Addison's Achievers: 80-year-old coach inspires for free, changes lives one at a time

The great John Wooden once said, “a good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.”
That rings true for 80-year-old coach Paul Rue of Steubenville, as he inspires athletes of all shapes and sizes to have the attitude to be great.
"I started throwing when I was in the 6th grade,” Rue said. “I didn’t really know anything about anything. But I had one of the best coaches around."
Rue says it was because of his coach that he decided to coach shot and discus with the Steubenville Striders. From there, he started to coach individual athletes free of charge, all because he wanted to see them succeed.
One of those athletes was Amya Livingston, who is on the track team at the University of Kentucky.
"When I was younger, I didn't really understand, but now I see just how kind and genuine he is in everything he does,” Livingston said. “It’s led me to bigger and better things. Now I am here at the University of Kentucky, and I still throw, I’m on the track team here. So, I have really accomplished a lot, and I can say it’s because of him."
Rue was not limited to athletes around Steubenville. He said when he saw potential, no distance was too great.
"He drove up to Cleveland every week. He drove that 2-and-a-half hours and trained me every single week and put in the work,” Margaret Jones said.
“He believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself."
After working with Rue, Jones went on to place first in the state of Ohio her senior year and now completes at Michigan State University.
"I don't do this for someone to give me recognition, OK,” Rue said. “I grew up in Beltzhoover, Pittsburgh, and it was a community where the older kids took care of the younger kids. So, if it wasn't for the older kids, I wouldn’t be here now."
He says it was growing up like this that taught him to pay it forward. Rue receives zero compensation for his coaching. He does it for the athletes. And he does it alone. His wife Sandi is also one of his biggest supporters.
"Well, he said he was going to talk to Margaret. Well, he talked to Margaret and said she was willing to go to the next level, and you could just see the joy on his face because he had found someone who was ready willing and able to go,” Sandi said. “And I was just like, ‘hey, take the joy as Jesus and go.’ ”
"If that person has the right attitude and wants to do this and doesn't mind doing it and going through what it takes to be good, I'm already paid,” Paul said. “It’s the results, it's the finish of it. They've already paid me."
FULL STORY: wtov9.com/feat...
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