Champions Act a Certain Way

A Proactive Coaching podcast interview with Bill Brosseau, a pioneer of the lacrosse movement in the Pacific Northwest, hosted by Bruce Brown as part of the "Greatest Coaches You've Never Heard Of" series. Topics covered: falling in love with lacrosse after moving to West Point in 1963; growing up surrounded by legendary coaches (Jim "Ace" Adams, Jack Riley, Paul Dietzel, a young Bobby Knight) and World War II heroes as neighbors; his coaching style of treating everyone with dignity and respect ("kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care"); whether coaches are born or made; the turning point of defining champions by how they act rather than trophies (Eastside Catholic's 0–10 team that played for a state title two years later); the abnormal path of preparation ("if you're doing a lot of coaching during the game, you didn't do it during the week"); teaching athletes to say thank you — including thanking 91-year-old Ace Adams for his first lacrosse stick; Scholastic Coach and learning by watching; and advice for young coaches: learn, listen, lead, build a program you believe in, and measure success decades down the road.