2014the door kind of opened, and I got a little bit of a look.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> I tried to say, \u201cHi,\u201d in a way that would be inviting; but there was none of that. They understood that I had hurt their daughter pretty badly\u2014so they weren\u2019t really happy to see me. In fact, her mother had encouraged her to move on. She was dating some other guy at the time. I just went in and, honestly, I just pleaded my case. I didn\u2019t hold anything back\u2014I didn\u2019t clean it up. I said: \u201cThis is where I\u2019m at. I know that who I was and, in some ways, still am, is not the man that I want to be. I want to be that man, and I want you to be in my life.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And she <em>instantly<\/em> welcomed you into her arms.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> No! [Laughter] I wish it would have worked like that, but no! She was very, very cautious. In fact, in a lot of ways, I had broken her heart; you know? So it took a long time. I wrote many letters\u2014from that point forward, I would write her. I say in the book that it would be great to see people have to write letters like we used to have to when we were young; you know? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Instead of a quick text, you\u2019ve got to really put some effort into a page or two and, you know, try to share your feelings\u2014[Laughter]\u2014not a 140-character text. I wrote her; and after a while, the letters started returning. I\u2019m just very thankful that her heart softened. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And 37 years later\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Thirty-seven years later, we are still working at our relationship. We love each other, but it\u2019s always going to be a work. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t want anyone to think\u2014and all of us know that\u2019s what marriage is. It\u2019s about\u2014they say, \u201cfalling in love\u201d\u2014you know, we don\u2019t ever really know exactly what that means\u2014but, yes, 37 years later, with four grown children now and five grandchildren, God has just blessed us immeasurably.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And as a coach, you know that one of the most powerful models you are to these young men you coach\u2014the 250\/300 young men that have gone through your program over the past 14 years\u2014is to see a man committed to a woman, in marriage, for a <em>lifetime<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dru:<\/strong> Yes, you know, I playfully talk about my wife as my \u201cqueen.\u201d That\u2019s how I tell my guys\u2014they know, \u201cI\u2019ve got to go home to my queen.\u201d I want them to understand that the relationship is treasured. I let them know the impact she\u2019s had on me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t want them to think she\u2019s a trophy or just someone in the background. She\u2019s involved, and she\u2019s helped shape me into the man that I am. If they see anything in me that they want to emulate, a lot of it is because of her.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, Coach, I think you\u2019ve got a lot of parents, right now, across the country, looking up their GPS system to go: \u201cWhere is Akron?\u201d and \u201cWhere is St. Vincent-St. Mary High School?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cHow can I get my son in that program?!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u201cHow can I <em>play<\/em> for that man?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019ll tell you what\u2014I just commend you for\u2014not your record, although I love it that you\u2019re winning and I know you do, too\u2014but that you\u2019re anchored in the right place. You\u2019re teaching the next generation where to find their harbor and where to anchor as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s more to this story that we need to tell, but I want to encourage listeners to get a copy of <em>Beyond Championships <\/em>because there are a lot of life lessons in here that I think parents could pass on to their kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s so often the case with sports. There are life lessons you learn, whether it\u2019s on the basketball court or the football field\u2014lessons you learn that apply to every aspect of our lives. In fact, our colleague, here at FamilyLife, Jeff Kemp, who played quarterback in the NFL, has written a book called <em>Facing the Blitz, <\/em>where he talks about lessons he learned as a pro quarterback that apply in marriage \/ apply in all aspects of life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOf course, Coach Dru Joyce, who is our guest here today, has written a book called <em>Beyond Championships<\/em>: <em>A Playbook for Winning at Life.<\/em> We\u2019ve got copies of it in our <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>Resource Center. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, where it says, \u201cGO DEEPER.\u201d The information you need to order the book, online, is available right there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou\u2019ll also see information about how to order Jeff Kemp\u2019s book, <em>Facing the Blitz<\/em>, if you\u2019d like a copy of that. Or you can call if you have any questions or if you\u2019d like to order the books by phone: 1-800-FL-TODAY\u20141-800-358-6329. That\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I\u2019ve been thinking today, as we\u2019ve been hearing Coach Joyce\u2019s story, Dennis, about something that you say often\u2014which is how central home and family are to who we become\u2014to the kind of people we turn out to be \/ the life choices we end up making. It is at home where so much of life is determined. That\u2019s one of the reasons why we are so passionate about wanting to help build stronger, healthier marriages and families through this ministry.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur goal is to provide practical biblical help and hope for marriages and families, day in and day out, through this daily radio program. What we do is possible because there are listeners, like you, who pitch in to make it possible. We\u2019re listener-supported. More than 65 percent of the funding we need to operate this ministry comes from folks, like you, making donations, either as monthly Legacy Partners or, from time to time, as you get in touch with us. We are grateful for your financial support. We couldn\u2019t do what we do without your partnership.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you\u2019d like to make a donation today, we\u2019d like to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you a new resource from Barbara Rainey called \u201cUntie Your Story.\u201d It\u2019s designed to help you, at the dinner table, have more than just surface-level conversations\u2014talk about some stuff that really matters. We\u2019ll send you the \u201cUntie Your Story\u201d resource when you make a donation, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. Click in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, where it says, \u201cI care,\u201d to make an online donation; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u2014make your donation over the phone. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr you can mail your donation to us at <em>FamilyLife Today, <\/em>POBox 7111, Little Rock, AR; and our zip code is 72223.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we are going to talk more with Coach Dru Joyce about coaching student athletes. In fact, we\u2019ll hear about some of his years coaching his most famous student athlete, LeBron James\u2014that all comes up tomorrow. I hope you can be with us for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2015 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303718"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303718"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303718"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}