... tell people how much they mean to what you've become.
Bill Brashier
Spend 42 seasons on the sidelines as a football coach at seven schools and you're bound to influence players, have your career shaped by colleagues and learn some lessons about life along the way.
Bill Brashier worked with people of all ages during a coaching career perhaps best known for the 17 years he spent as Hayden Fry's defensive coordinator at Iowa and the three Rose Bowl appearances the Hawkeyes made during his tenure. He coached at four high schools in Texas and had a stint at Texas-El Paso before uniting with Fry at North Texas.
"I've always thought every place we went turned out to be, at that time, the best place," Brashier said. "Everything led to the University of Iowa, and that's the best thing that happened to me in my personal life or professional life."
One lesson Brashier learned from spending all those Friday nights under the lights at Texas high school games and all of the Saturdays on the sidelines in the Big Ten was the value of expressing appreciation.
"I've always thought one of the main things you should do in your professional life or personal life - there will be a lot of people who really influence you along the way and you should never put off telling those people how much they really meant to what you have become," Brashier said. "There were a lot of coaches I started with and I was remiss in really going back and telling them those things. I thought about it a lot and said, 'Boy, I wish I had just taken time to write them a letter and tell them they did a lot for my profession and getting me started.'
"That happens to everybody. I don't care what profession you're in, there will be people along the way that really influenced you, either helping you get a job or giving you a job or whatever. It seems to me like you really ought to take the time to drop them a note and tell them you appreciate what they did."
— Andy Hamilton
