Comments on: Coach Jim Rankin http://www.ellwoodcitymemories.com/wordpress/sports/coach-jim-rankin If you don't share a memory, no one else will remember it Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:39:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Scott http://www.ellwoodcitymemories.com/wordpress/sports/coach-jim-rankin/comment-page-1#comment-540 Scott Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:41:41 +0000 http://www.ellwoodcitymemories.com/wordpress/?p=1810#comment-540 I had the privilege of playing for coach Rankin his last 3 years at Ellwood. I know how things may get embellished over time but most of the stories you hear about him are pretty accurate. Although a few of his coaching methods probably would not have been accepted in today's day and age I can honestly say that he was able to get every ounce of ability out of his players. I don't have the memory I used to have but one memory does stay very vivid in my mind. It was a Saturday afternoon game at Quaker Valley which at the time was one of the poorer teams in the section. It was the 9th game and we all new we had Riverside the next week. The coaches all week warned us not to look past Quaker Valley because we were playing for home field for the playoffs. At halftime we were LOSING by one point (7-6 I believe) and as we walked off the field the Quaker Valley players and fans really began to taunt us. All of us were pretty upset to say the least. Embarrassed to the point were we were thinking "QUAKER VALLEY was taunting ELLWOOD CITY?!?!? "......In the locker room we were all standing around nervously waiting to hear what coach was going to say. Not only were we anxious to go out and start playing wolverine football but also anxious to see to what degree coach Rankin was going to rip into us. Was he going to punch a chalkboard? Slam locker doors? How loud was he going to scream at us as he called us out individually for playing so poorly? As was proper protocol at the time, we rose to our feet and became quiet whenever Coach walked into the locker room ready to get whatever tongue lashing we rightly deserved. He climbing up and stood on a table that was in the room and just looked at us for a few moments with that stare that he used to refer to as "eyes like burning coles". After these few moments as we waited for the worst he calmly says " Gentlemen, You know what you have to do. Now go do it." That's all he had to say. We ran out onto the field and beat them pretty easily from that point on. I cannot explain why this memory stays with me more than any other but it does. He seemed to have that knack for just saying the right thing at the right time. I had the privilege of playing for coach Rankin his last 3 years at Ellwood. I know how things may get embellished over time but most of the stories you hear about him are pretty accurate. Although a few of his coaching methods probably would not have been accepted in today’s day and age I can honestly say that he was able to get every ounce of ability out of his players. I don’t have the memory I used to have but one memory does stay very vivid in my mind. It was a Saturday afternoon game at Quaker Valley which at the time was one of the poorer teams in the section. It was the 9th game and we all new we had Riverside the next week. The coaches all week warned us not to look past Quaker Valley because we were playing for home field for the playoffs. At halftime we were LOSING by one point (7-6 I believe) and as we walked off the field the Quaker Valley players and fans really began to taunt us. All of us were pretty upset to say the least. Embarrassed to the point were we were thinking “QUAKER VALLEY was taunting ELLWOOD CITY?!?!? “……In the locker room we were all standing around nervously waiting to hear what coach was going to say. Not only were we anxious to go out and start playing wolverine football but also anxious to see to what degree coach Rankin was going to rip into us. Was he going to punch a chalkboard? Slam locker doors? How loud was he going to scream at us as he called us out individually for playing so poorly? As was proper protocol at the time, we rose to our feet and became quiet whenever Coach walked into the locker room ready to get whatever tongue lashing we rightly deserved. He climbing up and stood on a table that was in the room and just looked at us for a few moments with that stare that he used to refer to as “eyes like burning coles”. After these few moments as we waited for the worst he calmly says ” Gentlemen, You know what you have to do. Now go do it.” That’s all he had to say. We ran out onto the field and beat them pretty easily from that point on. I cannot explain why this memory stays with me more than any other but it does. He seemed to have that knack for just saying the right thing at the right time.

]]> By: Dan "Geetz" Jinar http://www.ellwoodcitymemories.com/wordpress/sports/coach-jim-rankin/comment-page-1#comment-406 Dan "Geetz" Jinar Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:05:08 +0000 http://www.ellwoodcitymemories.com/wordpress/?p=1810#comment-406 I played for J.R. the first two seasons at EC (79 & 80). One of my favorite speaches from J.R. was when Jim took some chalk. He put a line on the top of the chalk board and said this is where the good teams like Aliquipa are right now. He then marked the bottom of the chalkboard and said that's where the bad teams are right now. Then he bends over and puts a mark just above the floor and says thats where we are right now!!! Jim was a great motivator and taught us how to play with heart. I played for J.R. the first two seasons at EC (79 & 80). One of my favorite speaches from J.R. was when Jim took some chalk. He put a line on the top of the chalk board and said this is where the good teams like Aliquipa are right now. He then marked the bottom of the chalkboard and said that’s where the bad teams are right now. Then he bends over and puts a mark just above the floor and says thats where we are right now!!!

Jim was a great motivator and taught us how to play with heart.

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