Editor’s Note: This article was originally posted in 2006, after Tiger Woods’ father passed away. Since that time, Tiger has gone on to win 17 more tournaments, including 4 Majors, and enter the realm of fatherhood with the birth of his daughter.

“My dad never pushed me into golf. He never told me to go practice; he never even asked me to play. It was always me wanting to play with him.” -Tiger Woods

"The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him." Pr 23: 24

Earl Woods passed away on May 3, 2006. The ex-Green Beret finally succumbed to his battle with prostate cancer. He was 74.

Many may find this surprising, but I am a huge fan of the elder Woods. Those surprised by this have a difficult time reconciling my strong views about parents who focus their whole lives around their kids and a man who seemed to do just that. These folks may see Earl’s numerous proclamations about his son’s future greatness, or hear about Earl quitting his job in order to help Tiger pursue his junior golf career, and find it easy to lump Mr. Woods into that painful stereotype of the Sports Dad.

You know the type of Sports Dad I’m talking about? The completely fanatic dad who left his own life a long time ago, choosing to completely focus on creating the perfect prodigy. The dad whose entire existence and validation seems tied to whether his son or daughter makes the all-star squad. This is the one who frets about what pro scouts are thinking (even when his kid is only seven). But Earl Woods was no such Sports Dad. He cannot be lumped into the same group with the insufferable (and now estranged) fathers of tennis pros Mary Pierce and Jennifer Capriati, golfer Sean O’Hair, or gymnast Dominique Moceanu.

Yes, he viewed his son as special, even at a very young age. Yes, he eventually quit his job to help his son’s advancement as an athlete. And yes, he admits that Tiger never once had a babysitter; he and his Thai wife, Kultida, took their son with them everywhere. But in raising a precocious prodigy toward unparalleled success in golf and in life, Earl Woods was decidedly different. And here’s how:

Earl believed in praising a child for effort, not for accomplishment. Likewise, he didn’t believe in or practice criticizing his son for defeats or failures. He reported that he only scolded his son once on the golf course—for basically giving up down the stretch of a junior tournament. “Don’t ever quit. Ever. If you don’t want to finish, then don’t sign up to play.” For all the championships and victories, the most amazing Tiger accomplishment is his all-time record of making 146 consecutive cuts. That means he stayed so focused and gave so much effort in every tournament that even when he didn’t have his best stuff, he still played well enough to make the cut into the weekend. For 146 tournaments. No one in the history of golf has even come close.