Elliot Uzelac had coached college football for 40 years with stops at places like Michigan, Ohio State, Colorado and Maryland. During 2006-2010, he revived the football program at St. Joseph High School (Michigan) by posting a record of 45-13 during his five years there. In the summer of 2011 he retired from coaching just before his 70th birthday. Four years later he had become restless and bored. According to an article written by Mike McCabe, which recently appeared in The Detroit Free Press, his wife Wendy suggested that he go back into coaching. His response was, “I want to do something better than that.” His wife came back with: “Then go to Benton Harbor…You go there. You help them. We’ve loved these eight years here, and you know and I know that those kids need help on the field, off the field and in the classroom. Maybe you can do that.” Benton Harbor high school had gone through 25 straight losing seasons and had lost its last 19 games in a row. In spite of all this, Coach Uzelac accepted the challenge and asked for the job. So far this year, the team has posted a 6-3 regular season record and won its first state playoff game ever. According to an article written by Rosemary Parker which was posted recently on mlive.com, Coach Uzelac’s impact isn’t going to stop there. When the season is over he is setting up a tutoring program for players who need it and he “…plans to start lining up field trips to meet with college coaches, to open players’ eyes to the possibilities that are available to them.” If you would like to read these two heartwarming articles about this incredibly inspiring man, here are the links:

• The Detroit Free Press
• m.com

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