It was more than a year after the accident and still the memory brought the two to tears.

You would expect the boy's mother to have lingering emotions about the day that almost saw her son die in a horrific car accident, but the other man still recalls the smashed vehicle and can't help but fight back tears.

The boy was Brooklyn Cotton, a second-string wide receiver and defensive back for the Cedartown Bulldogs. When the car he was in flipped in April of 2008, Brooklyn fractured a vertebra in his neck and was flown to a Chattanooga hospital for observation.

The man who insists on calling Brooklyn a "miracle" isn't a relative or even a close friend. Instead, it's his football coach, Mark Loudermilk.

When news circulated about the accident the next morning it was Brooklyn's coach who immediately jumped in his car and drove up to Tennessee to sit in the waiting room with the family still wondering if their boy would be able to walk again.

To this day, Brooklyn's mother still wonders what possessed Loudermilk to show such compassion and concern. To Loudermilk, it was simply the right thing to do.

Coaches like to preach how they truly love their players and how the team is like a family. Rarely does a coach put those words into action.

Lost in the wins and losses, the play calling and the booster club meetings are the moments where a coach shows his true colors.

When Loudermilk had his opportunity to show his character, he came through for a boy and a family in need.

The legendary Grambling State University football coach Eddie Robinson, who ranks above Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno and Bear Bryant in NCAA wins, put it best when he said, "Coaching is a profession of love. You can't coach them unless you love them."

In his four years at Cedartown, Loudermilk showed why he chose the coaching profession.

His 11-30 record will be held up to interpretation, but the impact he had on his players is immeasurable.

Cedartown will miss his leadership when he gathers the last of his belongings and exits his coach's office for the final time.

To those who would ever so politely slam the door behind him, think about what you're getting yourself into.

You may be able to squeeze a few more wins out of the next guy to run through the turnstiles, but be careful not to shortchange the character and integrity Loudermilk built as your head coach.