One Yard Short: Turning Your Defeats into Victories

by Les Steckel, Rob Suggs

Coach Les Steckel understands that life is difficult. It's marked by disappointments and defeats. But what's important is what you do with those defeats. One Yard Short is the amazing story of Les Steckel. A coach for 32 years, with 23 of those seasons coaching in the NFL, Steckel has been through his shares of ups and downs, having experienced the pain and disappointment of job loss time and time again in a way that only professional sports coaches know. A lesser man would have given up and become bitter, but in the midst of each disappointment, each "failure," God was there, picking him up, dusting him off, telling Coach Steckel that He believed in him and that there was a special plan for his life. In One Yard Short , Coach Steckel teaches readers through his own life lessons and football experiences how to hear God's voice in the midst of disappointments and failures.

Genres: Sports

213 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Cole Newton]

Had the opportunity to work with Coach Steckel during his one-year stint in Division III football. An outstanding man, Coach, and mentor. It was really inspiring to read about the ups-and-downs of his career and faith.

[Doug I · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the emotional, spiritual and football needs in everyone.

[Nathan Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid read

[Patdmac7 · Rating 2 out of 5]

-Sometimes it just works out better when you don’t do things perfectly. 23

-Approach your marriage as a model for your children and anyone else watching … (what) you show them will be a legacy for future generations. 56

-They don’t hand out trophies at the beginning. 75

-Tough times offer a hidden gift: they drive us to the counsel of the wise. We don’t listen nearly so well when things are going out way. But adversity begets humility. 87

-Work year to year, be flexible and available to move. 93

-An inevitable showdown with the most dangerous enemy a man can face: himself. 96

-‘You know why there’s so much insecurity in this league? Because it’s filled with insecure people.’ -Bud Grant, 102

-The father’s approval, or lack of it, is a central issue in every man’s life. 103

-But the hard thing about refining by fire is that first, you have to survive the heat. 108

-Sometimes the truth is so painful, we let it sink in only very slowly. 108

*-Different personnel units – Brown University – get everyone in, keep all players involved, let them play. 111

-In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing. –Philippians 2:14, 125

-Everyone who came and worked up a sweat deserved attention, affirmation, and affection – three needs all young people have. 136

-Everybody needs one Paul (wise mentor) and one Timothy (young learner) to make them complete. 140

-There was no damage others could do to me that would be worse than the damage I would inflict on myself through bitterness. 171

-Allow everyone to use their strengths and make a contribution. 184

-But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 CHRON 15:7

-One coach on one campus can influence over ten thousand lives in a career. 206

-Sometimes we never find out, in this life, what factors shaped our destiny. Other times we figure it out after further review. 208

[John Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Paul
As of writing this I am currently on page 103

Les Steckle was one of the most driven coach’s in the NFL. He had so many setbacks that one coach would never want to experience. Les started as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, when the Titans barely made the playoffs and lost the Super Bowl and he learned that some people come up “one yard short” all the time because he lost the Bowl by one yard. He used this lesson throughout the rest of his coaching career, while coaching I felt like he was a great leader to have on the team and was never satisfied with the performance of the players. He was fired because of not making the playoffs for some teams other because someone of better offers which I . The writing is really good, it is 1st person and it is very detailed he tells you what he really feels. Also he gives you the reason why he does the stuff he does, gives lots of background. The biggest he faces is probably constantly on the verge of being fired and losing his job. The good things in this book so far is the brotherhood that he builds within his team, also seeing the good in his players. The bad thing is that he bounces back between experiences that he and also when he was a kid and reality.

[Rob Suggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed collaborating with Les Steckel to tell his story for this book. Les has led a remarkable life, suffering emotional and physical abuse as a child, becoming one of the NFL's youngest head coaches, successor to an icon, without ever having played at the college level himself; coaching in two particularly memorable Super Bowls--and all of that is only the beginning. The real story here is the emotional one, of a man hitting the very bottom, questioning the very point of his life, then finding the spiritual resources to rise to the top. A chapter near the end, in which he finds his greatest coaching moment in an unlikely setting, is a book in itself. Les is a remarkable man, coach, father, and friend. Highly recommended, not because of my editing but because of the frank honesty he brings to these pages.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would you feel being 1 yard short from one of the greatest victories ever? This book grabs your attention from page 1. The way the author deals with the conflict in this story is a great test of character and wisdom. The conflict is awesome, you'll never want to put this book down. It takes you through his life and goals. This book is great, and always keeps you guessing the next part of his life, from horrific defeats and turning them into stellar victories. Les shows you how to be a true winner demonstrating class, character, and a positive attitude.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book had a good message but the detailed plays detracted for me. It felt like this was mixing an inspirational piece with a football playbook primer. I also was disappointed in his "defeats". Not to subtract from the pain of losing a job but I think that is pretty much a given in College and NFL football. I'm sure he had other defeats in life and I wish he had discussed them a bit more.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Football Fan at any level you will enjoy this book. The author share how his whole perspective on coaching changes over his career. He gives insight in to the Tennesse Titans AFC Championship & Super Bowl appearance season.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay, but the individual stories went on too long and were often repetitive.

[Trey]

This book is about the 2000 Super Bowl when the Titans lost to the Rams by one yard.