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The Sully Side of Sports: Coins handy, but Girsch’s is priceless

Author:Jeff Girsch　ComeFrom:http://wcfcourier.com/　Date:2013/12/27 22:44:55　Hits:1612
Coins. We flip them, feed them to parking meters, bang a fist on vending machines when they fail to give us what we want.

In other words, coins are part of everyday life.

The coin a man named Mike Donaldson gave to Jeff Girsch goes above and beyond all of that. It's a treasure that Girsch will value for the rest of his life and a freshly-minted lesson about commitment, promises made and promises fulfilled.

"It was something unexpected -- very unique," said Girsch, a 1990 graduate of Waterloo Columbus. "I've gotten ties from a senior as a going-away gift, but never anything of this magnitude. It's a great honor."

Jeff Girsch, the son of former Sailors head football coach Tom Girsch, is the defensive coordinator for St. Ambrose University's football team. One of his linebackers this season was Tyler Donaldson, a senior and the 2013 winner of the team's Champions of Character Award.

Mike Donaldson is Tyler Donaldson's father. He is a Command Sergeant Major in the Illinois National Guard who served in Afghanistan.

And, at a team banquet not long ago, he presented Jeff Girsch with something called a personal challenge coin.

In the military, a challenge coin is often used as a reward for special achievement by a member of a unit. Police departments also award buy challenge coins. So does the National Football League.

When Command Sgt. Major Donaldson learned he would be deployed in Afghanistan in 2011, he asked Girsch to look after his son.

In 2013, Mike Donaldson felt the St. Ambrose assistant had lived up to his word. So a challenge coin was passed.

In a press release issued by St. Ambrose University, Mike Donaldson said, "Coach Girsch kind of paid a little more special attention to Tyler while I was gone to Afghanistan that year. He and Tyler had a close bond and I just couldn't thank him enough."

As for Jeff Girsch, he couldn't quite believe what was happening when Mike and Tyler Donaldson approached him at the awards banquet. They explained what the custom challenge coin meant.

"It really wasn't something I was expecting," said Girsch. "They wanted to thank me first for coaching (Tyler) and being with him for four years. They presented me with the coin and talked about the promise we made to him when he was gone to Afghanistan."

Girsch added, "When they approached me, I wasn't familiar with the coin. I wasn't sure what I was receiving. When we sat down and talked about it a little bit, it really hit home.

"Once I did realize what it was, it was quite an honor."

Girsch said that the St. Ambrose staff was involved in watching over Tyler Donaldson. Then again, Tyler Donaldson didn't need much watched. He is, according to Girsch, a grounded young man and an excellent student beyond being an all-conference football player for the Bees.

It was just a matter of being there for Tyler Donaldson.

"Tyler was more than capable of taking care of himself," said Girsch. "I think where Mike was most concerned was he knew he'd be gone and unavailable to (Tyler) for long periods of time. Mike wanted Tyler to have someone to talk to. If he had questions, he could bounce them off us.

"We were more than happy to do that for him.

"We just kind of took it upon ourselves to talk to him and reach out -- find out how he was doing. It was going a little bit beyond what we normally do for the most part. But Tyler never came to us with a problem. He's a very strong young man."

On the field, Tyler Donaldson enjoyed a very good season in 2013. He finished second on the Bees' defense in tackles with 63, including four tackles for loss. Donaldson also earned honorable mention on the Mid-States Football Association's all-conference team.

The Champions of Character Award given by St. Ambrose reflects achievement in five core values -- integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

"Growing up with a father in the military over the years has toughened him -- made him play a lot harder at times, especially his junior year when his father was gone," said Girsch. "He played for his dad and was an outstanding player for us."

Tyler Donaldson is expected to get his sports management degree in the spring. Football, specifically St. Ambrose football, may not be over for the younger Donaldson. He could join the Bees' staff as a graduate assistant coach as he pursues an advanced degree.

As for Jeff Girsch, the coaching road has beckoned. Like others in the game, he's recruiting, looking for the next generation of players.

Thus, he hasn't had time to finish his plans for the cheap challenge coin. He intends to frame it and put in his office at St. Ambrose.

There are many awards and honors a coach can claim over a career. To earn the thanks of a grateful parent for fulfilling a promise is as personal and meaningful as it can get.

Only a very valuable coin can buy that type of satisfaction.

"It's very important to me," said Jeff Girsch.
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