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Thanks to Coach Cardenas’ dedication and hard work, the Johnson Boys & Girls Club in
The other USA Football members who were recognized as “Responsible Coaches” were Edmond Wilson, Warren Crockett, Bill Reilly, Sue Lizotte and Jason Wilcox.
For a complete list of football winners, click here.
Liberty Mutual launched Responsible Sports last fall in partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance, USA Youth Football and US Youth Soccer. The online resource provides parents and coaches with advice, toolkits and best practices on coaching and mentoring today’s youth, so they can maximize the positive role they play in young athletes’ lives.
Below is an excerpt from Coach Cardenas’ winning nomination submitted by the mother of one of his players:
Jose Cardenas excels at coaching youth from a high risk neighborhood. His genuine passion for football enables him to encourage his players to thoroughly understand and love the game as well. Even after several years of coaching, Jose still educates himself on football in order to be most effective. While he drills them on skills necessary to enhance their play, he doesn’t neglect the fact that many of his players face greater battles in their everyday circumstances. Many of Jose’s players don’t have other positive male figures in their lives and so they look up to him. Each week he assists them with their homework and stays involved with their parents to insure they stay on track. With his leadership this year, his team was undefeated and won the championship in their division. Overall, he is an outstanding role model and the quintessential example of what a responsible coach is.
Coach Cardenas recently spent a few minutes with USA Football to reflect on his award.
What types of things do you teach your players that will help them not only be better players but better people off the field?
“The majority of my players are from high-risk neighborhoods and have grown up in single-mother households. For that reason, I really try to be a positive male role model for them. I emphasize three things to my players: education, respect, and responsibility. In regards to education, many of them lack motivation and guidance in this pivotal issue. To help deal with that, I require my players to attend a team tutoring session on Mondays in which I personally help them with any schoolwork they have. On top of that, in order to be allowed to practice and participate in the game, their grades in school must be acceptable. Since we have our study sessions, it becomes easier for them to stay on top of their work and get help with any questions they otherwise may not be able to. Respect is another principle that I feel is the key to good sportsmanship. This includes respecting officials, other teams, teammates, and even fans. By teaching my players to respect others, not only will they exhibit better sportsmanship in the game, I believe they will also treat others better in life. Along with that, responsibility teaches them to account for their actions and any consequences that may arise with it in the game and in life. This means being responsible at home, school, and in their community.
Why did you want to become a member of
“I attended a coaches’ clinic sponsored by USA Football and learned a great deal, especially when it came to time management. Shortly after, I found myself on the website trying to absorb as much knowledge as I could. One of the things I enjoyed most as a member was the practice planner. This was great because it allowed me to be more prepared and focus on every aspect of the game. Not only was I using the planner, but I benefited from using the drills library and the playbook creator. I was able to use different drills on a daily basis and create very clean and legible playbooks.”
To learn more about the benefits of becoming an USA Football Coaching member click here.