If All They Learn Is Baseball, We’ve Failed Them

A Proactive Coaching podcast interview with Scott Salow, head baseball coach and school superintendent in Homer, Michigan — 27 years without a losing season, an 80%+ win rate, the national-record 75-game winning streak, three state championships including 2019, 12-time district and four-time state coach of the year, and six Hall of Fame inductions shared with his brother Tom — hosted by Bruce Brown as part of the "Greatest Coaches You've Never Heard Of" series. Topics covered: how a blue-collar village of 1,800 built a national program ("you win with the help of many"); mentors, especially Spring Arbor's Hank Burbridge, honored by stepping on third base every inning; turning points (taking over from his brother in 2001 and the 1–0 quarterfinal upset of Blissfield in 2004 behind future big-leaguer Josh Collmenter); no captains — 15 captains, everybody accountable; what players remember (alumni game over state titles, the seven-second rule, World Series-level detail, Comerica Park and college trips); preparing kids for life ("if all they learn is baseball, we've failed them"); juggling superintendent and coach (a 50th birthday, a state title, Father's Day, and an evaluation in four days); book studies (The Energy Bus, The Power of Positive Leadership, Proactive Coaching materials); aiming for back-to-back rather than tempering expectations; and advice — adapt to today's learners, but never waver from your beliefs.