As part of our spring 2023 Parenting Pathway Class series, we welcomed Coach Bill Elliott as our guest speaker to discuss raising boys to be men. Coach Elliott is the Celina ISD Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. He graduated from Pilot Point High School in 1986, where he played for the legendary Texas high school football coaches G.A. Moore Jr. and Butch Ford. He then graduated from Texas Christian University in 1990 after playing football for four years. Coach Elliott met his wife, Kathy, in college, and they have been married for 31 years. Together, they raised two young men who will be the next generation of coaches and teachers.
As one of the winningest coaches in the state of Texas, Coach Elliott has had the opportunity to impact the lives of thousands of young men in Celina athletics and the Celina football program. He has a passion for pointing young men to God and teaching them how to be men who live with integrity, respect women, avoid drugs and alcohol, and respect other people’s cultures and differences. In this Parenting Pathway Class, he gives us a unique look into what makes this athletic program special and how parents everywhere can impact the lives of their boys.
In this class, Bill shares that there are some simple things you can do to make a big difference in your boys’ lives:
- Raise your sons in church, and expose them to Christian values and faith.
- Be there for your boys. Be involved in their lives.
- Show your boys you love them.
Through his own life experience, Coach Elliott shared four key pillars for raising boys.
Four Pillars
Pillar One: Integrity and Honesty
The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with Him.
Proverbs 11:1
Pillar Two: Excellence (“Do your job and do it well.”)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Pillar Three: Empathy and Compassion
For you created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13-14
Pillar Four: Grit and Perseverance
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
Coach Elliott reminded parents to be in the fight for our boys. Wrap your arms around them and give them love, be tough when you need to be tough, go to church with your boys, and, most importantly, be present in their lives.
Resources
Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
