Man finds letter he wrote to childhood coach — proof that all it takes is for one person to believe in you

The difference between a coach and a good coach often comes down to the things that can’t be measured — like whether they pay attention to the kid who’s usually overlooked, or whether they choose to encourage rather than criticize. For one young athlete, that difference made all the impact, and years later, they put their feelings into words. Reddit user u/Dramatic_Living_8737, a youth soccer coach, recently shared a letter he found amongst his coaching gear that was written to him by one of his former players. Titled "Dear Coach Scott," the handwritten note spells out everything this kid had heard from coaches before — and how Coach Scott saw things differently.

The letter begins, "A coach once told me I was too little. But you didn’t think so." Then comes the next line. "A coach once told me I was too timid, but you didn’t think so." It keeps going, and with each one, the pattern repeats. "A coach once told me I was too slow, but you didn’t think so. A coach once told me I was too emotional, but you didn’t think so. A coach once told me watching from the bench would make me better, but you didn’t think so. A coach once told me I wasn’t made for soccer, but you didn’t think so."

Toward the end, the kid adds, "Another coach showed me I was good enough and all that mattered was that I loved to play. All the rest would come." The letter concludes with, "Thank you, Coach Scott! You made me love soccer and gave me a chance when another coach wouldn’t. I’ll miss you very much." The post gained over 4400 upvotes, and viewers were moved by what impact one adult can have when they choose to believe in a kid.

u/probably-the-problem wrote, "These are the real paychecks. That letter is priceless." u/StarFawnie added, "Imagine being the reason someone didn’t give up on themselves. That’s you, Coach Scott." u/Unable-Ostrich-2799 shared, "Seriously though, I’m happy you had someone in your life that believed in you — every kid needs at least one role model like that." u/VoteForLubo praised the kid, writing, "What a nice kid! The sentiment is much older than the handwriting." u/IDK_SoundsRight quipped, "This kid will remember you for the rest of their lives and probably tell their children about you. Relatively little things like this are how legends are born. Thank you for being a real one." u/Sunflower_Bison, "That is an impact for a lifetime, to know that someone believes in you and gives you the chance to try and believe in yourself. Priceless. As a mom, thank you!!"

Some shared their anecdotes of having teachers like Coach Scott, who impacted their lives. u/beansnack shared, "I remember my high school coaches. They were true to the idea of giving us responsibility and chances to have fun. Great community members like yourself!" u/sweetwolf86 added, "I had a teacher like this. I would have dropped out of school if not for him. Incidentally, he was also a coach. Thank you for being a real one, Coach Scott!" u/SanFranTortureFan simply suggested, "Frame it. On bad days, it'll be great for you. Way to be a great coach and inspire like you're supposed to!"