Show Up Anyway!

Photo Below: Can you name these coach’s wife’s? You’re looking at a living archive of college football history. The wives who for decades kept the faith, the families, and the game going; one Saturday at a time.

Show Up Anyway

One early August, we had no quarterbacks.

None.

Injury. Illness. Transfer. The football gods emptied our roster just to see what we were made of. I joked about writing a letter: “Dear Opponent, please understand, we literally have no one left to throw the ball.”

But that’s not how college football works. You don’t write letters. You show up. That’s the rule.

Somewhere along the way, I think we’ve forgotten that rule.

We’ve grown tired, cautious, comfortable on the sidelines. Too ready to cancel the game before it begins.

We tell ourselves it’s mercy, or timing, or logic, but maybe it’s fear.

Fear of not being our best. Fear of falling short. Fear of getting yelled at by the coach.

Here’s the truth: part of winning is failing.

But not showing up isn’t failure. It’s surrender.

Life, like football, will knock you down, wear you out, and break your plan in half. But that’s where character lives. That’s where the great ones are forged, in the chaos, the bruises, the moments everyone else gives up.

Because when you show up, even empty, you’re still in the game.

That’s how you build faith. That’s how you build heart. That’s how you win.

No excuses. Just show up.

Every single time.

Now get out there and play.