Letter to the Greely Football Program – Coach Caleb King
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to those of you I have not had an opportunity to meet or speak with. I am extremely excited about being the head coach of the Rangers as we bring back a varsity football program. As a former Greely football player myself, the feeling of pride when playing Friday night lights in maroon and black is unmatched.
I am a 2011 graduate of Greely High School where I played football for four years. After graduation I attended Husson University where I played for another four years. I have lived in Cumberland for my entire life, and continue to work in town today.
Growing up in Cumberland I had the opportunity to play youth football from fourth grade through senior year of high school. I made a ton of lifelong friends in youth football whom I am still friends with today. I think it is important, as the high school head coach, that we focus on having a successful varsity team, but also foster a football culture and community from K through 12.
I believe that football provides a great opportunity for players to learn fundamental lessons that they can carry through life far beyond the game of football. In football, just like in life, there are lots of ups and downs and how we react and manage diversity in practice or games can translate how players are able to respond to adversity in life. Through football, we want to instill the core values of integrity, accountability, and effort in all things that we do. In the grand scheme of things our time playing football is relatively short, but the memories, friendships, and lessons we gain carry far beyond the field.
The success of the Greely Football program from K through 12 can be defined in two ways: one being our on-field accomplishments in terms of wins and losses; the second being the strength of the community built around the program. It should be important to all players that the Greely Football program is known as a collective of respectful and involved members of the community.
With that, comes a commitment from players and parents to do their part to ensure that our Ranger Football Program is well supported and well funded. That requires involvement in the boosters and fundraising from youth to high school. The K-12 football program requires a huge amount of funding. The football boosters are required to cover the majority of the costs associated with fielding a high school varsity program, in addition to all the costs of the youth program. My ask is that all parents and players get involved as they are able; whether it be asking for sponsorships, running the snack shack for home games, etc.
Lastly, I think it is important that all K-12 players understand that people will not always remember your accomplishments as a player, but they will remember your interactions as an individual in the community. We want to foster a program of good football players, but more importantly we want great people.
I look forward to meeting and getting to know all members of our Greely Football Family!
Best,
Caleb King