By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. – J.B. Grimes’
offensive linemen need only
to look at their coach for inspiration
this football season.
The Auburn assistant
coach had surgery to remove
both a cancerous spot on his
tongue and his lymph nodes
on a Wednesday, and was on
the field the following Monday
for the start of football
practice in August. Grimes
was named this Wednesday
this week’s national nominee
for the Courage Award by
the Football Writers Association
of America. The winner
will be announced after the
season.
Auburn’s linemen know
how they’d cast their vote.
“That’s one tough dude,”
said lineman Braden Smith
in recommending Grimes for
the award. “Having surgery,
then going back out to practice
with a bunch of staples
in your neck – that had to be
incredible pain, but he made
us feel like it would hurt him
more to be away from us.”
Coach Gus Malzahn
summed it up this way: “J.B. is
probably the toughest coach
in college football.”
Grimes said doctors told
him he was cancer free. Lineman
Alex Kozan said Grimes
put aside his surgery for the
team.
“A lot of coaches would
have hung it up for a week or
two ? or maybe the season ?
but he put us first. He always
puts us first,” Kozan said.
Lineman Shon Coleman,
a leukemia survivor, won
the award last season. This
season, he wanted to know if
his coach was eligible.
Coleman was one of the
driving forces to nominate Grimes.
“That’s a very tough guy
with some big energy,” Coleman
said. “Nothing can stop
him from being a part of our
team and moving us forward.
He believes in us that
much. If one of us gets hurt,
we’re going to look over and
see what he went through,
and he’s been through a lot.
That respect for him has
brought us closer. We want
to play great to show him
what he has done for us
means.”
“His example is powerful,”
said lineman Jordan
Diamond.
Grimes was told not to
raise his voice during the
early stages of fall practice.
He followed that command
for a few minutes.
Soon, he was back barking
instructions, teaching
his players the finer points
of the game.
“He coaches us like he
didn’t have anything more
important in the world,”
said center Xavier Dampeer.
“I don’t know how he does
it with the pain he had to
fight. He inspires me – if my
coach can come back day
after day and give it his best,
then I can push through
drills or cramping or pretty
much anything that comes
my way.”
Lineman Devonte Danzey
said Grimes’ quick return
from surgery “might be one
of the most courageous
things I’ve ever seen in my
life. It gives us something to
fight for — to show him that
we really appreciate him
every day.”
“Some days,” said Mike
Horton, “maybe we don’t
want to be practicing or
working, but you wouldn’t
dare do anything less than
your best. We work hard
because we work hard for
him. He’s a coach you want
to play for.”
The Courage Award,
which has been presented
by the Football Writers Association
of America since
2002, considers “courage
on or off the field, including
overcoming an injury
or physical handicap, preventing
a disaster or living
through hardship.”
This season’s winner will
be honored at the Orange
Bowl.
Grimes is married to Jennifer
(Graves) Grimes, a 1977
Nashville High School graduate
and he is the son-in-law
of the late Louis “Swampy”
Graves and Wilton Graves
of Nashville.
– Charles Goldberg is a Senior
Writer at AuburnTigers.
com.
