After 17 years as an assistant coach Jack Owens finally got the opportunity to lead his own program. However right before he began his head coaching journey, he lost his father, the man who had been cheering him on his whole life. Coach Owens has went on to turn Miami University basketball around.
In 2011 Craig Aukerman had lost his first job as an NFL coach, his wife was 34 weeks pregnant and they got stuck in a blizzard. With so much on the line and not knowing what would come next, Coach Aukerman got a call that would help change the trajectory of his coaching career.
Traditional or Untraditional. Coach Jedd Fisch decided as a young boy that he wanted to be a football coach. Growing up a star tennis player and never playing organized football, this would seem unlikely. Through persistence and pure grit, he landed a graveyard shift job with the Florida Gators while in undergrad. The rest is history!
Chris Creighton constantly reminds himself why he still coaches after 31 years. Transformational rather than Transactional coaching has been the key to his success. When his players understand that 90% of his love is tough love and they embrace who they are, the results speak for themselves.
There's only a few people in our lives when they ask you to do something no matter what it is, you're going to do it. After 25 years at the same mid major college and on a leap of faith Dan Dalrymple joined the New Orleans Saints with Sean Peyton the season following Hurricane Katrina. He's now a Super Bowl Champion and was 2018 NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.
When his father told him at a young age "someone is always praying for you" those words stuck. In order to play 13 years in the NFL you must be intentional when it comes to a growth mindset, and it didn't happen naturally for Frostee, this is something he had to figure out during some of the most adverse moments of his career.
Coach Heard joins the UDP to talk about some of the adverse moments in her career. From turning around Kentucky State as a young head coach to understanding her process to develop relationships. They keys to her success lie in building a foundation from the day she steps on campus.
As a little girl in the 1960s Tara VanDerveer loved playing basketball. However there were no organized sports for girls at the time. After a stellar college playing career, Tara became 2x Coach of the year at Ohio State in the early 80s. Fast forward to 2021 her Stanford Cardinals won their 3rd National Championship (90' & 92'). Coach VanDerveer is the definition of Sustaining Excellence!
Tony Pike was 6th on the depth chart as a junior and didn't know what the future held going into camp. After a talk with his dad and a fair chance from Coach Brian Kelly, Tony became the starter a few weeks into that same season. Although injuries followed, he was still able to help lead the University of Cincinnati to it's largest Bowl Appearance in school history his senior year!
Coach Wes Miller was a walk-on at North Carolina after spending his freshman year at James Madison. Only a few years after graduating he found himself as a 27 year old head coach. Finding success through core values and hard work at UNCG, he's bringing that same mentality to the Cincinnati Bearcats!
In 2002 Bob Huggins's life stopped when he suffered a heart attack in the Pittsburgh Airport. Whether it's realness or tough love, Coach Huggins doesn't take for granted the emotional and genuine relationships he's developed with his players over his 35+ year career!
In 2012 Coach Jack was relieved of her duties as Indiana University Women's Head Basketball Coach. Nobody would hire her, not even as an assistant. From Power 5 to smaller schools, no one would call her back. Then she got her break with the University of Buffalo and has made 3 NCAA Appearances with a Mid Major. As Coach Jack says Winning is easy, but the process is difficult.
When Tom Allen was 23 years old he was thrust into his first head coaching job at the high school level, during the middle of the season. His infectious connection with his players and understanding how important L.E.O. was critical early on. 8 out of the 11 places he's coached over the past 30 years all had losing records when his staff arrived. Now we see the tremendous job he's done at IU and making them a National Powerhouse!
John Harbaugh struggled to find his path up the coaching ranks. With stops at many schools across the country, he always felt like God was going to lead him to where he was supposed to be. As a Special Teams coach in the NFL, he finally got the call and for the last 14 years has taken full advantage of his opportunity as a leader of The Baltimore Ravens and Super Bowl Champion!
He's one of the winningest Coaches in college football history. Yet despite all of his national championships and on-field success, Coach Tressel still considered himself an Underdog when he took on his new role as President at Youngstown State.
When Joe lost his brother at the age of 19, he began to question the meaning of sports. As he began to evaluate the Coaches he had throughout his life, he began to see the differences in transformational vs transactional coaches. This ultimately lead Joe to his life's work!
In 2002 Coach Johnson was almost out of coaching after a controversial call on the field. However he was blessed enough to be given a second chance by then Head Coach, the late Terry Hoeppner. After many stops including the Cleveland Browns, The Ohio State University, Arkansas, Purdue, he's now an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Raiders!
Her solo goal was a fitting end to the remarkable 2019 Women's World Cup, but the 2 years leading up to the Cup, Rose, a Cincinnati Native, dealt serious injuries and she sat down with Kyle and myself to talk about her tremendous journey!
Clark Kellogg is the lead basketball analyst for CBS and he sat down with us to talk about his journey from the 8th overall pick in 1982 NBA draft to a chronic career ending knee injury, that lead him to finding Christ, his faith and purpose in life.
From bulimia, to her dad committing suicide, to a life threatening car accident, The journey of finding her identity was a rollercoaster ride of ups and a lot downs. It wasn’t until Mo Aiken found Christ that led her to her true purpose in life Her new book - Fully Known
David Shaw is the Head Football Coach for the Stanford Cardinals. He is also the older brother of Eric Shaw who was suffering from a rare form of skin cancer. When doctors were nearly out of options, David volunteered for the blood transfusion that could save Eric's life.
He was the #1 overall pick in the 1983 MLB Draft. He was the Rookie of the Year and a 4x World Series Champion. Despite all these accolades, his pain led him to his greatness, but his greatness led him to his destructive behavior. From drugs, alcohol and sex addition, to also beating cancer twice, Darryl Strawberry shares how he's found the New Innings in his life.
Although he was a standout high school basketball player, Wally Szczerbiak did what many of our guest have done and that's BET ON HIMSELF. By choosing to go to a smaller college to get a quality education, and be a part of an up and coming basketball program and the overall college experience, Wally's World was created! As the 6th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, Wally knew nothing was guaranteed. To sustain an 11 year NBA career would take more than hard work!
In his 22nd season on television Judge Mathis is still changing lives! As a young boy growing up in Detroit, kicked out of school on several occasions, sent to jail multiple times and was involved with the Errol Flynn's, a well known gang at the time. He made a promise to his mom in her final days on earth that would forever change his life!
Shortly after 911 and the Pentagon attack where her father had worked, Jackie Carson had to make a decision to give up playing basketball and transition into a career in coaching. A trendsetter and breaking down barriers, Coach Carson is on the verge of ELITE status!
In 2012 after failing his 3rd drug test Cam F Awesome was no longer the front runner for Olympic boxing. Suspended, broke and 50lbs overweight – he was given a one way ticket back to Kansas City. Add alcohol addiction on top of everything else – he eventually changed his name and found a new identity.
When the ball goes flat, there are only two things that will stay with you for the rest of your life: 1. Who you become & 2. Who you impact As UCLA Head Women's Basketball Coach, Coach Close's core belief is the profound life long impact she has on young women through basketball. Her leadership style and passion for growth are just a few of the reason's her teams have had success.
It took nearly two decades and what Ed Latimore calls living four lives before he began to understand the concept of purpose. After overcoming addictions to alcohol and pornography, this former heavyweight boxer turned author and influencer is sharing stoic street smarts on how to control your mind, body and emotions.
After his college playing career was over and not wanting to coach basketball, he reluctantly took the head girls JV basketball job in Cincinnati OH. Fast forward 20 years and a very successful career at his alma mater Xavier University, Chris Mack is now looking to lead the Louisville Cardinals to a National Championship!
Legendary player and coach Bill Curry played for Vince Lombardi and Don Shula, he also played with Bart Starr and Johnny Unitis. In 1965 Bill Curry entered his first NFL huddle with the Green Bay Packers. This was also the first time he had an African American teammate in the same huddle while segregation was at an all time high, and it changed his life forever. It was a message he carried and shared for the next 40 years of his playing and coaching career!
