A person who defined persistence and determination would be a high school coach who moved from Washington to Florida but has taught the country a lesson about standing up for one's beliefs. In a world that discourages most from standing for principle, this young man did not walk away when the forces of secularism and censorship conspired to destroy his career.

Joseph Kennedy could've just obeyed the Washington school system when they told him to quit praying on the field. Instead, the football coach fought the law in the US Supreme Court. As we reported here, he won his case last summer. The 18-year Marine veteran will now return to Bremerton High School.

CBS News provides a historical look at the case below:

'Kennedy began praying on the field after football games in 2008, and continued the practice until 2015, when he and the Bremerton School District debated over whether the practice was protected under religious expression. He was eventually placed on administrative leave for violating district directives to stop praying with the students. '

The coach prevailed, and the rest of the case is history. However, how many of us would've taken the path of Coach Kennedy? The court systems do not make it easy to challenge the authority of any school district.  
We hope that if a coach in Idaho faced the same dilemma, they would respond as Coach Kennedy did. However, there is a political and religious difference between the values in Idaho and those in Washington state. However, if Coach Kennedy ever wanted to move to Idaho, there's no doubt that we'd welcome him with open arms.

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