Respect shines through certain people more than others. Everyone has their own way of showing their respect. In John Grisham's Bleachers, Coach Eddie Rake is highly respected by a number of his football players. In turn he respects them even when it is hard to do so. Showing respect is not always easy, but sometimes very necessary. True respect is standing up for someone else when no one else is brave enough to do so . Coach Eddie Rake, of the Messina Spartans, always had the sort of authority that demanded respect from everyone around him. Students, players, teachers, janitors, black or white, they all respected Coach Rake. In turn Rake respected them. He respected all of them. Eddie Rake was one of the first Coaches to express that he was
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Collis Suggs was one of those black boys walking into the weight room full of white boys lifting weights. Collis expressed the immediate respect he found in Coach Rake. He quoted Rake saying, "He said he didn't care what color we were. All his players wore green" (Grisham 212). Eddie Rake clearly highlights the respect he had for his players including his colored players. Collis felt R espected by a huge authority figure in the town of Messina and this authority figure was white. Coach Rake was the first white person to accomplish that in Collis. Furthermore Suggs found no favoritism in Rake. "Eddie Rake was the first white man who ever yelled at me and made me like it. Once I realized that he truly did not care about the color of my skin, then I knew I would follow him anywhere" is something Collis Suggs mentioned in his speech to his Coach at his funeral (Grisham 215). Not only were Suggs and the other colored players allowed to be on the team they were also allowed to play in games. Which is very unlike some varsity football teams, where the colored players were seen sitting on the bench. The colored boys at Messina High School were finally shown some respect. When one swallows that concept …show more content…
In the years before during and after he played for Coach Rake, he lived to please him. Rake and Neely definitely had their differences, but Neely respected Rake throughout his years of football, even if he did so without being truly aware of it. It was not until life slapped him straight across the face that he really understood how much he looked up to his former coach. He confessed this by saying, "But after you leave, after you venture away from this place, after you've been kicked around a few times, faced some adversity, some failure, been knocked down by life, you soon realize how important Coach Rake is and was"(Grisham 224). Neely may have hated Rake while he was playing for him, but he could not shake the desire to please him, even after football. Neely would think of Eddie Rake when he messed up. He would think of the disappointed glare that would be on his Coach’s face. Even years after Crenshaw's high school football days, Rake was coaching him. Like one of Neely's teammates once said, "I see his face every day. I hear his voice... I can imitate his growl, his grumbling, his bitching. I remember his stories, his speeches, his lessons" (Grisham 93). Neely had such deep respect for his coach that he thought of his coach constantly. Eddie Rake's voice was constantly coaching him in his times of trial and tribulation. He looked for
Collis Suggs was one of those black boys walking into the weight room full of white boys lifting weights. Collis expressed the immediate respect he found in Coach Rake. He quoted Rake saying, "He said he didn't care what color we were. All his players wore green" (Grisham 212). Eddie Rake clearly highlights the respect he had for his players including his colored players. Collis felt R espected by a huge authority figure in the town of Messina and this authority figure was white. Coach Rake was the first white person to accomplish that in Collis. Furthermore Suggs found no favoritism in Rake. "Eddie Rake was the first white man who ever yelled at me and made me like it. Once I realized that he truly did not care about the color of my skin, then I knew I would follow him anywhere" is something Collis Suggs mentioned in his speech to his Coach at his funeral (Grisham 215). Not only were Suggs and the other colored players allowed to be on the team they were also allowed to play in games. Which is very unlike some varsity football teams, where the colored players were seen sitting on the bench. The colored boys at Messina High School were finally shown some respect. When one swallows that concept …show more content…
In the years before during and after he played for Coach Rake, he lived to please him. Rake and Neely definitely had their differences, but Neely respected Rake throughout his years of football, even if he did so without being truly aware of it. It was not until life slapped him straight across the face that he really understood how much he looked up to his former coach. He confessed this by saying, "But after you leave, after you venture away from this place, after you've been kicked around a few times, faced some adversity, some failure, been knocked down by life, you soon realize how important Coach Rake is and was"(Grisham 224). Neely may have hated Rake while he was playing for him, but he could not shake the desire to please him, even after football. Neely would think of Eddie Rake when he messed up. He would think of the disappointed glare that would be on his Coach’s face. Even years after Crenshaw's high school football days, Rake was coaching him. Like one of Neely's teammates once said, "I see his face every day. I hear his voice... I can imitate his growl, his grumbling, his bitching. I remember his stories, his speeches, his lessons" (Grisham 93). Neely had such deep respect for his coach that he thought of his coach constantly. Eddie Rake's voice was constantly coaching him in his times of trial and tribulation. He looked for