Swenson set fine example choosing family over football
Iowa Park coach Michael Swenson didn’t spend halftime of Friday night’s football game devising new schemes for use against Wichita Falls High.
Frankly, Swenson had somewhere more important to be.
Instead of delving into halftime adjustments, Swenson was busy escorting his daughter, Micah, as part of Iowa Park’s homecoming court. A senior cheerleader, Micah was one of four girls nominated for the illustrious honor of homecoming queen.
And it was a moment the Iowa Park head coach wasn’t going to miss.
“I have been really emotional about this all week,” Swenson said after Iowa Park’s loss to Old High on Friday. “It wasn’t something I was going to miss. This was more important than any game I’ll ever coach.”
It’s not easy being a coach’s kid. It’s even more difficult being the child of a head football coach in Texas. And then being the daughter of a head football coach makes it even more arduous.
That’s a fact not lost on Swenson.
“My daughter has sacrificed so much,” he said. “There are sports she didn’t play growing up because she wanted to be by my side. She spent a lot of time in dugouts (when Swenson was a baseball coach) growing up, and it was all to spend some time with me.”
Just a year ago, Swenson witnessed City View head football coach Rudy Hawkins make a similar decision, missing the first half of a non-district game to escort his daughter, Mackenzie, during Iowa Park’s homecoming.
Not that Swenson needed to see Hawkins do it to make his decision.
“It was an easy decision. This is a moment I’d never get back,” Swenson said. “I’ll be coaching in a lot more games in my career. I only get to do this once. This is so much more important than any game.”
Micah didn’t win homecoming queen. That honor went to standout Lady Hawk athlete Isabella Dickens.
Iowa Park didn’t win the football game, either.
But father and daughter walked off the field feeling like champions.
And Swenson should have won the admiration of many in attendance.
High school coaches are elevated in this state but often on the merit of wins and losses. In the process, they’re asked to serve as good role models for the young athletes playing for them.
On Friday, Swenson put one of life’s greatest lessons in practice.
Family first.
Maybe they don’t realize it yet, but it’s a lesson that will resonate with Swenson’s players in the future.
That’s a win.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Iowa Park coach Michael Swenson chose daughter over football
