Beyond the Scoreboard was initiated on August 9, 2004 when founder, Coach Jack Taylor met with a group of advisors at Camp Daggett. It was Jack’s personal vision and commitment that brought this organization into being. Mr. Taylor got into coaching because of the positive influence of Morley Fraser, high school coach in Newberry, Michigan. Coach Fraser taught Jack and his fellow athletes to believe that they could do something with their lives – that they could be something beyond the ordinary if they wanted to. Jack was so positively influenced by this man that he also wanted to be what he saw in his coach, someone who taught others to live lives of strong character and positive values. Jack himself, then became a career coach in order to bring the same inspiration to others, coaching at several universities and colleges before retiring to this area. Coach Taylor continued coaching football, track and cross country at local high schools on a part-time basis well into his 70’s, only recently retiring completely from active coaching.
Beyond the Scoreboard was formed as a non-profit volunteer organization to emphasize the development of positive character traits through youth and interscholastic athletic programs here in Northern Michigan. It strives to teach coaches how to replace the “win-at-all-cost” model of coaching with the “effort-towards-excellence” model, pursuing victory with honor! We seek to inspire teams, while working hard to “win on the field” to also learn how to win “off the field”. We exist to help sports programs, including administrators, coaches and parents, to create a culture of excellence in character! Together we are preparing young people to successfully live life beyond the scoreboard.
The first annual Champions of Character awards banquet was held in 2005, and this annual event, drawing good crowds, continues to be a centerpiece of our program. We also annually conduct workshops, seminars and coaching clinics to further our mission.