The following is the third in a series that highlights each of the four Illinois FCS head coaches as they share thoughts and memories about their mentors. Today’s featured coach is Jared Elliott of Western Illinois.

The men Jared Elliott considers his mentors encompass his years as a player and a young coach. Moreover, they easily come to mind.

“I think this is probably true for everybody in that you have people that are instrumental every step of the way in your journey,” Elliott told Prairie State Pigskin recently. 

For Elliott, that journey began while playing high school football in Franklin, Tenn. under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Alvin Palmer and quarterbacks coach Richard Lee.

“Both of those guys were instrumental. Even before college I knew I was one of those guys — I’m sure there’s a number of them out there — you kind of know you’ll never end up playing (professionally). You think I just want to be a part of this. It was that way for me because of coaches like Alvin Palmer and Richard Lee that I had in high school.

“They taught not only the fundamentals of the game, but character, discipline, all the parallels to life that the game teaches all of us. Those guys were just amazing. I’m still very close with both of them to this day. It’s amazing when you still have guys like that as part of your support system.”

That support system stayed with Elliott as he transitioned into college where he played at Miami (Ohio) in the Mid-American Conference.

Alvin Palmer (photo courtesy Elk Valley Times)

“I was back home for a little bit of summer that we had. Coach Palmer had left Page High School where I had played and he was the head coach at Hazel Green High School in Alabama, which was only about an hour or hour-and-a-half drive from Franklin,” Elliott shared. “He had called me up and said, ‘Jared, come hop in the truck with me and come down for a summer workout and talk to the team and let me show you around.

“I had graduated. I wasn’t his player anymore, but he was that kind of man reaching out and still interested in your life and wants you to be part of his life. I spent the whole day with him and ate dinner at his family’s house. Moments like those are moments that really stick with you forever.”

As for Lee, Elliott recalled a “tough-love lesson” following a rough first half.

“I remember I got the biggest butt-whippin’ of my life in the locker room at halftime. I still remember we were playing Sycamore High School, it might have been my junior year. It was (laughs) intense. It was one of those coach-player moments where he was all over it, and I probably deserved it,” Elliott said.

Yet, it was a night that evolved into something far greater.

“But, what really altered our relationship and this is still very vivid to me, is how he acted after that and how he circled back around later that night after that game. He hugged me and told me that he loved me. It just spoke so much volume of who he was and that he wanted me to be my best. It wasn’t out of any kind of a malicious way, that he really did care. That was a powerful moment,” Elliott said.

Miami memories

Elliott’s next mentor came from his days leading up to and during his time at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Enter Terry Hoeppner.

“We were very close. We got close throughout the recruiting process and then during our time there,” Elliott said. “He was a true players’ coach. I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a guy who just loved his players and cared about them as deeply as he did. It was all genuine. It was authentic; it was real.

Terry Hoeppner (AP photo)

“Even though I already knew that I wanted to coach, when you’re around men like that who model it on a daily basis, it puts a life-lasting impression on you. Even when you’re still playing, it starts to shape you and your philosophy. How you view things, how coaching should be. Terry and his staff there just had a way not only of being great teachers, but letting you know there were relationships beyond football. There was a lot of substance and power in those relationships.”

Elliott battled through injuries and setbacks in his collegiate career, yet he and his coach solidified a bond that went beyond the game.

“We played in the Independence Bowl against Iowa State and it was his last game before he left for Indiana (to become the Hoosiers’ head coach),” Elliott said. “I still remember we shared a moment there in the locker room. It was just him and me. It was just one of those powerful, intimate moments that you have with someone that you really care about and that you have a lot of respect for.”

Hoeppner later died of brain cancer in 2007, just as Elliott was moving into the next phase of his life.

Fisher king

Following a two-year stint coaching receivers at Missouri Southern State, Elliott returned to Miami as a graduate assistant. It was there that he rekindled a relationship with a name from the past who would become influential on his future — Charlie Fisher.

“I’ve known Charlie for a long time. He was a guy that recruited me coming out of high school. He was coaching at Vanderbilt back then,” Elliott said. “Charlie and I worked together at Miami of Ohio and when he got the (head coaching) job here at Western (in 2016); he brought me on as assistant head coach.”

Together, Fisher and Elliott led a potent WIU offense as the Leathernecks enjoyed two winning seasons and a trip to the FCS playoffs in 2017. Fisher left Macomb to join Herm Edwards’ Arizona State staff in 2018, and Elliott was named his successor as WIU head coach.

“I got into coaching and I’ve had people help me every single step of the way that I’ve worked for and with, but I’d say the biggest (influence) since being a player that I can point to and say that I’ve learned so much from not only football-wise, but again being a man and how to carry yourself and balance your family with football and all that goes with it . . . that would be Charlie Fisher,” Elliott said.

Charlie Fisher (photo courtesy WIU Visual Productions Center)

“I’ve learned a lot from him. I’ve taken a lot from him,” Elliott said. “Football-wise, he’s been one of the most impactful for me. Just in terms of scheme and Xs and Os, technique, fundamentals, recruiting, running a program, organizational skills, managing rosters —  all of the things that you’re juggling in this business. I learned a lot from him and he’s a vet; he’s done it a long time at the highest levels. He’s been around the greats. He’s one guy that’s been so instrumental in my career.”

Like any coach, Elliott has lived through not only the highs but also the lows of his profession. And that’s where and when the bond of a true friendship is needed most.

“What I love about Charlie’s and my relationship is that we’re very close and we’ve known each other a long time, so you reach the point in a relationship like that where you drop your shield with some people versus another,” Elliott said. “When you experience the lows, when you have someone that you can trust and confide in and talk things through with, there’s almost a bonding that happens in those moments.

“When you’re a head coach, you just can’t do that with everyone. Sometimes there’s that one guy that you go to and you drop your guard and just have the ability to get things off your chest or share what’s in your heart or get some insight or correction on something or maybe they see it a different way. Charlie and I were able to do that a lot. There’s always those moments that draw you closer.”

Final thoughts

While Elliott highlighted Palmer, Lee, Hoeppner and Fisher, he is acutely aware that nearly everyone he encountered in life was an influence one way or another. He also realizes that being human, you can’t be perfect.

“There’s so many others. There’s those I’ve worked with and for,” Elliott said. “I’ll say this, and I think this is true for everybody, as much respect and love I have for so many of these people, there’s no question now that you’re not only learning what to do from them but you’re also learning what not to do.

“As you go through a season with a team and a staff and every single day is so fluid with ups and downs, (mistakes) get made. It’s the same way with my staff here. I’ve told them there’s going to be times when you learn what not to do. I’m going to make a wrong decision on something. That’s a part of what grows you. That’s a big part of this business. You see things that you like and you take them, but you also see things the other way. Or you see something that you would tweak to make it better for you. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a lot of men that I’ve learned so much from and have so much respect for.”

In light of the Case Shiller home price index update on Tuesday it’s a great time to review the Zillow and Pulsenomics 3rd quarter survey of 104 economists and real estate experts which came out last week and provides a home price forecast out through 2024. If you will recall their 2nd quarter survey, which was conducted right in the middle of the first wave of Covid-19, was abysmal, predicting a 0.3% decline in home prices for 2020 and not much of a better forecast for 2021. However, they turned that outlook right around this time and they are now predicting a 3.7% increase in home prices for this year. In fact, their 16.3% cumulative increase over 5 years works out to 3.1% per year compounded.

Terry Loebs, founder of Pulsenomics, explained the change of heart this way:

In contrast to the debate concerning the contours and sustainability of the U.S economic recovery, these survey data reveal a definitive and remarkably sharp V-shape in U.S. home price expectations. In a matter of a few months, the pandemic has turbo-charged what had been relatively limited acceptance of remote work, amplified the value of larger living spaces, and ushered in a new era of monetary accommodation by The Fed. With these fundamental forces stoking demand for homeownership amidst stubborn supply constraints, it’s hard to imagine home price expectations returning to the lows of last quarter any time soon.

The forecast for US home prices is remarkably better than it was in the early days of the Covid 19 pandemic

However, at the same time, the panelists were asked a number of supplemental questions and their outlook for the labor market was not very encouraging. 71% said that unemployment would not return to 3.5% until 2025 or later. It begs the question of whether or not home prices can really continue to advance in such an economic environment. Perhaps the expectation is that unemployment will be concentrated among those who were not likely to buy homes anyway – i.e. lower income renters. I guess that’s possible though I’m a bit worried that sinking boats lowers the tide.

Experts are not that optimistic about the labor market recovery

Chicago Area Home Price Outlook

In order to get a read on where home prices in the Chicago area might be headed I look at the Case Shiller home price futures market. Once again I got the graph below, along with the underlying numbers, from John Dolan of Home Price Futures. It’s pretty ugly and not nearly as optimistic as the Zillow Pulsenomics forecast above. It shows prices declining through March 2021 and then not even totally recovering by the end of 2024. In fact, over that entire period it shows a 1.4% total price decline.

The outlook for Chicago home prices is much less optimistic than what the experts see for the nation

#RealEstate #ChicagoRealEstate #Coronavirus #HomePrices

Gary Lucido is the President of Lucid Realty, the Chicago area’s full service real estate brokerage that offers home buyer rebates and discount commissions. If you want to keep up to date on the Chicago real estate market or get an insider’s view of the seamy underbelly of the real estate industry you can Subscribe to Getting Real by Email using the form below. Please be sure to verify your email address when you receive the verification notice.

Manisha Holiday grew up on the SouthSide of Chicago. She was raised by a single mother and was only 15 years old when she had her first baby. The biggest challenges for her were providing for her child, juggling school, and growing up too soon. “I wanted to make my mom proud, so I did what I had to do,” says Manisha.

Having a newborn is life-changing for any parent, but being a single mom with a newborn is nerve-wrecking and exhausting. The hardest part of that phase of single motherhood was learning to do ALL of it alone and managing the emotions along the way.

“I read all the books, went to all my doctor appointments, prepared the hospital bag, and created a birth plan by myself, for the most part. I wanted my baby’s father there for the entire birth but it didn’t work out that way.

During labor I felt excitement and disappointment, anticipation and frustration, along with joy and pain. My baby was beautiful. The birth should have been a moment to be celebrated but it was overshadowed by deflated hopes.”

Despite starting a family at such an early age and being a single mom, Manisha finished school and went on to build a life for her three children.

“One promise I made to myself being a teenage mother was to never give up on myself or my children. I had to be a woman before my time, I learned a lot of things along the way. I made a lot of sacrifices and I couldn’t let my family and most of all my mother down who was also a single parent at the time. There were hardship and lot’s of sacrifices, but I provided a good life to my children. In August of 2014, my oldest daughter moved into the college dorm at Northern Illinois University and decided I wanted to start a new life. I gave up everything. I boarded a Greyhound bus with two suitcases and my son who was eight at the time headed for Atlanta, Georgia. My middle child stayed in Chicago with her father to finish her last year of high school. It was time for me to walk in my purpose and put all the horror stories of my life and past behind me. I was ready to give my children everything I wanted as a child and more. The only way for me to do that was to step out in faith, trust my gifts and talent, and use things that I was good at and loved to do. I put it all into creating my own business.”

And the gamble paid off for Manisha. Both of her daughters (a social service professional and a makeup artist) are successful women, and she’s raising her 14-year-old son to be an amazing young man. On top of that, Manisha runs her own public relations firm, The Holiday Firm. Founded in 2015, The Holiday Firm is an award-winning strategic, integrated communications and public relations firm, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with offices in California and Illinois. Manisha has worked with many entertainers, entrepreneurs, and women in business in Atlanta, Georgia. including Syleena Johnson, Sister Circle, TV One and Lisa Nicole Cloud, “Married to Medicine” Bravo TV while public relations director at ADlanta Magazine. The firm connects brands, messages, and people through data-driven insights, cross-channel communications, and a brilliant customer experience. Find out more by visiting https://theholidayfirm.com. Manisha also is a co-owner of a hemp farm in Georgia and is a co-author of the book “The Protector, The Provider, My Husband, My King… I,ll Wait!”

How you became a single mom does not matter;

it’s what you do with the experience that does.

At 40, Manisha wants to tell her story and share it with others in her new book: Victorious: A Journey to 40. In the book, she details how does a girl who started life with the short end of the stick grow into a woman who is filled with favor? How does a victim of abuse and trauma turn the hopeless situation into victory. Journey with me through the hills and valleys (mostly valleys) of life to discover how the trajectory of my life changed when I changed three things. You will be able to change your life and life story too!

The journey to 40 wasn’t paved in gold but it is filled with golden nuggets that took Manisha from victimhood to living a victorious life! Get inspired. Get uplifted. Get ready to change your story too. Pre-Order Victorious: A Journey to 40 on her website by clicking here!

Our generation was brought up with The Golden Rule. We didn’t need a metaphysical debate on the fundamental nature of reality and the relationship between mind and matter – it was a simple question of right and wrong, the basic principle of good and bad behavior, “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

For the length of my life, the country followed a system of values and principles of conduct that transcended time and culture; morality was universally accepted as ‘fair-mindedness,’ a commonsense conclusion as to behavior that was right and acceptable.
Society agreed, it was wrong to lie and cheat, it was right to lend a helping hand.

While morality itself is not fixed and unchanging, the country’s values seemed to be strong and secure. A divisive elitism undeniably existed, but, social egalitarianism, or what we called democracy, was the goal if not the prevailing ethos.**

The accepted moral standard was the glue that kept our society together. Historically it enabled the country to get through the depression, motivated participation in WWII and set precedent for the peaceful accession to office for 44 presidents, Washington to Obama.
With an accepted benchmark for right versus wrong, there was a track for social advancement, and perhaps most important, a civil process for resolving conflicts of interest in fair and orderly fashion. (the concept was uncomplicated: evaluate the facts and reward the good and punish the guilty as a matter of procedure).

But alas, I say again, morality is not unchanging! Its definition is derived from societal values as of a point in time… and this is the time of Donald Trump… and fake news and “it’s a hoax,” and over 19,000 blatant lies during his time in office.

I strongly doubt if the boorish Trump knows anything about Metaethical Moral Relativism but he sure as hell is practicing it! (Metaethical Moral Relativism: (MMR). The truth or falsity of moral judgments, or their justification, is not absolute or universal, but is relative to the traditions, convictions, or practices of a group of persons.)

“Practices of a group of persons;” the Trump-approved groups such as the Proud Boys – Hitler Youth come to life again – White Supremacists and QAnon conspiracy theorists alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring plotting against President Donald Trump, who is battling them, leading to a “day of reckoning” involving the mass arrest of journalists and politicians.

If a growing segment of the populace adopts a new definition of what is Right and what is Wrong as the standard of our country’s morality, we may be at the beginning of the end of civilized society! If as so many now insist, The Golden Rule is merely propaganda left over from the Obama administration, if in fact our country is no longer able to judge what is morally right and wrong, then my dire warning cannot be ignored.

I’m not an egghead. I struggle with comprehending Absolutism and Universalism and Relativism, but surely morality is more than an abstract concept! C’mon, we know right from wrong!

If the decline of morality as Americans defined it for over a century, continues, our Democracy is in serious danger and life as most of us live it, is imperiled.

Morality, not politics, is on the ballot November 3rd.

** Regretfully, for white America only. This post ignores the systemic racism set firmly in place by the sin of slavery. No reference to the country’s moral fiber can blithely disregard the evocation, Black Lives Matter. I do so in the context of making a point about the Trump administration’s assault on the norms that are the foundation of democracy.

Ollie the four-year-old yellow parakeet is an active, talkative and fun bird looking for a loving guardian along with his best friend Allie the rescued sparrow.

Allie was found as an abandoned sparrow chick. Her rescuer continued to leave her for her parents to find her, but she was suffering, she brought her inside and bonded her with her parakeet.

When the woman moved in with friends who have cats and dogs that might threaten the birds, the bonded pair was relinquished to Friends of Petraits Rescue to find the family of his dreams.

In their former home, they were allowed out of their cage daily to fly around their apartment.

Parakeets are the smallest of the parrot species and the most common captively kept pet bird. Sparrows are native and typically live in flocks, so Allie and Ollie would probably welcome other parakeets to their flock.

Allie and Ollie are available including their spacious two foot wide, by three foot tall cage with toys, food, treats and perches for $125.

They are currently being fostered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. To meet and adopt these beautiful birds, please contact [email protected] for an adoption application.