Fired Coaches Podcast

Recently retired coach Rick Pietri shares his incredible coaching career spanning high school and college. He was the head women’s basketball coach at Jacksonville State and South Alabama over 26 years. 417 wins, won the Sun Belt and ASUN, has been coach of the year and an all-time leader in wins. He also won a state championship in high school on the boys basketball side. Nearly 40 years in coach...

Nick Pasqua shares his journey through the highs and lows of coaching college basketball. He emphasizes lessons learned from early failures, the importance of adaptability, and leadership during challenging times. We talk about Coach Pasqua playing career at King University in Tennessee and transition into coaching at the Division II level. We touch on his stops as a head coach at Tusculum Univers...

In this episode we talk to Kyle Morgan. A firefighter of nearly 20 years who has spent time in the scouting space of football. He attended the Scouting Academy with Dan Hatman, worked at Arizona State in Player Personnel, spent time working for Catapult, the NFL Combine and most recently helped launch JUCO Insider Report. We talk about player evaluation, AI, insights of the combine and lessons lea...

We talk to Coach Chris Reinert's about his football journey from California to Vanderbilt to coaching roles across college football, AAF and currently with Dallas Renegades of UFL. Deep dive into Mike Leach's coaching style and delegation, Jim Mora's organization and Rick Neuheisel's leadership. Winning three Sun Bowls across three different institutions. Leading his alma mater as...

In this episode, Brian Rosario shares his journey through the collegiate coaching landscape, how setbacks fueled his growth, and the importance of strategic networking and personal branding in one's career. We talk about his stops at McNeese State, Cumberlands, Cornell, Loyola Marymount, Chandler/Gilbert Community College, Pepperdine and Long Beach State. The beginnings of being a ticket holde...

Coach Cabral Huff shares his 25-year coaching journey, highlighting the importance of character, relationships and organization. In this episode we discuss Atlanta AAU, being the DOB at Georgia Southern, assistant at Alcorn State, what makes HBCU's unique, being a head coach at Voorhees during COVID, building Edward Waters as head coach, the shock of being let go, reflection, bouncing back and...

Coach Tim Bernero shares his extensive journey through high school, college, and coaching basketball at various levels. We talk about him growing up in Chicago suburbs, attending Carmel Catholic and Lake Forest College. The stops he made while being a men's basketball assistant at University of Chicago, North Park, Elmhurst and Carthage. He shares a great story about how he landed an interim r...

One of the most successful coaches we have had on the FCP. Coach Danelle Bishop shares her inspiring journey from basketball player to a successful college coach. She highlights the importance of resilience, mentorship, building confidence, Next Play (Goldfish Mentality), family and adapting strategies for long-term success in coaching. We talk about her time as head coach at Azusa Pacific, being...

Lessons from a 40-Year Coaching Journey with Coach Dave Pilipovich. Coach Pilipovich (current men's basketball assistant coach at Colorado State) shares insights from nearly four decades in basketball, spanning Division III, Division II, NBA G League and Division I programs. His experiences highlight the importance of patience and relationship-building. We discuss the impact from mentors: Jim...

Fun episode sitting down with Coach Scott Brisson. We talk about how he has navigated the world of college football coaching, from Division III to Lehigh and now as a P4 analyst at UCLA. We talk about his experience as an offensive coordinator, being let go, Shippensburg, Wake Forest, playoff run at James Madison, culture at UCLA, reflection and much more! 02:23 - Early influences and college play...

Sort of a different episode. When I first started the podcast, every 7th episode was interviewing individuals who hadn’t been fired. On this episode I sat down with Josh Washington and Charles Ruffing. Back in 2010-11, I was in my 3rd year coaching college basketball and my first year back at my alma mater. The 2010-11 season was not pretty. We went 4-21. Josh was a senior on that team and Charles...

Discover the intriguing career path of Jared Ambrose. From growing up in a coaching family to leading teams at the collegiate level. Gain insights into the realities of coaching, the challenges of playoff runs, and the evolving landscape of college football including NIL and transfer culture. We talk about his time in coaching at Delaware (including a Joe Flacco story), helping build Towson with h...

In this episode, Coach Tony Shiffman shares his experience playing college football at Illinois College, managing injuries, passion for offensive line play, journey coaching high school in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Iowa, significance of organizing, coaching college at Lake Forest and Elmhurst, career setback, staying involved and networking. 02:20 - Transition from playing to coaching, injuri...

In this episode, Coach Scott Wachenheim shares his remarkable journey through military service, college coaching, and leadership at VMI. Discover insights on building resilient programs, taking hard jobs, and lessons learned from decades of coaching at various levels. We talk about his stops at Air Force, Arkansas, Colorado, Utah State, Rice, Liberty, Washington Redskins (Commanders), Virginia and...

We talk about Coach Brian White's new book, "The Locker Room is Not For Sale". We travel through his college football journey from Fordham, Notre Dame, UNLV, Wisconsin, Syracuse, Washington, Florida, Boston College, Colorado State and now Bowling Green. During the episode we learn about being real, mentorship, recruiting, his love for cooking, staying connected to players, being fire...

In this episode, Mike Rittelmann shares his journey from a D3 football player and coach to scout, highlighting the importance of networking, talent evaluation, and the unique aspects of CFL and the College Gridiron Showcase.01:19 - Growing up in Pennsylvania and love for football02:09 - Transition from player to coach and evaluator03:31 - Challenges of moving from athlete to coach04:27 - Impact of...

Dan Schumacher shares his extensive journey in college athletics, highlighting his strategic approach to facility upgrades and program turnarounds. Discover insights on navigating NCAA processes, building winning teams, and adapting to the evolving landscape of college sports. We talk his experience as an athlete and working at Winona State, being an athletic director at D2 Lewis University, D1 Ch...

In this episode we take a trip down memory lane. We learn about how Coach Scott Pera got his start in coaching. We discuss the Hoosiers 2.0 story at Annville-Cleona, coaching James Harden at Artesia and Arizona State, making the jump to college coaching, how he got connected to Mike Rhoades, getting his opportunity to be the head coach at Rice, being let go, getting better and his current role as...

Cory Marquardt's journey from student manager at Drake, navigating coaching changes, building relationships and embracing life's uncertainties. This episode offers insights into resilience, adaptability, and the power of relationships. We talk all things basketball, including Drake, high school basketball, UW-Stevens Point and getting better. Lot of fun with this one! 02:45 - Athletic Back...

In this episode, Tyler Frings shares his journey from a college volleyball player at Carthage to then to coaching and building a men's volleyball program from scratch at Marian University. He discusses the growth of men's volleyball, the importance of culture and community in sports, and insights into recruiting, program development, and the future of the sport. 01:40 - Curiosity and Lifel...

In this chat with Ben Wierzba, we learn about his unique path from coaching men’s basketball to women’s basketball. The recent announcement on him being named the head women’s basketball coach at Evansville, his time as the Director of Operations at Army, being let go as the head coach at D2 Illinois Springfield, coaching success as an assistant with Mercer and Miami (OH) women’s basketball, full...

Ryan Hawk (a former college football player at Miami Ohio University and Ohio University) shares details regarding his upcoming book "The Price of Becoming" which can be pre-ordered on Amazon. This will be Ryan's fourth book. In addition to writing, Ryan has a newsletter, is a keynote speaker, leadership coach and host of The Learning Leader! In this episode we talk about his time in...

Marcus Wiegert shares expert insights on navigating coaching searches at small colleges, emphasizing proactive headhunting, relationship building, and strategic preparation for candidates and institutions. 00:28 - Understanding the Division III Landscape 01:48 - Segmenting Division III Institutions by Resources and Focus 02:45 - Challenges Facing Smaller Schools and How to Address Them 03:40 - The...

Coach Tony Franklin shares his inspiring journey through football, from small-town Kentucky roots to college coaching and building the Tony Franklin System. We talk about his book release after being at Kentucky that blacklisted him from coaching for a bit, getting fired at Auburn, leading successful offenses at multiple Division I stops, coaching Jared Goff, writing, family, resilience, and the i...

In this in-depth interview, Coach Grant Mollring shares his journey through football coaching at various levels, from high school to Division II at Nebraska Kearney, NAIA stops at Doane and Hastings and leading his own program at Division III Buena Vista in Iowa. He also shares his insights on recruiting, team building, and leadership. We dive into Nebraska football, being a Dominique Wilkins fan,...