Truth Talk With Coach George Raveling on Dr. King’s Legacy

On the heels of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday last week, The Daily Coach team sat down for an intimate conversation with the publication’s co-founder and the guardian of Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, Coach George Raveling, to discuss Dr. King’s legacy and the state of our current society.

Shortly after taking over as head men’s basketball coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1983, Coach George Raveling interviewed with Cedar Rapids Gazette reporter Bob Denney. He revealed a little-known, but astonishing fact about himself. The coach tapped to replace Lute Olson in Iowa City was also the guardian of one of the more famous documents in American history — a physical copy of the “I Have a Dream” speech, which he had tucked away inside a signed copy of President Harry S. Truman’s autobiography for nearly twenty years.

Coach Raveling had attended the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, serving as last-minute security at the speaker’s podium. In the uproar that ensued after Dr. King’s speech, Raveling brazenly asked him for the copy.

“He handed it to me,” Coach Raveling told Denney.

“I have no idea why I even asked him for the speech. But I’m sure glad that I did.”

For Coach Raveling, then 26, the document was far more than a sheet of paper that would likely be worth a lot of money one day. It represented a newfound responsibility to serve and to lead.

Now 82, Coach Raveling says he has done his best to embody the selfless virtues instilled in him that summer day — whether it’s with his family, friends, players, colleagues, or merely those reaching out for advice.

For this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The Daily Coach team sat down with Coach Raveling to get his views on the 1963 movement, Dr. King’s legacy, and whether we’re presently doing enough to combat injustices that still persists.

Q: What leadership qualities have you learned from Dr. King and incorporated into your living?

Coach Raveling: In my opinion, the best form of leadership is servant leadership. Your fundamental responsibility is to serve those who you lead. You must figure out the needs of the group as well as the needs of each individual you lead. As you go along, the one thing that becomes crystal clear for a servant leader is that it is never about ME and always about WE. I think it becomes incumbent upon you as a leader to ask yourself and figure out how I can best serve the needs of those individuals who are followers. The minute you embrace servant leadership, it defines your leadership style.

Q: With our society still dealing with many of the same issues Dr. King passionately advocated against, has his vision and humanity’s call to action become stagnated?

Coach Raveling: I do not think so. What it says to me is how complex the dream is. Mainly when you step out of the dream and start to pursue the dream, that is when you begin to face life realities. We find out that a lot of dreams are more complex than we realize when we first conceived the idea. I can understand why people would feel frustrated that we are still grappling with the same issues and that the dream has not come to its conclusion. But not all dreams are ultimately fulfilled. There are no finish lines in some dreams. To me, what we have learned is this is going to be an ongoing struggle to make the dream a reality. The fact that Dr. King said he had a dream and people bought into the dream, they also learned a valuable lesson. When you buy into a dream — you buy into it wholeheartedly. And there is a price that you pay for buy-in. I am not too sure when it is all said and done that we are not better off in that we have not fully achieved the dream. I think what it does as the dream moves from generation to generation, is it continues to keep people focused and committed on the vision.

Q: What are your feelings on athletes using their platforms to speak out against injustices, social, and political issues?

Coach Raveling: We have to be careful when we signal just athletes. I think athletes are only part of our overall social structure. Why are athletes anymore incumbent to speak out on issues than ministers, teachers, judges, executives, and the everyday civilian? What I think athletes do is remind us that we all have a civic responsibility to speak out against injustice and inequality. Some people have a better platform than others to get their message heard. But at the same time, human beings are probably in the best position they have ever been in during history to share. So today, I think what we have to come to grips with is that we all have a responsibility to be part of the solution. How one manifest that should be left up to each individual. I think we get ourselves in trouble when we begin to believe that one size fits all. There are a variety of ways a person can contribute, but contribute they must.

Q: What does the “I Have a Dream” speech mean to you?

Coach Raveling: When I look back on it now, it has been a constant reminder to me of the true value a dream has and the responsibilities that come with having a dream. The relevance that a dream can play in a person’s life. I have learned to help be a Dream Maker. To assist people in turning their dreams into realities. There is no question that it has caused me to reevaluate how I live my life and what I believe my contributions to society should be.

On this MLK Day, let us reflect on the power of service. Each day of life, we have the unique opportunity to use our time in the service of others. Realize wisely and earnestly, we never need a title to be a positive difference-maker and an advocate of our dreams!

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