In Tribute:  To Players It was a fall Saturday in Virginia during the late ’60s. Two teams of collegians played football. The teams were almost equal except for one player, a linebacker. Unlike the others he wasn’t there to test his skills or measure his talent. He knew how good he was and had nothing to prove to himself or anyone else.

At the end of his sophomore year he had resigned his first string position and his full athletic scholarship to a nationally ranked Big Ten school. He wanted to “study.”

He was now playing college football for fun and to support his new friends. Throughout most of the game his quality of play was worthy of the spotlight, but play after play he created openings for everyone else to catch the light. He was what those inside the game called a “player.” He was someone others could depend on, someone they could trust.

There are players in every sport, every business, every academic, social, political and philanthropic endeavor. They can easily recognize each other, but it is often difficult for us to identify them.

There are ways to spot them, though. They tend to be part of everything productive and useful, but are always standing in the back row for the winning team picture. Players ameliorate and diffuse situations and events that could go off track. They are the ones to deliver a pat on the back or a kick in the butt when either is deserved. Players provide wisdom, guidance and leadership the only way that really matters: by example.

Too often we recognize the participation of those players in our lives only after years of benefiting from their contributions. Some players are parents and relatives, friends and associates, employers and employees. Many are teachers and coaches.

Whether there is one player in your life or many, take a moment, step back and appreciate them, savor them. Most players go unrecognized until they are no longer with us. Like the disappearance of a benevolent bookend, providing stability and support to weighty issues, balance is lost without knowing why.

If you are a player, thank you. If you have identified and appreciated those players in your life, congratulations. If you haven’t yet connected your good fortune to the support of others, wake up. However, the best tribute to the players who have added to the quality of our lives is to become a player for someone else.

In Tribute: Pam Klein, a Player. 1955-2005