to teach football." He emphasized balance and making time for family. One of his former players recalled that Coach Ostendarp "made a point of introducing his players to classical music and art, sometimes taking them to the Mead Art Museum during afternoon practice time." The Boston Globe cited the following incident as an example of Ostendarp's balanced approach to athletics: During a practice session one afternoon in the 1980s, Amherst College football coach James E. Ostendarp stopped his players' drills so they could pause and appreciate the beauty of a sunset over the Berkshires. The moment was indicative of Mr. Ostendarp's approach to the game, his former players said, as he instructed them to appreciate more than just football in their lives." Joe Schell, who played for Ostendarp in the late 1960s, recalled that Ostendarp made sure his players were good students and good citizens. Schell, who went on to become an investment banker, recalled, "For me, next to my father, he was the most influential man in my life." ESPN controversy When ESPN sought to televise the 100th annual game between Amherst and Williams College, Ostendarp refused to accommodate the network's demand to change the kickoff. The national broadcast would have generated substantial revenue for the school, but Ostendarp held firm, telling The Wall Street Journal, "We're in education. We aren't in the entertainment business. ... We don't have the stadiums, the crowds, the bands, the cheerleaders or the teams to play on television. We're No. 1 in the country in small academics. To put us on TV and say, 'This is Amherst,' well, it just doesn't measure up." When some Amherst alumni protested his decision, Ostendarp said he couldn't care less, adding, "I've got tenure. I'm a full professor." Ostendarp's decision drew national media coverage. The Boston Globe called it "A Glorious Blackout" and added: "When the Man-of-the-Year and Coach-of-the-Year awards are considered, every list should contain the name of Jim Ostendarp. The football coach of Amherst College represents values that have almost disappeared." Family Ostendarp married Shirley Reidinger in 1953. They lived in Sunderland, Massachusetts, and had three sons, Jim, Jan, and Carl, and four daughters, Teresa, Anne, Beth, and Heidi. In 1981, Ostendarp's son, Jan Ostendarp, returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown against Williams to lead Amherst to its first Little Three championship since 1968. In December 2005, Ostendarp died at the Soldier's Home