Sport and the Growing Good

Bruce Larson is the head football coach at Somerset High School. He’s recognized as one of the best in state of Wisconsin and, actually, in the whole country, having won the Don Shula National High School Coach of the Year award in 2015. Coach is renowned for winning championships on the field and, more importantly, instilling life-long values and habits in those who play for him. In this episode...

John Koronkiewicz served as a coach and teacher at Waupaca High School for 40 years. He spent 24 years as head coach of the baseball program and 32 years as head coach of the football program. He was elected into the WFCA High School Coaches’ Hall of Fame and also into the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame . “Coach Kronk” won many championships over the years and is respected by c...

Bob Hurley coached the St. Anthony’s team in Jersey City for 50 years – 45 as head coach . He is recognized as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, having won innumerable championships and being one of just a few high school coaches to be voted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In this episode of the SGG podcast, Coach Hurley discussed: 1.   Growing up playing spor...

Mike Zdebski is the head football coach at Hamilton High School, the biggest school in Arizona and a traditional football force. Before beginning at Hamilton, Coach Zdebski spent 29 years on the sideline in Michigan, where he achieved at the highest levels and was elected to the Michigan High School Football Association’s Hall of Fame . In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  Th...

Marques Johnson is a commentator for the Milwaukee Bucks on Fox Sports. Marques had a distinguished career as a player: from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, to UCLA , and then in the NBA. One of the great players of his generation joined the SGG podcast to talk about his dad, some of the famous coaches he played for, and other coaches he’s observed over the years. We discussed: 1.  Marqu...

Donovan “Donny” Dooley owns and runs “ Quarterback University ,” where young quarterbacks are trained and developed “52 weeks a year.” In the growing industry of private skills development in youth sports, QBU has emerged as one of the football leaders in the Midwest. In this episode of the SGG podcast, Donny and I discussed: 1.  Learning the cerebral side of quarterbacking at a young age as...

Jim Delany served as Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference for over 30 years. Jim played basketball for Coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. He is recognized as one of the most influential leaders in all of sports. Jim learned from, worked with, and helped shape a long list of great coaches. In this episode, we discussed: 1.  His remarkable direct and indirect lineage, which...

Craig Bundy is an Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer whose impact on players, teams, and communities transcends the football field. Coach Bundy “sees the big picture” in sports, focusing on not just wins and losses, but upon the ways we can grow the good through teamwork and competition. In this episode of SGG, we discussed: 1.  The impact that his high school foo...

Jeff Duncan Andrade is widely revered as a leading professor and dynamic speaker . He’s also a public school teacher , author of books and articles , and the founder of a school. But did you know that he was also a championship-winning high school basketball coach and, before that, an elite athlete? In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  How travel basketball opened the world (...

Paul Chryst is the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin. He’s led the team to great heights, both on the field and off. Recognized as a leading mind in the game, Coach Chryst serves as a model from whom other coaches in Wisconsin and beyond can learn. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.   Shattering the backboard during a high school basketball game. 2.  No...

Paula Wilkins is the head coach of the University of Wisconsin’s women’s soccer team. After competing at Division 1 and national levels, she’s been a successful coach in major college soccer – at both Penn State and Wisconsin. Coach Wilkins is full of wisdom. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  The advantages of playing soccer with boys until age 16. 2.  Her first soccer coach –...

Fran McCaffery is the head basketball coach at the University of Iowa. He was the youngest Division 1 head coach in the country at Lehigh University at age 26 and has enjoyed numerous successes and accolades at multiple stops in the ensuing years. Coach Fran is one of the best. In this SGG episode, we discuss: 1.  Getting noticed and supported at a young age in Philadelphia by Sam Rines, who...

Greg Gard is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin. As a winner of multiple conference titles and numerous awards, he’s recognized as a leader in the profession. Those who work with Coach Gard admire his skill and steadiness as a leader in Madison. In this SGG episode, we discuss: 1.  His early interests in college basketball – and why he was initially an Iowa Hawkeye...

Chris Bono is the head wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin. He was a three-time All-American wrestler at Iowa State and was the NCAA champion at 150 lbs. Coach Bono has quickly developed the Wisconsin wrestling program into one of the best in the nation. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discuss: 1.  Starting wrestling as a five-year old. 2.  The difficult position he was...

Steve Jones is the head football coach at Kimberly High School in Wisconsin. He has won multiple championships as well as state and national coaching awards . Coach Jones also teaches leadership courses at the high school and is recognized as a dynamic speaker on leadership development. In this SGG episode, we discuss: To learn more, refer to Coach Jones’ Twitter feed ; a brief article and video a...

Marc Skelton is an author , teacher, and renowned head basketball coach at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in New York City. His teams have won championships and his students succeed beyond their time at the school. In this episode of the SGG podcast, Coach Skelton and I discuss: 1.  Taking care of his students and players at the onset of the coronavirus outbreak in New York. 2.  Ov...

Mark Lusic is a teacher and the head football coach at Amherst High School in Wisconsin. By developing an intensive weight training program, developing deep relationships, and building a winning culture, he’s led Amherst to four state championships and built one of the most respected programs in the state. In this episode of SGG, we discuss: 1.  Learning from Coach John Koronkiewicz about how...

Josh Niblett is the head football coach at Hoover High School in Birmingham, Alabama. Coach Niblett’s teams have won multiple state championships and have been recognized as one of the top programs in the country. Coach Niblett is an educator who values the deeper life lessons that can be learned through sports. He described: 1.  Agape love – and what it looks like on a football team; 2. &nbs...

Coach Alvarez joins SGG to discuss readiness on the field and in the classroom. Coach Alvarez is the athletic director at the University of Wisconsin. Formerly, he was a championship winning coach at high school and college levels. Coach discusses: 1.  Finding the right fit in the recruiting process; 2.  How did he know which players to take a chance on? 3.  What did he expect of his assistant coa...

We can learn valuable lessons about coaching and sports from Jane Addams , the famous social worker and leader in the early 1900s. This episode of SGG describes four specific ways that today’s leaders can learn from Jane: 1.  Identifying the basic needs of your team in order to make bigger things possible; 2.  Developing and sustaining teams as “ places of enthusiasm ;” 3.  Starting...

Coach Dusty Mattison is the highly-regarded head coach of the University of Wisconsin’s Lightweight Rowing program. We met at the Porter Boathouse, where she described 1.  Lessons she learned from her background in swimming; 2.  Teaching “the basics;” 3.  The importance of everyday steadiness; 4.  Some of her key organizational strategies; 5.  Her “practice binder” – and t...

As the youth sports industry continues to rapidly grow throughout the US, Professor Bell warns us of some problems with the athletics pipeline. He discusses: 1.  What should parents and youth coaches know about sport? 2.  What are the impacts of physical activity in youth and young adulthood years? There are widespread physical and social effects. 3.  Why are more and more kids drop...

Coach visited with us to describe the many details he addressed when taking over a struggling Wisconsin football program in the early 1990s: 1.  Before taking a new job as a coach, you better have a real clear idea of what is expected of you by the leaders who hired you. “Where is the program today, and how are you going to support me?” You have to know the lay of the land before you take a j...

What happens when families and communities come together every weekend for youth sports games? SGG presents ten minutes of condensed Saturday morning basketball action. What do we hear in these ten minutes? 1. A community of volunteers coming together…running concessions, coaching, running the clock; 2. Parents meeting each other and developing relationships; 3. Young athletes cheering for each ot...

Yvette Healy is the head softball coach at the University of Wisconsin. She’s led the team to great heights during her ten years in Madison. Coach Healy discusses: 1.  The value of small group practice sessions; 2.  Why an indoor dirt field is important; 3.  Her daily routine – splitting time between the office and the field; 4.  One of her coaching models, Eugene Lenti; 5. &nb...