The Life Coach: Small-Town Lessons on Faith, Family, and Football

In small-town Decatur, Texas, football was life. And Ronnie Gage couldn’t wait to become a Decatur Eagle. His football ability was decent, but he knew there wasn’t a big demand for 150-pound center and safety, so he focused his career goals on the next best thing―coaching. This provided a way to give back to a sport, and a community, who had given him so much. 

Nearly forty years later, after countless winning seasons and championships, Coach Gage found himself in a unique situation, coaching an unusual player. When Emmet (Tom) Thompson joined the Austin College football team as a spry fifty-nine year-old kicker, Coach Gage had his doubts. But Thompson’s dedication and tenacity spoke for himself on the field, and the two men forged an unshakable friendship built on their three loves―faith, family, and football. 

In The Life Coach, Coach Gage shares the important life lessons he’s learned both on and off the field. Tom Thompson―kicking coach, author, and speaker―lends supporting anecdotes based on his many years in leadership roles. Together, they hope to inspire players and parents, coaches and crowds, to live a life of faith on and off the field, to make the most of every opportunity, and to have fun while doing it.