There are not many of us who like people who boast or brag about their exploits on the playing fields or courts. In fact we often view those who tend to do so as arrogant. I must admit that I can get caught thinking that way. My view is that those who boast need to eat a little or a lot of humble pie.

You know like, pride cometh before the fall. When it comes to boasting about exploits of many years ago, I have an even harder stance. I just think get over yourself. Nobody really cares anymore to hear about what you did or didn’t do many moons ago.

Perhaps the real reason for the boasting is to try to create a narrative that doesn’t exist anyway. However, what about the other type of person? The one that has accomplished much, yet talks about it very little or perhaps not at all? Perhaps when they are forced to talk about it, they do so almost embarrassingly.

Now that is my type of person.

That is the type of person for which I have the utmost respect and root for.

A few weeks ago, I had the distinct privilege to attend the West Branch Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame banquet where 11 people were honored and inducted for their career exploits in the world of athletics. There were wrestlers, basketball players, football players, coaches, contributors and others that were honored by receiving a spot in the hall. A few of the honorees are still active as coaches, referees and writers while others competed as far back as the 1960s.

It was clear to me that by the short speeches that each honoree gave that each of them had already eaten their humble pie if they’d ever needed to eat it in the first place. Not one spoke glowingly of their accomplishments.

What did they speak about? Each one thanked their parents, coaches, teachers, teammates and friends for all the support that they were given throughout the years. They made it clear that without such support they would never have been able to achieve the level of success that they did in their area or areas of excellence.

Each one spoke of the relationships that they built through their athletic careers. Many of those relationships opened doors for them to have opportunities that they might otherwise have never gotten. Numerous inductees spoke of the role of God in their journeys and were thankful of the opportunities that they were provided by God’s grace. Each inductee likewise spoke of the lessons that they learned from their participation in athletics admitting that many of those lessons could have never been learned had it not been for athletics.

Thankful would be the way I would describe how many of the inductees spoke of their career in the sports world. Thankful for the opportunities that they had to compete and thankful for the lessons learned from them as well.

I was at the event in support of two of the honorees specifically.

One who is deceased and one who is alive. I sat next to the one honoree whom I’ve now known well for over 40 years. I can tell you that sitting at that table on his night, the night when he would be honored among a distinguished group of former standout athletes and others, not one word did he utter about his distinguished wrestling career. But it got me thinking about more than that. In the 40 years that I’ve known him, not once have I ever heard him say anything about his outstanding wrestling career in the 1960s.

In fact, he has always been one to just brush off any discussion about that time in his life even to the point of seeming to be embarrassed to discuss those days of some time ago. While I have never told him this, I greatly respect that in a person.

That’s my kind of athlete. Why? Because I feel that it is like the rich man and poor man in life and death. The rich man acquires vast amounts of money and possessions. He can brag about them all he wants, but when he passes all those things are left behind. What is left behind are the perceptions and memories that others had of him.

The poor man may struggle in life but likewise takes nothing with him when he passes. He too leaves behind just memories and perceptions. In other words, all will leave the world with the same number of possessions with which they entered.

For the athlete, it could be the acquisition of countless awards and trophies. When he passes, those trophies will be left behind. Personally, I’ve already taken care of that dilemma for my kids and tossed most of my trophies. What really matters in the end are the memories and relationships that one gains from their experiences. As I look back on the banquet and the honorees speeches, I ponder if perhaps the Bible verse in James might be applicable to them as it says, in 4:6, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humble they were. Is that perhaps what had given them the grace to accomplish the great things that they had done while they were competing? I think it is a safe bet.

While many may forget the accomplishments that some achieved, they will likely never forget the way they handled those accomplishments. I for one was extremely impressed by the way that those who were honored at the banquet that night carried themselves. Might their stories be a model for others to follow? For those inclined to brag a little, I’d suggest that they eat a little bit of humble pie and in the end, they will likely benefit more from others’ perceptions of their grace in success.

Remember, it is not what you have done but what you have gained from the experiences that really matters. Along with that, the way that you can positively impact others through your success is equally important too. So handle success with grace and class and impact others in a way that you will be remembered as such.

That is a person that most will root for most, if not all the time.

NOTE: Inducted into the West Branch Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 10 were Williamsport graduate Madina Ali, Warrior Run graduate Jen Allen, Williamsport Sun-Gazette sports reporter Chris Masse, the Williamsport Crosscutters’ Gabe Sinicropi, Williamsport graduate Alan Eck, Lock Haven University graduate Bobby Lynn, Jersey Shore football coach Tom Gravish, Bucktail graduate Maria Morgan, Bald Eagle-Nittany graduate and Central Mountain wrestling coach Biff Walizer and Lock Haven’s Gary Cook. Lock Haven alumni Rodger Cook was recognized as the deceased inductee. Also recognized as Volunteers of the Year were Rod Laub, Tom Aber, Hal Spooner and Lock Haven’s Ron Bowes.