The Kids Used to Pick the Teams
GPAC commissioner Corey Westra on the biggest change in youth sports — it’s gone from peer control to adult control — and what parents hear in The Role of Parents in Athletics.
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The Best Coaches You’ve Never Heard Of — 66 episodes of coach-to-coach conversation.
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Why Would I Need Anything Else?
Skip Lord spent a career as a coach and athletic director at Houghton College — on mentors, turning points, and why he never needed anywhere else.
Twenty Years, Four Sports, Three States
Scott Rosberg, athletic director at Park High School in Livingston, Montana, on two decades coaching basketball, football and soccer across Illinois, Montana and Washington.
The First Female Commissioner in NAIA History
Lori Thomas, who hosts this series, on 30 years in sports administration — ten of them leading the Heart of America Athletic Conference, and building a pro volleyball club from the ground up.
A Program That Had Never Won — Then 36 Straight
Jon Frazier, head boys basketball coach at Summit High School in Bend, Oregon from 2011 to 2024, who inherited a program with no winning seasons and left it a state champion with an Oregon record.
Pick One, Play Them All
Rob Miller on the myths and realities of early specialization: 88% of college athletes played multiple sports, overuse injuries are up 70%, and the scholarship math almost nobody checks.
Not a Teacher. Seven State Titles.
Wiley Allred, a farmer who coaches football at Royal City High School, on nine championship games in 20 years, recruiting his own hallways, and the home visits that earned a community’s trust.
Basketball at Its Purest
Trice Ham, national champion wheelchair basketball coach and Team USA staff member, on the day his program’s words stopped matching its results, and building a culture where it’s safe to fail.
I Committed as a Sophomore. I’m Glad the Rules Changed.
Whitney Jones, former Husky pitcher now coaching at Washington, on calling her college coach every week at 13, the player-to-coach transition, and “who we are is why we win.”
Building Protectors
Tim Corbin, head baseball coach at Vanderbilt and 2014 national champion, on why conversations with his daughters reshaped what he asks of his players, and working a team from the inside out.
Two Rival Schools, One Conversation
Tom Bendt, longtime Oregon athletic director, on the ambassador program he built with a rival school’s AD, the summits that followed, and why everybody — including the AD — needs to be coached.
Two of My First Four Wins Came in the Mail
Steve Ridder, 30 years and nearly 700 wins at Embry-Riddle, on inheriting an 0–22 team with no scholarships, the faculty vote that saved his job, and the three P’s that kept him in one place.
The Players Haven’t Changed. The Parents Have.
Sue Doering, 39 years of volleyball and 25 straight top-four state finishes at Colfax, on high but reachable expectations, multi-sport athletes, and never tying success to winning.
Football Isn’t Complicated. People Are.
Steve Morton, 40 years as a college and pro football assistant now coaching high school, on the coaching carousel, the toll on family, and why losing his college career turned out to be a blessing.
Sports Doesn’t Teach Character. People Do.
Rob Miller on the research most coaches have never seen — and the four-step model that makes life lessons intentional instead of accidental: define, model, shape, reinforce.
Winners Get to Run
Scott Rosberg on positive conditioning: why punishing kids with sprints contradicts everything you tell them about fitness — and what happens when running becomes the reward.
If All They Learn Is Baseball, We’ve Failed Them
Scott Salow, 27 years without a losing season in a Michigan village of 1,800, on the national-record 75-game winning streak, three state titles, and a roster with fifteen captains.
Accountability Is a Form of Love
Scott Centala, former pro player and consultant to Olympic, MLB, NFL and special operations teams, on psychological safety, permission to fail, and “I got your back” versus “I gotcha.”
We Practiced at 9 P.M. in a Warehouse
Scott Dulin, who built Fisher College’s entire athletic department in two months with no uniforms, equipment or field, on dodging pillars at night and the airport conversation that found him a ballpark.
When Cheering Becomes Harassment
Rob Miller on the exact line fans cross — from yelling, to using a kid’s name, to something personal — and the officials crisis that follows when nobody names it.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster — and They Don’t Know the Game
Rob Miller on why young athletes have never been more trained and less taught: speed camps for seven-year-olds, schemes over skills, and the youth coach’s actual job.
Positive Demanding, Never Demeaning
Rob Miller on the four keys to a successful season for youth coaches: commitment and planning, teaching real skills, motivating without demeaning, and building a team out of bodies that keep changing.
We Won State. It Was the Worst Experience of My Life.
Rob Miller and Lori Thomas on why culture beats talent: core covenants instead of T-shirt slogans, what respect looks like in action, and creating leaders rather than waiting for them.
You Get What You Allow
Nick Brown, head basketball coach and award-winning English teacher at Arlington High School, on banning “we should have won,” radical honesty, and nights for custodians and the band.
I Joined the Dark Side
Mike Cashman, high school and Division I coach turned basketball official, on the officials shortage, what makes a great one, and the player whose “you’re a liar” changed how he coached.
The 0–20 Team They Followed Anyway
Mike Lowery, Marysville, Washington basketball coach from a family with three Hall of Famers, on the winless season he loved, the manager named Wheels, and finding out who you are as a coach.
First I Had to Get Over My Own Ego
Michelle Sabourin, head cheer and stunt coach at Alma College, on building a program from nothing, defining passion, unity and tenacity in action, and redefining success before the wins arrived.
We Never Fired a Coach for Losing
Mick Hoffman, executive director of the WIAA, on changing the culture of four high schools and eight middle schools at once — covenants with action statements, and hiring aligned to them.
Permission to Speak Freely
Matt Kincaid, Gonzaga walk-on turned professor and leadership consultant, on why leaders stop hearing the truth, what candor does for a team, and the ninth-grade coach who believed in him.
The Three Touches That Changed Columbia
Michael Aufrichtig, head fencing coach at Columbia and a three-time NCAA champion who had never coached before, on ending an 18-year drought, Moneyball recruiting, and customizing your communication.
Married to the Program
Maggie Corbin, wife of Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin, on Omaha and Donnie Everett, caring for the staff’s families, and her advice to a young coach’s spouse: celebrate his passion.
Coaches From Mars, Players From Venus
Lori Thomas, former pro volleyball player and NAIA commissioner, on what coaches need to know about the female athlete — the six C’s, professional boundaries, and Anson Dorrance’s senior letter.
Can’t, Not Won’t
Keith Orchard, mental health specialist for the Coeur d’Alene School District, on how chronic stress rewires a kid’s brain, behavior as communication, and teaching poise as a skill of the game.
I Coached Out of Fear of Losing
Kent Shelley, 1,000-plus wins in 34 years at Johnson County Community College, on the season his best talent lost, recruiting heart instead, and using captains as a lifeline.
Their Hardest Day, Our Warm-Up
Josh Stewart, head basketball coach at Lodge Grass on the Crow Reservation, tells his own story: Chief Plenty Coups, the name Twice a Leader, his brother’s suicide, and a state title with no timeouts.
What George Washington Taught Me About Hiring
Jud Damon, athletic director at Flagler College, on five core covenants across a whole department, the Student Athlete Experience commitment, and hiring for character and competence.
Twelve Words on a Business Card
Josh Cordell, boys tennis coach at Summit High School in Bend with seven state titles in nine seasons, on building a program from scratch, grit and grind, and passion paired with compassion.
The Zone Is a Skill, Not an Accident
Jordan Lewis, founder of Headstrong Health and a former college basketball player, on mindfulness as trainable attention, the three keys to living mindfully, and why avoiding hard emotions backfires.
After Practice, We Were Dad and Son
Joe Harris, Hall of Fame Washington high school basketball coach for 31 years at two small schools, on coaching his own son — who went on to the NBA — and teams that outwork people and play together.
Firm Hands and Open Hugs
Jody Sears, head football coach at Sacramento State, on inheriting a talented but rudderless team, building identity through core covenants, and being demanding without coaching through fear.
Tell Me Who I Am
Jerry Gaines, Virginia Tech’s first African American scholarship athlete, on integrating a high school in 1965, his father’s homemade ballpark, and the question every kid is really asking adults.
One Rule: Do the Right Thing
Jim Clem, 1,100-plus wins and six Halls of Fame, on the four areas he trains behind a single rule, why nobody should care who gets the credit, and finding a mentor in a lonely profession.
Don’t Call Me Coach
Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger, head baseball coach at Georgia Gwinnett, on dying to your ego daily, the unpaid years that cost him a marriage, and the classroom that meets at 1:30 every day.
More Than Words on a Wall
Jason Slater, Montana school superintendent, on taking core values past the poster — defining, modeling and reinforcing them with teachers, aides, administrators and the school board.
I Thought Winning Would Be the Easy Part
Jenny Eustice, head dance team coach at Iowa and a three-time national champion dancer, on learning to coach the person, senior leadership, and the two quiet seniors who became phenomenal leaders.
Don’t Let This Steal Your Joy
Donnie Bostwick, national champion men’s basketball coach at Oklahoma Wesleyan, on the hour after COVID cancelled the tournament, meekness as power under control, and coaching aggressive mistakes.
So What? The Next Pitch Is Coming.
Heather Tarr, head softball coach at Washington, on losing her starting catcher two weeks before a 23-0 start — and the language that keeps a team playing pitch to pitch.
You Wouldn’t Be Any Good at It
Dennis Janzen, six-time NAIA national champion volleyball coach at Fresno Pacific, on the counselor who told him not to coach, a 373–18 final decade, and going captain-less with 14 leaders.
Hire Teachers, Not Yellers
Don Pellum, 30 years at Oregon and now inside linebackers coach at UCLA, on staff continuity, growing from driver to listener, and what he actually looks for when he hires.
I’ll Never Tell You What You Want to Hear
Dean Lockwood, associate head women’s basketball coach at Michigan State and 15 years with Pat Summitt, on the coach who promised him the truth, and reversing the interview to check for alignment.
They Think the Fight Is Over
Denise Wescott, Hall of Fame lacrosse coach and the first woman to sign a letter of intent at Maryland, on living Title IX, coaching the German national team, and the decline of women coaching women.
Make Where You Are the Big Time
Danny Miles, 45 years and 1,040 wins at Oregon Institute of Technology, on three national titles, what it took to earn the name “Oregon Tech guy,” and protecting your marriage and family.
The Front Porch of the Community
Darin Boysen, executive director of the Nebraska Coaches Association, on the leadership summits reaching 1,500 athletes a year, and why relationships never meant coddling.
Put On Your Humility Hat
Corinne Immel, Hall of Fame dance coach who took over her own former team at 21, on the workshop that changed everything, surviving a nine-month season, and why she stopped fighting the January slump.
Everybody Says Culture. Nobody Defines It.
Craig Doty, NAIA national champion men’s basketball coach at Graceland University, on what culture actually means, standards from day one, and connecting the dots to the professional world.
From the Sidelines to the Sidewalk
Bob Wilson, Hall of Fame athletic director at Vanguard University, on the Gold Pride initiative, a freshman character class, and athletes who compete for something beyond the scoreboard.
Not as They Are, but as Who They’ll Become
Bruce Brown introduces three Proactive Coaching booklets — and the finding behind them: successful people almost always name one teacher or coach who saw past who they were that day.
Capable, Not Comfortable
Billie Moore, first coach to win national titles at two schools and head coach of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, on coaching athletes for what they can do — and mentoring Pat Summitt.
I Will Never Forget How Hard This Game Is to Play
Blake Hawksworth, former Cardinals and Dodgers pitcher, on the manager’s line that let a clubhouse exhale, rehab one day at a time, and editing your life to stay on the narrow path.
Cutting a Player Is an Act of Care
Becky Carlson, head rugby coach at Quinnipiac, on the five reasons letting players go got so hard, reframing endings as care, and being curious over furious.
Champions Act a Certain Way
Bill Brosseau, who helped bring lacrosse to the Pacific Northwest, on dignity and respect, practicing the way you want to play, and thanking the 91-year-old coach who gave him his first stick.
Talent Sets the Floor, Character Sets the Ceiling
Angus Reid, 13-year CFL center and two-time Grey Cup champion, on durability, dependability, and the 200-plus handwritten letters from his coach that he still keeps.
There Is No Bench
Becky Acra, championship cheer coach from a small gym in Great Falls, Montana, on a sport where every size and shape is valuable, knowing each athlete’s story, and leading with love.
Don’t Tell Them How Good You Are. Show Them.
Rob Miller and Lori Thomas on quiet inner confidence: preparation over results, fear of failure and fear of success, self-talk swaps, and sorting the confidence builders from the confidence cutters.
We Will Not Have a Bad Day
Andy Affholter, retired girls basketball coach at Granger High School (WA), on the poverty poster in his locker room, winning with undersized teams, and losing the battle to win the war.
The Most Powerful Thing I’ve Ever Seen a Team Do
Dan Teeter, football coach at Lakewood High School in Washington, on the anonymous “crosstalk” exercise that changed how his players treat each other — and the five-year turnaround it anchored.
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