Sanford Boisseau '68: Coaching as a Calling
For several years, Sanford Boisseau and I have maintained a running dialogue about sports and life. Much of the time, the conversation is lighthearted and often centers around who coached the wins (me, by the way) and who coached the losses (him) in the two seasons we were responsible for Collegiate’s girls’ varsity basketball team. Occasionally, however, even we can become serious.
One day recently as our banter shifted to a discussion of our motivation for coaching, he offered this interesting and powerful observation: "I’m not here because of me." "Here" wasn’t the athletic director’s office where we had found a quiet place to talk. It didn’t refer to the well-manicured baseball diamond where for 16 years including the last three as head coach he’s shared his knowledge and passion for the game. "Here" is not really a place at all. Instead, it’s the noble concept of coaching, the thought of giving back, the idea of walking humbly in the footsteps of A.L. "Petey" Jacobs, his high school coach and mentor.
"What Petey meant to me goes beyond actually coaching the game," says Boisseau. "It’s living life the way it should be lived: the respecting and caring encompassed in a desire to do your best at all times. I owe so much of the success in my life to him."
One day recently as our banter shifted to a discussion of our motivation for coaching, he offered this interesting and powerful observation: "I’m not here because of me." "Here" wasn’t the athletic director’s office where we had found a quiet place to talk. It didn’t refer to the well-manicured baseball diamond where for 16 years including the last three as head coach he’s shared his knowledge and passion for the game. "Here" is not really a place at all. Instead, it’s the noble concept of coaching, the thought of giving back, the idea of walking humbly in the footsteps of A.L. "Petey" Jacobs, his high school coach and mentor.
"What Petey meant to me goes beyond actually coaching the game," says Boisseau. "It’s living life the way it should be lived: the respecting and caring encompassed in a desire to do your best at all times. I owe so much of the success in my life to him."
Boisseau came to coaching with an impressive résumé as a player. A 1968 Collegiate graduate, he starred in basketball and baseball, earned a bulging scrapbook full of All-Prep and All-Metro certificates and newspaper clippings, and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame last November.
He excelled in both sports at William & Mary and was named honorable mention All-American in 1970 by The Sporting News for his 7-3 record and 1.25 earned run average as a right handed pitcher. His first year out of college, he served as head basketball and baseball coach, athletic director, and guidance counselor at Surry Academy, then returned to Richmond, taught in the city school system, and assisted with hoops at Armstrong High School.
Since 1975, he’s earned his living as a residential real estate appraiser, most recently with P.E. Turner & Co, and along the way he and his wife Lee have raised five daughters.
Anxious to return to the sidelines, he volunteered to coach youth basketball and fast-pitch softball in the West End in 1988, and he’s been involved ever since. That spring, he became the Cougars’ pitching coach and held that post until he was appointed in 2001 to oversee the entire baseball program. In his first two seasons, his teams finished 31-16. This year, they’re 11-2 overall, 9-2 in the Prep League, and still in the hunt for the league title with a week to go.
Boisseau is well respected as a student of the game. He’s a skilled teacher of fundamentals. He’s a motivator who conveys quiet intensity, sportsmanlike demeanor, and a strong will to win. He expects the best from his athletes, and he demands no less of himself.
"Coach Boisseau is an excellent baseball guy," says senior Bryan Barley, a five-year veteran and All-Prep performer. "He uses calm, constructive criticism. He knows how to match the desire to win with acting with class."
Boisseau, who’s a deacon at First Baptist Church, wedges his coaching duties into a long workday that often begins as early as 6 a.m., and it’s not unusual for him to return to the office, or at least to the contents of his briefcase, after dinner. He’d have it no other way. The rewards are just too great.
"Coaching does so much for my overall well being and satisfies my inner peace," he says. "I know that I’m doing what God intended me to do with my life. I can’t repay Collegiate enough for allowing me to coach."--Weldon Bradshaw wbradsha@collegiate-va.org
Back
He excelled in both sports at William & Mary and was named honorable mention All-American in 1970 by The Sporting News for his 7-3 record and 1.25 earned run average as a right handed pitcher. His first year out of college, he served as head basketball and baseball coach, athletic director, and guidance counselor at Surry Academy, then returned to Richmond, taught in the city school system, and assisted with hoops at Armstrong High School.
Since 1975, he’s earned his living as a residential real estate appraiser, most recently with P.E. Turner & Co, and along the way he and his wife Lee have raised five daughters.
Anxious to return to the sidelines, he volunteered to coach youth basketball and fast-pitch softball in the West End in 1988, and he’s been involved ever since. That spring, he became the Cougars’ pitching coach and held that post until he was appointed in 2001 to oversee the entire baseball program. In his first two seasons, his teams finished 31-16. This year, they’re 11-2 overall, 9-2 in the Prep League, and still in the hunt for the league title with a week to go.
Boisseau is well respected as a student of the game. He’s a skilled teacher of fundamentals. He’s a motivator who conveys quiet intensity, sportsmanlike demeanor, and a strong will to win. He expects the best from his athletes, and he demands no less of himself.
"Coach Boisseau is an excellent baseball guy," says senior Bryan Barley, a five-year veteran and All-Prep performer. "He uses calm, constructive criticism. He knows how to match the desire to win with acting with class."
Boisseau, who’s a deacon at First Baptist Church, wedges his coaching duties into a long workday that often begins as early as 6 a.m., and it’s not unusual for him to return to the office, or at least to the contents of his briefcase, after dinner. He’d have it no other way. The rewards are just too great.
"Coaching does so much for my overall well being and satisfies my inner peace," he says. "I know that I’m doing what God intended me to do with my life. I can’t repay Collegiate enough for allowing me to coach."--Weldon Bradshaw wbradsha@collegiate-va.org
Collegiate School | 103 N. Mooreland Road, Richmond, VA 23229 | P. 804.740.7077 | F. 804.741.9797 | webmaster@collegiate-va.org | Contact Us