“Where everyone’s a winner and nobody warms a bench.” — James Halliburton
By David Halliburton, Christy Hord and Becki Edwards. In honor of James Halliburton, founder of Santa Barbara Youth Football League who passed away earlier this year. 2011 represents YFL’s 40th anniversary.
Forty years ago a man named James Halliburton had a dream to start a football league to bring the excitement and enjoyment of full contact football to the youth of Santa Barbara. This man was my father, someone I have the privilege to honor during this Santa Barbara YFL 40th Anniversary.
James grew up in Des Moines, Iowa where he learned and played the great game of football often. My dad shared “When I grew up in the 1930’s, we would all get together at the park to play football”. It didn’t matter if you were 9 years old or 14 years old, or how much you weighed or how good you were, everybody played and we had a blast! The big guys kind of took care of the smaller guys. The boys had a lot of fun and everybody got to play.” It was this kind of philosophy with which James wanted to develop the YFL program.
With passion and vision my dad started the league by going to local businesses and service clubs to get the sponsorships necessary to start the league. His philosophy on what the league would become was unwavering. He insisted every player needed to have a worthwhile life experience, and feel like he was a part of something special. In Dad’s eyes this translated into having the very best equipment, good playing fields, proper, professional officials, well prepared coaches and good crowd control.
CLICK HERE FOR 2011 YFL INFORMATION
My dad wanted coaches who cared and loved their players more than winning. As dad said, “I wanted men who were willing to reach out their hands and theirs hearts to players who may not have a father, who needed loving male guidance and friendship. He wanted to develop a youth football league where the players could be taught to honor one another, their coaches and above all themselves. A league where players learned to be responsible for their own life and actions through proper rules. He felt that it was especially important that each player played in every game 8 to 10 plays per game.”
By 1975 the Santa Barbara YFL had 1400 players, 286 coaches, 16 commissioners and a budget of $100,000. Little did Dad imagine that after four decades this league would still be alive and well. In the last 40 years, some 16,000 players have played the great game of football and have learned the values of commitment, teamwork, sportsmanship, character, endurance, physical conditioning and an “everyone get’s to play experience.”(Dad’s favorite saying) The YFL Mission Statement is “To provide the opportunity for youth to profit from physical, mental and moral development using the great game of football as catalyst”.
This is a story my dad loved to tell, because for him it summed up the reason the YFL has had such great success. As James recalled “I think the true success story of the YFL can best be summed up simply in an experience I had one Saturday afternoon at the Bantam Division game of the 8 and 9 year old’s.
After the game, the boys on the one team I was standing closet to were jumping and yelling and having a great time and one of the little guys came up to his coach and looked up at him with a big grin on his face and a sparkle in his eyes, and yelled, “Coach, did we win? Coach, did we win?” the coach said, “Yeah, you won. All you guys are winners” The irony of it all was that they hadn’t scored a point and I said to myself, “I think that we have a winner with what we’re doing here in the YFL”.
In 1990 the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame named my father as the 1990’s Special Achievement Representative.
On behalf of my family I want to thank the men and women who helped, supported and believed in Dad and his vision to make the whole Santa Barbara YFL program a reality. In his 1972 letter to the players, parents and friends of the YFL he stated “My greatest admiration and deepest appreciation is extended to our volunteering Board of Directors, Football Commissioners, coaches, sponsors and friends of the YFL for their tireless, unselfish dedication in helping our youth enjoy participation in a wholesome and sophisticated youth football program provided by the YFL.”
I could not have said thank you better. James’ final years were filled with his encouraging and loving words. He loved his children and all 10 of his grand-kids very much. He finished well and ran his race with a heart to serve and a passion to reflect the love of Jesus Christ in all he did. James often said his only goal was to love God today. In a final conversation James said, “I’ve been talking to Jesus and I told Him to get this show on the road.” James is loving the show.
It was my father’s dream to have permanent YFL football fields for the youth of Santa Barbara to play the great game of football. As a family, we are asking Santa Barbara and surrounding communities to help make his dream a reality by making a donation in his memory to the Santa Barbara Youth Football League.
YFL is launching its “Got Fields” campaign to raise money to have permanent fields. Please send your donation to “Got Fields” – YFL – P.O. Box 60348 – Santa Barbara, Ca, 93160. You can call with questions at 805 964-7222 – 100% of your donation will go to “Got Fields” Project.
Thank you for honoring our father in this way and for generations to come.
Sincerely,
David Halliburton, Christy Hord and Becki Edwards.
