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 to listen and develop relationships. 2.  Does “scheme” win games? (no) What does? 3.  Make your average players good, your good players great, and your great players “studs.” 4.  What does the team talk about in the weight room? 5.  Developing a team identity, sticking to it, and putting time into practicing it. 6.  The 600, 800, and 1000 pound clubs. 7.  How kids develop confidence through weightlifting. (see excerpt from student essay below) 8.  Kids needing football more than football needs them. 9.  Asking kids to “pay it forward” one day. 10.  It’s all about the players. 11.  Why he asks his team, “Are you satisfied?” after each game. 12.  His annual “life review.” 13.  Knowing what to do on 3rd and 1. 14.  Being ok with not always knowing the answer right away.

Coach Don Julian led Sheridan High School in Wyoming to five state championships and, before that, coached Riverton High School to four state titles. He was also formerly a member of the University of Wyoming’s football coaching staff. Even more than wins on the field, he is widely known as an exemplary developer of leaders. Coach Julian, currently the athletic director at Sheridan, continues to inspire leaders of all levels. As Wisconsin coaches examine how they can impact lives and communities through sports, much can be learned from Coach Julian. In this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  Growing up on a sheep ranch in Kemmerer, WY (the ranch is now on its fifth generation in the family). 2.  Learning loyalty, independence, and ownership on the family ranch. 3.  Ownership: “Unless you own it, you can’t really give it away…Nothing that’s really important to us is given for free.” 4.  The huge span of territory covered by a range sheep operation in Wyoming. 5.  Learning from his grandmother: “Most of her knowledge came from working with animals.” 6.  The importance of leadership – but lack of true understanding/teaching about what it actually is. “We’ll teach them everything about a handoff… But we’ll yell at a kid and tell him to be a leader when, quite frankly, we don’t teach him how to lead.” 7.  “I think we need to plan for leadership.” 8.  “As the seniors go, the season goes.” The importance of the leadership process leading up to senior year. 9.  Taking seniors to the mountains right before fall camp. 10.  Running a “transformational” leadership program built on purpose statements. 11.  Defining the “why?” 12.  Our purpose here is to help kids become great men. 13.  The importance of writing in leadership development, including the value of journaling. 14.  Using break-out sessions to engage kids on various leadership topics. 15.  Creating such a relationship that “we don’t want to let each other down.” 16.  Prior to taking the field, the team is reminded: “Believe in yourself. Believe in the guy next to you. Believe in the plan.” 17.  The “Nissi Flag:” “When the kids are in the battle of the game, and they grow tired and weary, they can look to the sideline and see their team and the Nissi Flag.” 18.  “Bronc football is life-changing.” 19.  The annual “person of influence” night. 20.  One of the most special moments of his coaching career: one of his player’s baptisms, when most of the team showed up. 21.  Success stories. 22.  The necessity of adversity: “I don’t think we can get anything done in life without handling adversity.” 23.  Coming together at the end of every practice and game to identify something specific that they saw a teammate do well that day.

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 of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  Somerset as a working class community. 2.  Growing up on a dairy farm in Spring Valley, Wisconsin…where he learned to get things done. 3.  The impact of his high school coach, Bob Thomas – how he made his players feel and the time he invested in them. 4.  UW-River Falls coach Mike Farley. 5.  “Don’t worry about winning – just do it the right way and things will be ok.” 6.  Arriving at Somerset in 1987 as an assistant coach to Brad Nemec. 7.  When everything “fell apart” during his third year as head coach, writing down everything he didn’t like in the program. 8.  DW Rutledge and Dennis Parker, two of his coaching influences. 9.  “What you see is what you coach.” 10.  “If you don’t like it, change it.” The coach is the person in charge. 11.  Using Army values in his program. “Everything we do is built around that.” 12.  “What it comes down to more than anything is attitude.” 13.  “The world is full of educated derelicts.” 14.  The Friday morning routines with the team. 15.  The army transforming a person “into a machine” in 14 weeks. 16.  2002 state semi-finals vs Auburndale: kids falling back on what they know best. 17.  Making changes to the weight training program. 18.  The coaching advice to his sons – it starts with relationships. 19.  When “what you believe in got beat” it hurts. 20.  What makes Wisconsin football unique: tough, hard-nosed kids. Ass-kickers.

Devonte Windham, a graduate of the University of Missouri Law School, is an assistant state public defender in the Madison Trial Office. Originally from the Chicago area, Devonte coaches youth football with the Southside Raiders program in Madison. The Raiders are in their 50th year -- and are widely regarded as one of Madison's excellent community-based youth sports programs. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  The role and benefit in his life growing up. 2.  One of his early influential coaches, Coach Kennedy. “He was one of the first coaches who took an interest in my academic realm.” 3.  Seeking out the Southside Raiders program when he was new to Madison. 4.  The historical tradition of the Raiders. 5.  How being part of the Raiders has assisted his transition to the Madison community. 6.  Periodic intersections of his work and youth football life. 7.  The importance of family engagement in youth sports. 8.  Challenges associated with youth football. 9.  A success story with a particular family amid a very difficult time.

Dr. M. Alison Brooks is a professor in the Department of Orthopedics in the Division of Sports Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She played college soccer for one of the all-time college sports dynasties: the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. She is currently a team physician for several UW sports teams and the Associate Director of Concussion and Nutrition Research for the Badger Athletic Performance Program. She joined the SGG podcast to discuss groundbreaking concussion research and football. We discussed: 1.  The role sports played in her life growing up. 2.  The importance of kids having structure in their days. 3.  Studying and playing soccer at the University of North Carolina. 4.  How she ended up pursuing sports medicine. 5.  What makes the concussion study unique, including its size: 45,000+ participants. 6.  An important finding: when athletes delay reporting of their head injury, it costs them more time in the long-run. “They have more severe symptoms and they take longer to get better.” 7.  Another important finding: longer return to play times may result in less frequent repeat concussions. 8.  The majority of athletes who suffer concussions in sports probably don’t develop CTE. 9.  Just having athletes sit and rest for long periods of time isn’t best for recovery. More pro-active rehab approaches are better, including exercise for treatment. 10.  We don’t yet have a definitive test that says, “You have a concussion.” 11.  How do you go about behavior change to better address brain injuries in sports? “It starts with the coach.” 12.  Developing a healthy team culture around head injuries. 13.  “I think we have to be careful about focusing on only the negative and only the risks. Sometimes that gets lost in the discussion…There are research documented benefits of sports…Including reduced risk-taking behavior and leadership, self-esteem, and confidence.” 14.  “There are ways we can reduce risks.” 15.  “There’s not a reason to have lots of contact to the head at a young age.” 16.  Evidence that cumulative number of head impacts (“hit count”) matters. 17.  The joy of working with Wisconsin student-athletes. 18.  The UW athletics administration having the student’s best interest in mind.

Matt Molle is a long-time head football coach and teacher at Seymour High School in Wisconsin. Coach Molle’s success as a coach is well-documented, but many people don’t know how important his roots in the mill town of Niagra were on his trajectory. On this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  Growing up in Niagra, Wisconsin. “You had a lot of people in your corner.” 2.  The influence his dad and other coaches had on his early development. 3.  Common attributes of the best coaches: Building relationships. “You have to get them to know you care before they care about what you teach them.” 4.  I always admired and respected that my dad made time for everyone.” 5.  Learning “the grinder mentality” as an assistant coach. 6.  How a principal served as an important mentor to him. 7.  Seymour football: Trust, Commitment, Care 8.  “If you’re a person that can trust others and be trusted; If you can show that you care and you’re committed to a cause… it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about football, being a husband, father, brother, whatever the case may be, you’re going to be ok.” 9.  Leadership classes in the spring. 10.  Showing what “the TCC” look like (videos, pictures, discussions, etc.) 11.  Using TCC for evaluation of the team. 12.  “You’re wearing #4. Let me tell you about these guys who wore #4 before you…” 13.  How he’s changed over the years: “I’ve become more reflective.” 14.  Another change: structure of practice. 15.  How he reflects: with his wife, writing things down, end of year debriefing, taking moments to acknowledge the present moments. 16.  Balancing the various roles in his life. 17.  Routines: early rise and workout; dog walk; quiet lunch period. 18.  His relationship with his former players. 19.  “It’s ok to say ‘I love you.’” 20.  “If all we’ve done is teach you football, we’ve failed.” 21.  Officiating the weddings of former students and athletes.

Coach Dave Keel earned Hall of Fame distinction in both football and softball during his 30+ years of teaching and head coaching at Homestead High School in Wisconsin. Coach Keel is known broadly for his wins on the field, including six football state championships. But those who know Coach Keel are even more impressed by his care for the young people he led. On this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  Growing up playing football at Milwaukee Hamilton High School and UW-LaCrosse. 2.  Learning from Coach Phil Datka at Germantown High School and from John Brody at Homestead. 3.  Common attributes of his mentors: their love of the young people. 4.  Developing the tenets of his program. 5.  One tenet: Getting the most people on the field as possible. “We’re going to have 22 really committed players.” 6.  A second tenet: Get the community involved. 7.  His role within the broader school community. 8.  What makes football unique: it’s uniquely American and it’s significant in our culture and it embodies what our lives are like. “You’ve got two choices when you get knocked down. You can roll over and say, ‘Dang it!’ and walk off the field or you can get up, dust yourself off a little and say.’Hey, I’m going to do my best not to get knocked down again.’” 9.  The social component: Learning to work well with other people through sports. 10.  A difference he’s observed between girls teams and boys teams. 11.  Community impacts of his program. 12.  His efforts in making football safer with USA Football’s Heads Up program: “We’ve seen a tremendous buy-in.” 13.  How he’s changed as a coach over the years. 14.  The leadership skills program he developed at Homestead. 15.  Learning about developing a leadership program from Coach Craig Bohl. 16.  Conflict and “the skill of listening.” 17.  The listening activity he used with his program. 18.  Listening and empathy as being at the heart of conflict resolution. 19.  “Listen with your eyes.” 20.  Recognizing the impact that coaches have upon young people. “Coach, you don’t know this, but for the last four years, you were my father.” 21.  “Every one of these coaches, has that young person on your team…You need to recognize that those little folks out there, there’s more than one that really needs you more than they need the sport… Recognize that and use that to help young people become successful.”

Following up on episode #66 with Zander Neuville, we have Zander's coach from Waupaca High School in Wisconsin, John Koronkiewicz. "Coach Koronk" 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 Koronk won many championships over the years and is respected by coaches across the state. Coach is admired by former players, families, and community members for his positive impact over the years. In this episode (a re-edit of episode 30), we discussed: 1.Playing football for Wisconsin Hall of Famers Jerry Schliem and Russ Young. 2. Growing up playing sports on the farm. 3. His emphasis on creating a positive, fun environment during his initial years at Waupaca—and his emphasis on developing lessons that could be used for life. 4. Leaving the field in a positive mood each day. 5. “Attitude, character, enthusiasm, team.” 6. Playing the Beach Boys on Friday afternoons in the classroom. 7. Being yourself, not faking it, and having a passion for the game. 8. Creating the team as a “home away from home.” 9. Coaching as a gift. 10. Finding a niche for each player – and the coaches “owing it” to each player to get him on the field with a meaningful role. 11. Working in the best interest of the kids by being honest and caring. 12. Coaching as a service to others – not an enhancement of one’s own ambitions. 13. Continuing to learn, even amid long periods of success. “Losing can become a habit – as can winning.” 14. Building a program that the community could be proud of. 15. Doing the best you can and setting a good example for kids. 16. Being proud of and keeping friendships with past players and assistant coaches, including Amherst’s Mark Lusic. 17. The identity of Wisconsin football.

Zander Neuville was a student and football player at Waupaca High School and the University of Wisconsin. Afterinjuries ended his promising career as a tight end, Zander was ready to transition to new horizons. He’s currently in medical school at Northwestern University. Zander joined the SGG podcast and offered rich perspective on the coaches and doctors who influenced him along his journey. We discussed: 1.  The role of sports in his childhood. 2.  Being surprised to be recruited by colleges to play football. 3.  His relationship with Waupaca Coach John Koronkiewicz: He was a really helpful mentor to me. 4.  How Coach Koronkiewicz helped connect him with Wisconsin coaches, ultimately contributing to his opportunity to join the team. 5.  Coach Koronkiewicz’s knack for connecting with his players and treating everyone equal opportunity: “He built an environment that everyone wanted to be a part of…Everyone had the highest respect for him.” 6.  Coach Mickey Turner’s effectiveness and modeling as tight end coach. 7.  Strength and Conditioning Coach Ross Kolodzieg’s impact. “He was someone I really connected with…He had gone through everything that we were currently going through…There was a natural trust with him…I leaned on him a lot.” 8.  How the everyday schedule changes for players during injury times. 9.  The close relationship that strength coaches develop with players. 10.  The two phases of injury: initial shock and long-term effects. 11.  “What sticks with me about injuries is how long they can stay with you mentally.” 12.  Career ending injuries as “divorce.” 13.  “It can get taken away really quickly.” 14.  Injury isolation. 15.  How his own injuries related to his pursuit of medical school. 16.  The injuries were bad for my football career, but I feel like it’s been a positive for my medical school work.” 17.  His relationship with Dr. Baer, the surgeon who operated on him numerous times. 18.  The friendships and exposure to different people that he gained from playing at Wisconsin. “I have a greater appreciation for what everyone is going through and where they came from…Everyone has their own story. And football opened me up to that.” 19.  Football time management lessons: it made the transition to medical school easy.

Jeff Patterson –widely known as “JP” – is one of the most impactful leaders in the Madison area. JP’s barber shop “JP Hair Design” is a high performing organization that offers resources well beyond its doors. And JP’s dedication as a youth football coach in the Madison Memorial program adds another layer to his positive impact on hundreds of lives. In this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  His dad’s dedication to coaching and positive leadership in North Chicago. 2.  A street in North Chicago that is named after his dad. 3.  “Everybody knew him.” 4.  His dad as a coach: “He had fun with the kids…He didn’t take any junk…He wanted to teach them something… He wanted to be sure that if he had them, they were going to be better than they were when he first got them.” 5.  The youth center in North Chicago was the place where people connected. 6.  The importance of the “Warhawks” mascot on JP’s journey to attending UW-Whitewater. 7.  The significant impact that Bob Eschman, his sophomore basketball coach in high school, had on his life. “He did more than just coach.” 8.  His first priority in coaching youth football: building a relationship with the kids. 9.  His emphasis on growth – both as players and as young men. 10.  Always finding positives in each situation. 11.  Stopping practice to have life lessons. 12.  The importance of communication and transparency with parents. 13.  Working through conflict in youth sports: be transparent and establish guidelines. 14.  Academic progress cards that team 15.  Football can’t be played individually. “Success in football depends upon the team.” 16.  His “pencil activity” that gets kids to understand the importance of team: “If we can stay together as a team, it’s hard to break us. But once you get individuals trying to go off on their own, the team can easily be broken.” 17.  His son Jairus’ growth in and through football. 18.  The collective impact of multiple coaches on young people’s trajectories. 19.  “We’ve got an opportunity to shape what they’re doing outside of the gridiron.”