Cleveland's Glenville High School Tarblooders and Coach Ted Ginn, Sr. are known, far and wide, for being one of the top high schools in the country for producing college and NFL players and an overall football powerhouse, yet football itself, as a sport, is not actually as important to Coach Ginn as most people might think.
A Tarblooder himself in the early 1970s, Coach Ginn has been part of the program for most of his life. In 1997, he became the head coach and his mission to educate and guide young men via athletics began in earnest. "It's just part of the blueprint," he says. "Football is the vehicle for them to get to where they're going, and education is the gas that makes that vehicle run."
Our Tarblooders made it to the state playoffs this year, but did not advance to the final game. This loss on the field doesn't matter a lot to us, however. A few of the truly important things that resulted from this season, in no particular order, are:
1. Eighty-eight boys were working hard together every single day since the beginning of August.
2. They learned new things about themselves and know now that they are capable of more than they thought they were before the season started.
3. All 88 of these young men know, beyond all doubt, that they are part of a big family that always supports them no matter what life might present to them.
4. They know what it means to be part of a community that needs celebration and joy, and how and why to be role models for the younger kids there.
5. Eighty-eight young men became part of a cohesive team and brotherhood, an invaluable experience for all.
So as you can see, the team might not have won all of the games that they played, but they win every day that they show a commitment to scholarship, leadership, service on and off the field.
Finally, we'll share a few photos from a November evening practice at Collinwood Field and the playoff game versus Perrysburg at Huron High School on November 20th, 2015.
We love our Tarblooders and are proud of them every single day no matter what happens on the scoreboard. Thank you for following along on the journey with us.
Go Ville!
