Everybody that knew him loved him: The story of Jim Tyler

For my January project, I've asked several of the people in my "network" to share a positive story. Today's story comes from my good friend, Clint Tyler. I've known Clint since we were in like 6th or 7th grade. Clint was an Oran Eagle, and as players and fans, we've probably spent hundreds of hours together in gyms all around Southeast Missouri.

I asked Clint who the biggest influence in his life was. It was one of those questions that, when you ask it, you already know the answer. Clint said the biggest influence in his life was his dad, Jim Tyler, who was one of the biggest basketball fans I ever met in my life. More importantly, Jim Tyler was the kind of man who rooted for EVERYBODY. Sure, he had his favorite teams, but Mr. Tyler was just one of those people who loved basketball, loved seeing kids play hard, and he really encouraged so many people over the years. I know he always made me feel like I was his favorite coach in the world. He just made everybody feel that way. He was a great man.

Clint said about his dad, "He was a hard worker that always sacrificed for us kids so that we could have it better than he did. He taught me money doesn't buy happiness. To always put God first. To treat people the way you want to be treated. To always tell the truth, even if it gets you in trouble. To always be a good friend to someone else. Never be afraid to stand for something you really believe in. That it's okay to dream as long as the dream of what you want to do doesn't get in the way of what you have to do. There is no substitute for hard work. If you want to make an impact in your kids' lives, the best thing you can do is pray for them. Do it right the first time. Never be afraid to tell people you love them. Never assume. You can't control what you can't control, so there is no sense in worrying about it. Those are just a few."

I asked Clint to tell me a story about a time his dad uplifted him or gave him some good advice. What he told me brought a tear to my eye.... "Dad found out he had pancreatic cancer on Labor Day weekend of 2015. 4 months later he had a stroke. The next week he fell while in the hospital and broke his hip. I was crushed when all this happened. I was completely devastated. But before the stroke and the broken hip, I watched dad take chemo every week, then go back to work keeping the scorebook for all of SCC's basketball games. He made it to every game, all the way up to the district tournament which is when he had his stroke and couldn't do it anymore. Dad would always tell me that was the hand God dealt him and that he could either lay around and cry about it or keep on living. He said he had too much life to live and probably not enough time to do it, so he didn't have time to waste. I'll never forget that. He lived life the best he could. He wasn't perfect, but he tried to get better every day. That was the greatest memory I have of him. He never stopped growing, learning, improving. He was the best, man."

Be a good friend. No substitute for hard work. Say "I love you." That was who Jim Tyler was. Clint is a lot like his dad, and I'm proud to call him a friend. His dad sure was proud of him.

Thanks for reading! Have an awesome day.