"Once a Lion, Always a Lion" Coach Jack Salter 2007

Covington High School recently dismissed a long time contributor to the Covington High School Football Program. I was fortunate enough to be one of the many young men that were mentored and partially raised by the Covington High Football staff between 1988 - 1992. You can find the Covington High School Fighting Lions campus in Covington, Louisiana. All Lion football games were played in "The Cow Palace," unless the game was away, of course. The stadium now bears the title, "Jack Salter Stadium," which was rightfully dedicated in his honor shortly after his retirement in 1995.

Coach Jack Salter (258 Wins 1963-95 (258-111-8) [69.5%]) had a plethora of accomplishments, such as multiple State Championship appearances (including the 1976 State Championship Title), a virtual monopoly on District Championships, and most importantly, developing young boys into young men. Likewise, the academic side of Covington High had an equally influential leader in Principal Patricia Massoth, who happens to be my aunt. With Coach Salter having the role of Athletic Director and head football coach, and my Aunt Pat at the reigns of principal, Covington High had a pair of leaders that implemented vision, focus, and ability to position Covington High School as the 'model' for aspiring high schools that needed guidance in striving and achieving greatness.

A new era had begun in 1986 when Mr. Bankston moved from being Principal of CHS to Superintendent of St. Tammany Parish Schools. In his place, Mrs. Patricia Massoth was appointed Principal.
Graduated from Covington High School - 1952
Bachelor's Degree Louisiana State University - 1956
Master's Degree Louisiana State University - 1956
Classroom teacher Istrouma High School 1956-1959 and 1961-1963
Instructor Florida State University 1959- 1960
Librarian Palatka High School in Florida - 1960-1961
Classroom Teacher and Librarian Covington High School 1970 - 1975
Covington High School Assistant Principal - 1975-1986
Covington High School Principal - 1986-1990


As you can tell, my high school experience created feelings of honor, loyalty, and respect for my Alma Mater. With the recent dismissal of the current head football coach, Coach Daryl Graham, I felt it appropriate to share my feelings of steadfast confidence in Covington High regaining its prominence in southest Louisiana and throughout the state. What might not be clear is that although Coach Graham was relieved as Covington's head football coach, he still has the title and responsibility as Covington High's Athletic Director. Without further ado, I wish to share my letter to Athletic Director Daryl Graham on November 29, 2007:

“Once a Lion, Always a Lion” Jack Salter 11/2007

November 29, 2007

Coach Graham,

I just read a couple of articles relating to you not being the head coach for Covington High, and one statement stood out; that being: "once a Lion always a Lion," said by Coach Salter in remarking to your dismissal.

I would like to add some words of encouragement to you as ya'll always did for us when we were going through tough times. I also aim to encourage you to persevere even in the throws of controversy, turmoil, and confusion. As athletic director of Covington High, you have an important responsibility, if not more important responsibility than before, to ensure that the culture, tradition, and richness that we have grown over the past fifty years at Covington High Football succeeds. The community, administration, coaches, parents, and players all have made significant contributions to the Covington High Football program over the years. Through your upcoming efforts, its imperative that you assemble a staff that encompasses a leader that can recognize, harness, and synergize the strength of those instrumental parts of the program into one collective effort.

In my short, but fortuitous, life involving football, I have witnessed that all greatness begins at the top. If great leadership is at the top, then it begins to trickle down into every facet of the organization. The same can be said if poor leadership is at the reigns. Your fortitude and endurance through this challenging time is imperative to the future success of our beloved Lions. Without your clear and calculated leadership, the program will undoubtedly suffer.

Its too easy to point and criticize in hind-site and after the fact. Those efforts are focused in the wrong direction anyway. That is why I am offering myself. Please do not misinterpret this as boastful, I only mean as someone of action rather than a 'by-stander' or 'nay-sayer.' With the worst football season that I can ever recall, it will be the 'norm' for individuals to abandon Covington High Football, and the exception for individuals to stand beside our program believing we can restore its prominence.

I am not here to make excuses for you. You are a grown man, and you can deal with your folly's as well as your successes. I will attest that through my experience at Covington High, I feel better equipped for dealing with my own folly's. I have failed miserably professionally, personally, and recreationally at random times thus far. I anticipate that I will blunder yet again in some capacity in the future, but because of those failures, I have also tasted success.

You have participated in more state championships as a player and/or coach than 99% of the people who enter the coaching profession. In implementing the intuitive nature that you have developed through your journeys to those state championships, you can excrete the necessary attributes that need to be in the person you choose as your successor to ensure the future success of Covington's Football program.

Again, I offer myself in any capacity that you deem necessary to begin the restoration of Covington High Football. That means from help at the little league level to the high school level, or anything in between.

"Once a Lion, Always a Lion"

Trey Champagne"



This post is a call to have honor and respect for the individuals and institutions that have helped you get to where you are. We too often take for granted the educators that have influenced and helped shape our lives. Recognize and honor the positive building blocks from your education.



Trey

Marriage: A Daily Challenge

Marriage has to be the biggest challenge in my life. Not because of something I want outside of my marriage, but because of the things I long for within my existing marriage. Love is subjective, and my greatest fears in regard to love have materialized in my marriage.

I have always been extremely cautious with my heart. For what ever reason, I have had a hard time letting people, especially females, close to me. Not implying that I had shortages of relationships, but shortages in meaningful relationships. I have always been afraid of rejection, I suppose like everyone else, and I insulated myself by keeping my girlfriends at arms length so that if they chose to terminate the relationship, my heart would be protected (since I hadn't fully vested it in the relationship).

Naivety is a blissful trait in some cases, and believing that I had control over "Love" is the epitome of my naivety. Love knows no boundaries, so to pretend that I could sustain the 'arms length' rule to protect my heart was futile. Just is the case in my marriage. I am glad that love breaks down the artificial walls that I constructed, but at the same time, the vulnerabilities that were the inspiration of there creation, become completely exposed.

So what happens if you fall in love, marry, bear children and attempt to sustain a marriage with someone who has not fallen in love with you? Wow, how hard was that to write? To acknowledge that this scenario is an actual possibility is very hard to digest, yet its the very scenario that I find myself in.

I knew I wanted to marry my wife within weeks of our relationship. She knew my fondness of her because I could not disguise my feelings. She even teased me early on, by confidently making jokes of my unsaid matrimonial desires. I had a conversation with God just before I started dating her. That conversation detailed my 'ideal' candidate for a bride, and within months, God delivered her to me.

There was no question to me of whether I would wed my wife, it was rather the question of when she would agree to be my bride. My love for her was instantaneous and unconditional. She dictated to me how things were going to be, and I went along because I knew she was going to be in my life forever. Although my list of faults is to long to list, she had no faults that we couldn't work out together.

In the blindness of love, I chose to only look through my eyes. Skewed with emotion, I consciously, or subconsciously, chose to ignore whether or not my wife shared the same unconditional love that I have for her. Fatal mistake. In hind site, I think it is clear that she did not share the same love for me, as I had in her. Ouch, that hurts to say, but the signs are watermarked all over the duration of our relationship.

In the immortal words of Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."