My Story about coach "Earle Bruce"

God’s Blessings to the Family of coach Earle Bruce.

From Ron “Sugar Bear” McFarland- My Story

My condolences and prayers and heart felt loss, I and other players share for the man who dotted so many lives’. 

No one game plans for death, especially a death of a coach that was well liked, respected and just a tough guy like Earle Bruce. There's no playbook, no film-room study that can make it easier to share stories about a man who helped built young boys into men and I must say, really affected me mentally at a time in my life,” I truly needed his tough saintly ways”.

Coach Bruce in his day was a keep it simple guy. Old School fundamentals, toughness and small details played much more of a role for coach Bruce than Xs and Os, whether in crisis or not crisis. With me he was a psychologist (so much I almost left Iowa State because I miss understood the teacher, his Handcrafted Big Grin and father figure he was showing me) At the time I just thought all I wanted was a coach not someone in my life. It would be a great story to say he showed patience with me all the time. But he knew me as a former west end native (Taft High School) from Cincinnati, Ohio, patience would not work often with me. At the time it was viewed by me, as weakness. Oh, how age changes a person, I guess you call that wisdom. It really is Strength. Which coach Bruce had a lot of.

Most people understand hope as wishful thinking, as in "I hope something will happen Like," Going to Iowa State and being coached by this small in size man, be a starter and be successful “Earle Bruce”. 

Coach did not promise anything he just looked at me with so much confident and said, “put your Hope in the system and watch with hard work what will happen”. 

I immediately went to scripture and discovered, "confident expectation." Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown Romans 8:24-25; Hebrews 11:1,7.Hope is a fundamentalcomponent of the life of the righteous Without hope, life loses its meaning. 

I decided to attend Iowa State University and trust that this hard nose man with my athletic and student life. Many years in and out of his office getting on me with Tough love; Along with getting me to go to class paid off. By the time I was a senior he would remark isn’t it great to be older and have so much wisdom. I was not confounded, put to shame or disappointed that I trusted him with so much Hope for me.

 Many years of refection about my years at Iowa State about the man wearing that stupid derby (loving joke) at Ohio State; was his faithfulness and for me and all of his former players. All we had to do was call him. “Surprise “a side we never saw while as a player.

It is funny how perception verses reality about someone changes your whole attitude in life as a young man when you find out a shared faith.

Hope was an enduring virtue of Earle Bruce I would soon learn. Especially when my girlfriend now my wife was attending church at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Ames, she told me he was in attendance and a member. Once I found out this tough football coach was living the Christian life, my attitude really changed about him. 

1 Corinthians 13:13 and love springs from hope to respect Colossians 1:4-5 Hope produces joy and peace in believers through the power of the Spirit Romans 12:12; 15:13 Paul attributes his apostolic calling to the hope of eternal glory Titus 1:1-2(.Hope in the return of Christ is the basis for believers to purify themselves in this life Titus 2:11-14, 1 John 3:3. 

While attending church in Fort Collins I felt someone’s presents it was a big Sugar Cookie smile staring at me, looking at me from across the aisle it was Earle Bruce and his wife Jean.

Many years later when coach was at Colorado State as head coach he called me and we met for dinner in Denver, with Jean and my wife Mary. The whole night he had that Big Smile on his face shaking his head, saying,” How he could not believe”, I guess he was talking about me my life as a coach, teacher and Christian. He was so Proud and I will never forget that. 

A modest Tough Buckeye/Cyclone and winner that put his Hope and firm insurance in me, “a hard-headed kid “with many problems from Cincinnati.

God Bless You Earle Bruce! Now you are “before the throne of God serving him day and night” (Revelation 7:15).

Sugar Bear “a Love I can never repay!”