AUBURN - As a maroon blur whizzed down the field, coach Dave Moskov calmly walked the sidelines, his pack of football players close behind. As the ball is fumbled just outside of the end zone, Moskov never loses his temper. Instead, he yells out words of encouragement.

"Being frustrated doesn't change anything," said the Auburn football coach. "Sometimes, you just have to let it go and focus on the positive."

This is the global history teacher's ninth year as the district's head coach, and experience has taught Moskov that the game is not about winning or losing, but about leadership and building character.

"We can't hang your coats on wins and losses," Moskov said. "It is about not giving up and being a team."

A former University of Albany football player, Moskov is all about being there for his team. Once the stadium lights have been turned on and the football game has begun, Moskov stays focused on the field.

"There are so many things going on, I don't have time to look around much," Moskov said. "I need to be right there on the sideline, taking care of business."

Off the field, Moskov serves as mentor and leader to his athletes. Though a coach's job is often limited to teaching athletic skills, Moskov believes in teaching life skills.

Moskov teaches his athletes that being an Auburn Maroon is a year-round responsibility. Players not only work out in the offseason, they also take time to give back to the community that supports them. Moskov joins his team as they serve Christmas dinner at the Boyle Center and read to the district's elementary school children.

"The most important thing these kids can learn is how to make a link to another person," Moskov said. "Being a player gives you the opportunity to say 'Hey, there are other people out there besides me.'"

Moskov is also big on tradition and takes time to teach his team about the players who came before them.

The locker room walls are lined with pictures of Auburn football alumni, and as each player heads out to the field, they touch a piece of the old locker room floor that hangs above the door.

"It is important to make a connection with the past, and link yourself with the people who were here before you," Moskov said. "Here, tradition is in the air, it is something you can feel."

For Moskov, football is more than a game, it is a way of life. And being a coach is a chosen responsibility.

"Football changed my life, it has formed me and my opinions and made me who I am today," Moskov said. "That is something I want to pass along."

When Moskov is not on the field or in his classroom, he is spending time with his wife and their four children.

Moskov jokes about retirement and his dreams of driving an oversized Winnebago to different pro football games, but that dream will wait.

"This place is amazing on Friday nights. I wouldn't want to miss it," Moskov said. "And this team has an energy, we just feed off of each other."