 Coach
William Wiener (cont...) (BACK
TO NEWSLETTER)
"He was a teacher that
taught more than about a subject," said Rabbi Friedman.
"He taught about life - life's values, responsibilities,
honesty,
integrity,
responsibility and hard work. He taught more than about
scoring a basket but how to be a mensch. He
was a very principled person, even if it wasn't always
popular."
"There were hundreds and hundreds of people at his
leviah -- standing room only. His legacy
is this - if you really do what's right, people will
respect
you for it."
Rambam faculty member Rabbi Avi Haar then
took the podium. Rabbi Haar offered a unique perspective
because,
when he was in high school, he was one of the
star players on Coach Wiener's team.
"I did not call him Coach," Rabbi Haar said, "I
thought that by calling him 'Coach', I took
away from so much that he gave me and all his players.
I called him Mr. Wiener."
Rabbi Haar listed many wonderful things Mr. Wiener
gave his players including "the best uniforms,
gym bags, socks, extra games at travel tournaments,
towels, drinks at halftime and a memorable steak dinner
that his wife cooked at his house at the end of each
season."
But, perhaps the greatest thing Mr. Wiener gave to
those who knew him, Rabbi Haar said, was his legacy. "He
taught us that, whenever you do something, do it right,
or don't do it at all. He believed in maximizing your
potential and doing the best you can....He taught us
that discipline, that desire to do things right in
every thing you do....Yes, winning was important to
him but more than this he believed that, if you go
out and play your best, that's all you can do, the
rest is out of your control."
"One's life is a fleeting dream," Rabbi
Haar concluded, "But we've all been put here for
a purpose . So it's our job to maximize our potential
so that we can truly say that we've done all that we
can. This is what I will always remember about Mr.
Wiener."
In
memory of Mr. Wiener, Rambam Mesivta
will undertake the learning of Mishnayos and
encourage suggestions for additional
commemorations.
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