KALAMAZOO, MI - In 18 years as a football coach, Western Michigan's Tim Lester has learned some things on the gridiron can impact his players long after their careers are over.
It didn't take long in his WMU career for Lester to share one such moment with his first group of Broncos.
Prior to Saturday's season opener against USC, Lester received a request from Trojans coach Clay Helton for the Broncos to allow long snapper Jake Olson a free attempt at an extra-point snap.
It's antithetical for a football coach to demand his team take a play off, but Lester knew allowing Olson to complete a successful snap Saturday would provide his players with a lesson in sportsmanship and compassion that blocking an extra point could not.