There is No Elevator to Success, You Have to Take the Stairs.

Not too long ago, I stepped into an elevator and reached to push the button to register my ride to my designated floor. I was pleasantly surprised upon reading the humorous and ironic quote contained within the placard mounted on the wall...

"There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs."

That brilliant quote by world-renowned motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, was perfect.



When going after your dreams and goals in life, it's not easy to succeed without a great deal of struggle throughout the process. You can make progress and ascend, but then some type of road block or major obstacle gets in your way. You pause or stumble, and maybe tumble backwards a bit, and then regroup with your allies and supporters, before continuing onward in your upward climb.

Life moves ahead and you try even harder, all the while knowing you are Not guaranteed a successful outcome. However, your hopes and deep belief in yourself and your proven teammates provides the fuel for your drive into an unpredictable future.

When you coach in any sport long enough, you get the opportunity to work alongside some great coaches, mentors, teachers, leaders, regardless of the level you're at, youth, high school, college or pro.

In fact, when looking and learning about another person's remarkable efforts in pursuit of their own wonderful achievements, the mini-wins and tribulations during their trek to attain a set of goals is often stunning, gut-wrenching and amazing.

The great game of Football is the ultimate team game. Football teaches us valuable lessons about planning, hard work, perseverance, making adjustments, and best of all, being unselfish in the quest to win for your team.

Zig Ziglar's wise quote about, "taking the stairs" can serve as a great reminder for anybody willing to listen and learn while pursuing their dreams along the way.

We Have So Much to be Thankful For...

Each year on JULY 4th, our great country and its amazing people of every ethnicity, religion, belief and gender join together to celebrate our nation's birthday and its incredibly valuable and important position in this world.

As with all outstanding countries, America is filled with excellent people possessing remarkable traits. America is the most generous and prosperous country in the world, and the USA will forever be a dynamic work in progress striving to improve upon itself every day of its fascinating and historic life.



America provides unlimited opportunity for all people able and willing to work hard to achieve their hopes and dreams. America proudly opens its arms of Freedom and Opportunity for everyone willing to give their best effort.



Within the USA, there are thousands of wonderful and diverse cities and regions, supported by people taking part in their ongoing traditions while also developing new ones for current and future generations to enjoy.

The great City of Oakland, CA, the entire East Bay, and greater SF Bay Area is a very special place to live. It's a lovely spot that's brimming with incredibly bright and beautiful people born and raised locally, and from all over the world.



Our region is blessed with the best weather, a beautiful bay, gorgeous beaches touching the Pacific Ocean, wonderful lakes, valleys and mountains, outstanding restaurants, outdoor recreation choices galore and a multitude of entertainment options, all bolstered by thousands of career-making jobs and innovative opportunities.

We have much to be thankful for each and every day.

We Shared A Valuable Experience Together

The old saying goes, "People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime."

In the football coaching fraternity, which is relatively small, that mantra rings true.

At each stop an experienced football coach encounters during his career, it's the good people = the players, coaches and administrators that one tends to remember the most.

Respectfully, during our two-years of diligently and completely rebuilding the culture of the entire football program at Arroyo from the ground up, my coaching staff and I enjoyed some difficult and very good times together.



The Arroyo football program is in excellent hands with Coach Mikel Dace (pictured 2nd from Right) now assuming command, with his very capable and innovative staff alongside him. They truly care about the players and the overall health of the football program.

Regarding the outstanding group of football coaches at Arroyo, I am very proud to call them my friends, not only are they great coaches, but they are even better men, both on and off the field.

I wish the Arroyo Football players, coaches, administrators and fans a great deal of exciting success in the years ahead.

Go Dons!

Thanks, Dad. A Father's Day Special

Regardless of the time constraints put upon us or self-imposed in this bustling world, there is always enough time to say Thank You to the special people in our lives.

To my wonderful Dad, now almost 91-years old, Happy Father's Day!

Thanks so much for always being there for us, loving us, teaching us, enjoying things with us, and instructing us about living a fulfilling and virtuous life.

You have lived an incredible life of your own and shared so much with our family.





And, to all of the wonderful Dad's out there...enjoy your special day!

Fate Came Calling? Yes it Did...

The term "Fate" is described as - the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.

Several-years ago, when the lives of the Vest family intersected with that of yours-truly, and the opportunity to write the dramatic and incredible life-story of airline pilot Warren Vest arose, I gratefully accepted the exciting and daunting challenge. Fortunately, the three-year project consisting of in-depth interviews with Warren and many great people from his life, combined with the sweeping time periods enveloping this story, made for a remarkable experience overall and in the writing of the book.

Please visit: www.FateCameCalling.com and I hope you enjoy the story about the fascinating life of Warren Vest. The Printed version of the book and E-Book are available on Amazon.com.

About – Fate Came Calling.

As a young farmer and freshman student at the University of Missouri, Warren Vest was unexpectedly chosen to transport a new species of animal to a continent on the other side of the world. His remarkable journey led to a series of events that altered the course of his life from farming to becoming an incredible pilot and airline executive. His strong leadership and outstanding contributions changed the lives of countless others along the way. Whenever fate came calling, Warren rose to the occasion throughout his personal life and professional endeavors.



“I’m so glad this story is ready to be shared. It’s not only a tribute to this amazing man but a record of an incredible life lived. Warren’s life story is akin to the best Indiana Jones book except it is non-fiction. In today’s world will we ever see his kind again?”

Robert “Bob” Franklin,
Marine Corps F-4 Phantom Pilot, Vietnam
World Airways Captain (39 years)


“I love the title, “Fate Came Calling”, but this book is much more than just about fate. It’s a wonderful human-interest story about family, enduring friendships, hard work, professionalism, skill, dedication, loyalty, and perseverance. Warren and I met at age 19 as we embarked on our aviation careers and we have never forgotten those seminal events we shared as adventurous youngsters. Our friendship has entered its 7th decade. His book brings back a flood of great memories for me and I’m sure readers will find his story exciting and inspiring.”

Douglas Brian “Pete” Peterson,
U.S.A.F. Colonel Retired & Vietnam POW
U.S. Congressman
First Ambassador to Vietnam

Kyler Murray is About to Change Professional Football Forever

Respectfully, to the naysayers about the inability of Oklahoma Quarterback and future Pro Football Star, Kyler Murray to Not be able to have a successful career in the NFL because he is Not tall enough to play QB in the NFL, they are incorrect.

It is precisely due to the unique combination of Kyler Murray's great leadership style, top intelligence, and his dynamic athletic and play-making abilities that will make it very possible for Murray to not only have a successful QB career in the NFL, but he will also become the beacon of change at the Quarterback position in the NFL. Murray's rise will signify a cleansing of some outdated thoughts about the mandated physical stature required to win at the QB spot in the NFL, while additionally endorsing the innovative offenses populating the high school and collegiate ranks nationwide, and beginning to seep into the NFL, thereby finally kicking-in the door of professional football, respectfully.

To be clear, Kyler Murray cannot do it alone, he will need a good OL and running game, and a sound defense, but all of those are doable by the Cardinals, if given enough time to develop those parts of the team around Murray.



Remember, in order to survive and thrive, the Game MUST adapt to its athletes or it will suffer and/or perish.

Not only have the high school and college football coaches across the nation helped to usher in an overall more wide-open brand of football because they are often forced to innovate to compete - using the variable talent-levels of the players that appear on their rosters annually. But more importantly, the nuances and schemes of the game Must adapt to win the skilled athletes, and influence the hearts and minds of great players that are thoughtfully deciding whether or not to play the game of football.

Other shorter and/or "athletic" quarterbacks throughout pro football history have helped to lay the groundwork for Kyler Murray's success, and combined with the spread offenses and more protective rules of today helping to keep QB's a bit safer, it's a win-win.

Fran Tarkenton caused headaches for opposing defenses and went to 4 Super Bowls.



Drew Brees has Won a Super Bowl and has broken numerous passing records.



Michael Vick transformed the game at the professional level, even though he confessed to not studying film or game plans that much.



Doug Flutie was a fantastic player, but since most decision makers at that time in the NFL deemed him to small, he went to the old USFL first, then to the NFL and to the CFL, before finally returning to the NFL in the twilight of his dynamic career.



Russell Wilson is the closest comparison to Kyler Murray, from an athletic and pure passer standpoint, and Wilson's already earned a Super Bowl Championship, and was merely one-throw away from winning another.



Kyler Murray is going to have a very successful career in the NFL and the game will be changed forever in more ways than one.

The Future of Football Will Feature Versatile and Interchangeable Players

The greatest sport ever created is American Football.

And, one of the main reasons that football has prospered has been its unwavering ability to adapt and innovate to survive and thrive. Evolution is key and conceptual Revolution has been necessary at various points in the game's history.

In 2007 and 2008 when we created and utilized the A-11 Offense featuring fully-interchangeable players on offense, it not only opened-up the game like never before, but it offered a fantastic window into the future of football.



Employing Offensive and Defensive players that are entirely interchangeable with the ability to adapt and improvise in any situation, unleashes the game's creativity on every potential play.

Question: If you were going to create a new type of automobile, would you build it today with limited options and spartan features, or would you offer the most innovative designs and options possible?



For now, on the Offensive side of the ball, there are extreme restrictions regarding which players (based on jersey number) can become eligible to receive a forward pass and/or advance with the football on a given play, 36 options respectively.



However, by allowing the Offensive players to be fully-interchangeable (just like the defensive players) then the game's versatile offensive players' talents are maximized, and the creative options explode to 16,632 possibilities of which player can receive the snap and advance with the football, Even Though the offensive Formation Eligibility Rules remain the same.



The Game of football will become even faster and more complex, and the incredible athletes will push the limits of the game's future beyond anything that could have been imagined even 25 or 30-years ago.

It's time for the next big step forward in the evolution of football.