https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/home daily 1.0 2019-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519453894897-A4H47AWS3UDAW6IY2H7Y/LION2561.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1518583037730-XUHVFOHZAGMYCM9RXNX8/DSC_0105.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1561745440337-GAY1I2IZIID4UHFIVS3R/image1.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519406521740-X42I9MR5QUSWJ7R8GSE3/Photo+Feb+19%2C+5+14+09+PM.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1558035962786-IWDC3EN83R67IIJXYRWT/Screen+Shot+2019-05-16+at+3.31.43+PM.png Home https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach daily 0.75 2020-09-01 https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/9/1/a-fathers-encouraging-words-he-can-do-anything monthly 0.5 2020-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1598980191174-V1E7YNM6GVE4GCI8GXTY/Screen+Shot+2020-04-13+at+3.56.07+PM.png Words From Coach - A Father’s Encouraging Words: “He Can Do Anything!” It was the 4th of July in 1966 and the scene was all too familiar. I was 11 years old! My father, Willie Caldwell, and my uncle, Charlie Hanserd, attentively standing by the barbeque grill, where they had been posted since 4am. They were adding the final touch to the ribs, chicken, bratwurst, hot dogs, and hamburgers for the annual Independence Day family gathering. Uncle Charlie was an outstanding cook! He served our country in the Korean War, where out on the battlefield he kept the troops nourished. He could make a great meal out of anything. Often supplies were limited thus the cooks had to be resourceful; and creative. The first time I had turtle soup was at Uncle Charlie’s house. They lived next door to us on a couple of occasions in Rockford, Illinois. One day while fishing he caught a large snapping turtle. He let it roam around their fenced in yard for a few days until he had time to prepare it. I will spare you the details about how the turtle met its demise, but Uncle Charlie cooked the meat and broth on an open fire in the turtle’s shell. I have had the great pleasure of eating turtle soup at the world renown New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace but turtle soup on their menu comes in a distant second to Uncle Charlie’s. The family gathering would generally start around 1PM. My cousins and I were usually dropped off at the park around 10 AM to assist with the setup of picnic tables, chairs, tents, and the volleyball net. My father and Uncle Charlie invariably would have everything organized thus there was very little for us to do except play until the rest of the family arrived. I had an older cousin, William Chandler Jr, whom we called “Little Junior,” who was a good athlete. We were competing to see who could turn the best flips. All of us were capable of routine somersaults and cartwheels, so we matched one another in those feats. Little Junior had learned a new move for us to attempt. It was a series of flips in succession! A front handspring round-off to a back handspring. You could tell that he had been working on this for quite some time in preparation for this moment. No one else was willing to try it especially without some sort of cushion to soften the blow if you miscalculated. It appeared to be a pretty simple combination that I believed I could do also. So first I executed each of the moves separately to get my bearings and timing down. Then I took a running start and duplicated the feat. After I finished, I noticed that my father and Uncle Charlie had been watching and my father whispered to Uncle Charlie, “he can do anything.” I have used those four words whispered by my father to push through tough moments, eradicate seeds of doubt and buoy me in a profession chock full of criticism, volatility, and unemployment. For many years I thought it was an idiosyncrasy that I would keep to myself. Until I thought about it in relation to the importance of fatherly affirmation and how the absence of that comforting voice that we heard while in the womb haunts those that yearn for it. I want to cite two examples to support my position. First, while I was the head coach of the Detroit Lions we were in the Radisson Paper Valley in Appleton, Wisconsin the night before playing the Green Bay Packers. After the team meeting I watched a Show Time special about the great rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics. In the 1985 Finals, which also featured 38-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar claiming his Final MVP award, a portion of the segment caught my eye. Kareem had a stormy relationship with his father for many years which is well documented. In the 1985 opening game of NBA Finals he had just played a game where he was not at his best. The Lakers lost and Kareem appeared to show his age. But Kareem had an unresolved issue looming. Pat Riley ripped Kareem’s performance and he listened and took the well-deserved criticism. Upon boarding the bus to the stadium for game 2 Pat Riley noticed that Kareem’s father was on board sitting next to his son. Kareem went on to play one of the best series of his entire life. This is a man who had an extraordinary career full of accolades and accomplishments, but he too needed the support of his father to get him through a very dark period in his sports career. Secondly, I watched Lisa Leslie’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction speech. There stood this smart, courageous mega talented mother, wife, and basketball phenom graciously accepting the greatest athletic honor to be bestowed on a player. Yet, she mentioned first that her mother was the best “mother and father a girl could have.” Next, she thanked “the 4 men in my life who stepped in when I didn’t have a father.” Followed by thanking her high school coach saying he stepped in “knowing I didn’t have a dad.” I concluded that Lisa has longed for her father and even in the midst of her crowning athletic achievement she still longed for his support. Many children at an early age feel the sting of an absentee father. They must make up stories about why their father was not present at a school, social or athletic event. Children feel the void even when someone else honorably steps up to offer assistance. They learn to suppress their loss by masking it with anger, indifference or resignation. I contend that the things that bothered us when we were young still bother us today but through emotional maturity, we manage our open wounds. A child lacks the sophistication and mental maturity to deal with his father’s absence and the pain lingers in some cases for a lifetime. In my profession I have witnessed too many young men who are estranged from their children for various reasons. If you happen to find yourself in a similar position through divorce or an inability to get along with the mother of the child, seek help, he or she is worth it. All Pro Dads is an organization which specializes in providing answers and solutions to developing a healthy relationship with your child regardless of the circumstances. The child longs to have you in their lives! They long to hear the words of encouragement similar to the words whispered by my father! https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/8/3/a-discourse-on-race-relations monthly 0.5 2020-08-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1596475465881-69ZYMWX2MQG9CULI1RON/RACE+RELATIONS.jpg Words From Coach - A Discourse on Race Relations Over the last few weeks, the issue of race has created an awakening in the consciousness of America. George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020 brought to the surface incidents that have been a frequent occurrence in the African American community for decades. The advent of cell phone video capabilities and social media has illuminated the injustice so plainly that it has become a global multiracial, multigenerational movement. Multiracial alliances have always been the engine for change. If you look at photographs from the Civil Rights Movement in the late 50’s and 60’s you will notice a variety of ethnicities who were protesting because they recognized and challenged the inequitable norms. Observing the protests as a young kid I learned that social revolution need not to be destructive. We are at a similar crossroad today. The current political discourse emanating from the most powerful position in the free world is divisive and racist at its core. But the discourse alone is not the problem, the problem is “good men and women standby and say nothing.” The very people elected to uphold the law of the land and serve with integrity stand in silence. Why they do not express their displeasure will be debated in the long arc of history. We must be able to create unity in the face of discord. Pastor Herb Lusk, a prominent theological intellectual, from Philadelphia stated, “The only hope our country has is men (women) like you who understand what is required.” He followed up with a biblical scripture to support his position. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8. There are enough of us that know the way but for some reason or another we cannot consistently find common ground. Even amongst the religious leaders the division has grown more partisan and the pulpits are politicized. Although there are numerous issues, a recurring theme is a failure to communicate, an unwillingness to ask tough questions and listen empathically to intersecting ideas. Certainly not everyone is going to agree. That is why it only takes a committed few to make a difference. “Conviction is more powerful than consensus.” Growing up my mother and father always wanted to make certain we understood the nature of race relations. I remember some things more vividly than others for example, I was nine years old when I saw a picture of Emmett Till’s body lying in a coffin. It was frightening and more disturbing when the backdrop of his murder was explained to me. It was a cautionary tale for African Americans of my generation. I recall watching Walter Cronkite report the news on pivotal landmark Civil Rights decisions in the 1964 and 1965, the Watts riots in the summer of 1965, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Bobby Kennedy. My parents would force us to digest the information rich current events good and bad so we would understand the dynamics that would greatly impact our lives. They never wanted us to fall victim to the inferiority complex society propagated. They allowed us to taste the bitter and the sweet, be inquisitive, challenge thought processes and form our own opinions — thus creating our own ideological pallets. So, what is one of the major issues today? The country is in an uproar because we are uncomfortable talking about race relations. We do not listen to one another; we do not ask questions to seek understanding because ideological territorialism fuels human existence. The feeling of blame, responsibility, guilt, and shame disrupts any meaningful dialogue that could change the moral and social landscape of race relations. The world could learn something from a group of 8 to 10-year-olds that I crossed paths with in the late 60’s. As I have mentioned on previous posts, my hometown is Beloit, Wisconsin, a small bedroom sized working class community in the southern part of the state. It was and still is today a melting pot. The city has one of the largest percentage African American communities in the state. Beloit owes this interwoven fabric, like most northern cities, to the Great Migration. Many of my relatives came from the south to fill jobs at the local Fairbanks Morse Company when there was a labor shortage due to the First World War. While growing up in Beloit the economic wealth gap was not visibly apparent. Disparities between the white and black communities were not a vast gap because the city was composed of blue-collar workers. We went to the same schools, played on the same sports teams, and lived in close proximity to one another. There were underpinnings of racism which had passed down through the ages. Some local establishments, like the Pop House, we steered clear of because of an overt unwelcoming vibe felt by the African American community. Beloit was a microcosm of the current race relations. In the summer of my 8th grade year I attended a basketball camp in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire’s campus. Our local legendary high school basketball coach, Bernie Barkin, worked a deal for me to participate. We were there for two weeks. The first week I would run the camp store and serve as a counselor to 8-10-year old’s. The second week I would participate in the camp. During my first week I noticed several of the young campers under my supervision staring at me like I was a Martian. So, at the conclusion of our evening discussion before bed check I asked one of the young campers, “Why do you guys keep staring at me?” One young man said “excuse me counselor Jim, but you are the first colored person we have ever seen in real life.” They confessed to seeing a few on television but I was their first close encounter. So, now I understood! Thus, I made a declaration that at the end of each evening session they could ask five questions about my race. In turn I would answer them. They were naïve but honest. Some of the more entertaining questions that I recall distinctly were as follow: What do your mother and father look like? Are they your color, or are they white? What color is your blood? What color are your bones? Can we touch your hair? (I was sporting a TWA [Teeny Weeny Afro] at the time). Why do colored people riot? Do you go to regular schools or to school with only kids that look like you? Once we began our discussions in the evening, I noticed that I received fewer and fewer stares. Throughout the week I answered all the questions that they could think of. At the conclusion of our final evening talk I asked, “after all the questions and answers about my race what did you learn?” The short answer was, “you are just like us, only a different color on the outside.” Approval is felt from inside out and so is disapproval and rejection. I could sense common ground was achieved and they accepted me for who I am. If you are one of the millions and millions who have either submitted your DNA to Ancestry or 23 and Me, you realize that we are more alike than different. Your DNA relatives are multi-racial, multi-cultural from numerous continents. The travesty of slavery has many consequences that reveal themselves to the horror of some of my white counterparts. My wife, who is African American, has researched her family lineage back to the early 1800’s. In the fall of 2018, I was at a local event here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and a prominent white attorney who is unknowingly related to my wife was in attendance. At the conclusion of the event I walked over to him and introduced myself and inquired how much he knew about his family history. He said, “very little.” I told him my wife has done extensive research on her family, and invariably located some of your ancestral history as well. I told him if you are interested, my wife would be more than happy to share the information with you. I left the ball in his court to see if he was comfortable with the idea. I have yet to hear from him. We are more interrelated than one could ever imagine or dare speak of. The most important thing about the campers was the honest questions asked and their conclusion. I must commend the parents of those young guys. The majority of them were from small farming communities in Northern Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota. They had raised kids without prejudice or preconceived notions about race and were determined to seek understanding by being inquisitive, honest, and respectful. Perhaps if the same approach is taken by the adults in our country today, we can solve the problems in our society through meaningful discourse and hopefully unilateral transcendent ideas that will bode well for a better future. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/6/17/how-do-you-become-an-impactful-leader-live-it monthly 0.5 2020-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1592420637344-LRN2A382H9I692OD7ET4/6.17+BLOG+-+JC.jpg Words From Coach - How Do You Become an Impactful Leader; LIVE IT! The quest to become an impactful leader requires one to examine the nature versus nurture discussion. Simultaneously, we must analyze leadership styles of great leaders in business, the military, athletics, politics and social justice advocates. We read volumes of documents in hopes of finding a fool proof approach to a complex phenomenon. Yet, I think we can assert that if we adhere to this adage it will move us closer to our goal. “Lead by example. If all else fails use words.” Several years ago, I recall reading a document that stated, “There are two ways to lead, by fear or procrastination.” We can immediately ascertain that leading by fear has its positives and negatives. The positives are quite evident in short term production. The unit is driven and pushed to achieve because they are motivated by a perceived threat of losing their job or a tongue lashing designed to humiliate and debase. The tyrannical approach often has a shelf life because people ultimately resist. It breeds inaction, stifles creativity and severs communication. The entire organization will stand in opposition to this style the minute that things go awry. You will find short term effectiveness, but long term it proves to be counterproductive in most cases. Procrastination is a pervasive inaction which will breed distrust. Leaving subordinates without a vision is fool hearty and reckless. The subversive delay of making a decision and setting the tone for those you are leading is poisonous. The confidence of the unit in their leader will erode in a short period of time. You will invariably find one of your subordinates stepping in to fill the void whether you like it or not. In regard to coaching football, l have never bought into the concept of leading through fear for a few reasons. First, it is understood that the men in the room are in competition to retain their position based on how well they do their job. It is a performance business! The players are evaluated daily and fully understand they can be cut or traded at a moment’s notice if their performance is lacking. That understanding creates ample stress which fans the flames heating the cauldron of spirited competition. Secondly, why would you want to breed fear in fearless men? I often said if you are afraid of a man, I do not want you on my team. Men who can be intimated will prove to fall short in high pressure situations that require players to step forward, throw caution to the wind and perform. Fear breeds Caution! Caution breeds Hesitation! If you Hesitate you will be Defeated! Thirdly, How long do you think that you can intimidate individuals that are inherently “apex predators wired to hunt”? I would rather be respected more so than feared. So, how do you go about creating a leadership style more tangibly connected to respect than fear? I assert that the most impactful way to lead is to live it! The adage “Do as I say not as I do” is no longer an effective mantra because you lose the element of devotion which binds and that is Respect and Credibility. When I was 10 years old, I recall an incident that underscores this notion. But it was not a lesson learned from one of the many great youth coaches I had early in life nor my father who has always been a man of integrity. It was my mother, Mary Evelyn Caldwell. My mother was a health care worker who throughout her career climbed the ranks from a nurse’s aide, to licensed practical nurse (LPN), Registered Nurse (RN), to eventually become the supervisor of a nursing home in our region. One day upon arriving home from work after a 7-3pm shift, she needed a few items to prepare dinner for us that evening. So, I walked with her to the corner store at the end of the block. It was a short walk. As I strolled along behind her, I noticed a group of teenage boys and young adult men who were congregated on the corner smoking cigarettes, talking loud with boastful bravado laced with profanity. Many of these young men didn’t have the best reputation in the community. In fact, several at a young age had run afoul of the law and spent time in the local juvenile detention center. Others among the group were habitual offenders who at one time been incarcerated in a youth reformatory named Ethan Allen School for Boys located in Wales, Wisconsin. We referred to it simply as “Wales”. They were the outlaws in the small town of Beloit. As we walked closer to where the young men were standing a strange thing happened. The guys facing in our direction dropped the cigarettes they were smoking and stamped them out on the sidewalk. They alerted those who were unaware of my mother approaching and they followed suit. The alpha male amongst the group, I will refrain from using his name, was known for his turbocharged temper, quickly stepped aside greeted my mother in a sincere respectful way. The group spoke in a low monotone until we purchased the items and left the area. Mary stands just north of 5 feet tall and by all measurements a petite woman. But she lived by an unwavering commitment to fundamental Christianity. She was a devout member of the Church of God in Christ from a noticeably young age. I have never seen my mother wear makeup, or anything other than a skirt or dress below her knees. I have never heard her use anything even remotely close to profanity. Nor take part in smoking, drinking of alcohol, playing games of chance or even going to the movie theater. She never proselytized to those young men or any of my friends that visited our home about her beliefs. Unless someone inquired. Consider a few more things about my mother, Mary, in relationship to that incident. At the time she was in her early thirties. She had never met or had conversations previously with any of the young men standing on that corner. We had only lived in that area for less than a year. Her persona resonated because she lived it. Her reputation spoke louder than words. She was and still is loved, respected, revered and admired. Thus, much of my understanding of leadership has been based on the notion that you do not just “talk the talk”, you “walk the walk”. Great leadership requires a devotion to task, mission and ideology that can be understood by watching the man or woman in charge, lead their life. That is impactful leadership! https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/6/2/the-key-to-evaluating-talent-take-a-deep-dive monthly 0.5 2020-06-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1591210443069-8NJQT27H713BRPA5AM6H/Slide1.jpeg Words From Coach - The Key to Evaluating Talent; Take a Deep Dive The best place to discover creative coaching talent is not always amongst the winners. Many organizations who are searching for a new head coach or administrator only draw from successful programs. I believe this short sightedness is shared by the power brokers who make the final decision and those of us who consider ourselves fans. Some or most believe that a team’s overall record reflects the level of excellence on the staff. I believe this is a fallacy! You must critically evaluate what is below the surface. I coached all over the country during my career, but one thing remained consistent: we would end up in Beloit, Wisconsin for at least a week during our summer vacation. I know a lot of married couples must rotate their summer vacations to spend time with both sets of in laws more often than not in two different states. My wife, Cheryl, and I were born and raised in Beloit, a small bedroom sized community on the southern border of the state. Our parents were and still are living in our hometown, so a yearly visit was always on the docket. Every year while in Beloit I would take a day and travel to one of the Division III schools and talk football with members of the staff. The state, besides the University of Wisconsin and Marquette, has a large number of small colleges. Wikipedia states, The University of Wisconsin System is a university system of public universities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is one of the largest public higher-education systems in the country, enrolling more than 174,000 students each year and employing approximately 39,000 faculty and staff statewide. The University of Wisconsin System is composed of two doctoral research universities, eleven comprehensive universities, and thirteen freshman-sophomore branch campuses. Essentially there are 85 colleges and universities in the state. Granted, not all the colleges and universities have football programs, but I had a lot of great options. I would examine the football statistics of every school in Wisconsin in search of the best teachers. Statistics do not often tell the whole story but with close examination you can determine who is doing a great job in one facet or another. Through close examination you will discover that a team’s overall record may not reflect the level of excellence on the staff. You might have a team that had a losing season but the defense, offense, kicking game was outstanding. Many of those teams were getting great results with inferior talent. Thus, I visited several staffs that flew under the radar. I gathered some of the best coaching nuggets from individuals who were in difficult situations, where every detail had to be covered thoroughly in order to enhance their slim chance of winning. Our University of Colorado Staff from 1982-1984 under the direction of Coach Bill McCartney was a perfect example of a talented staff that flew under the radar while suffering through a rebuild. The first three years our record was as follows: 1982 (2-8-1), 1983 (4-7), 1984 (1-10). Yet on that staff were several future college head coaches. Lou Tepper became the head coach at the University of Illinois; Gerry DiNardo became the head coach at Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana University; Ron Dickerson became the head coach at Temple University; Les Miles became the head coach at Oklahoma State, LSU and now the University of Kansas; Gary Barnett became the head coach at Northwestern University and The University of Colorado; Joe Pannunzio became the head coach at Murray State; Ron Taylor became the head coach at Quincy College; Mike McNeely became the AD at Indiana University at Bloomington. We also had perhaps the greatest collegiate offensive line coach the world has ever known (a colorful character who was a great player for the legendary Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State) Carl “Buck” Nystrom. I eventually became the head coach at Wake Forest University. I do not recall many coaching staffs visiting our campus to pick the minds of these men. During the losing seasons few if any interviewed for college head coaching positions. But the consistent winning lie just below the surface. The coaches of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) can also relate to operating in obscurity. In 1977 when I first started coaching, there were no African American head coaches in Division I. The men who fueled my aspirations were those men who roamed the sidelines in the SWAC. Coach Eddie Robinson of Grambling, Coach Jake Gaither of Florida A&M and “Big John” Merritt of Tennessee State provided impactful inspiration and content to me as a young coach. I remember reading everything that I could find about those men. I used some of their phrases, particularly one by Coach Gaither when he described the kind of players that he wanted on his team, “Hostile, Mobile and Agile.” Although those men were well known in the profession, the large predominantly white institutions were not pursuing them with offers “they could not refuse.” Coach Bill Hayes of Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T was one of the finest football coaches in America. Billy Joe of Central State, Cheney State, Florida A&M fame and the incomparable Arnett Mumford of Southern University in Baton Rouge were excellent strategists and technicians of the game. There is a widely held assumption that HBCU’s produce an inferior level of coaching. Even today within their ranks you can find great leaders of men who are doing more with less. Those schools are teaming with young, enthusiastic, bright minds eager to lead. The fan base, the alumni, the media and the head-hunting firms gravitate toward those individuals who have served on winning staffs. Why? Because it looks good on paper. There are many examples of successful programs that do not produce great head coaches. They often find that some of these individuals do not quite measure up to the rigors of the position, but at surface level they appeared to be the most attractive candidate. I would encourage the decision makers, the power brokers in leadership positions to broaden their scope, look below the surface, take a deeper dive and perhaps you will discover a leader for the ages. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/5/21/leaders-read-for-inspiration monthly 0.5 2020-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1590076055187-3GMIVW8J1OBDH3OO9138/Screen+Shot+2020-05-21+at+11.44.57+AM.png Words From Coach - Leaders Read For Inspiration If you are reading this post, you probably realize that I have been writing down a few thoughts about my journey in the realm of leadership. I had an interesting conversation with my daughter, Natalie, who assists with my digital communication. After submitting an article that referenced one of the many books I had read through the years, Natalie FaceTimed me (evidently to make certain that I could get the full measure of her critique). She said, “Dad make sure your articles don’t sound like a book review.” Thus, I realized the explanation that I gave her is probably worth chronicling for the reader. I have always loved books! It began when I was 4 years old. My sister, Dianne, who is 2 years my senior began to read. In 1959, my mother bought a collection of the American Classics from the door to door book salesman. The collection included Robinson Crusoe, Twelfth Night, The Tale of Two Cities, Catcher in The Rye and many more (I still have the books in my possession today). I thought to myself “if she can read, so can I.” I mimicked her every move, watched as she would sound out words and as she learned, so did I. I began to enjoy reading, by the time I was in 6th grade I had read the entire collection. The love of reading has taken me on journeys to foreign countries, inspired me to be better, challenged and shaped my view of the world and provided clarity to uncertainties. Once I began to enter various positions of leadership, I realized that books added substance and depth to my presentations. In coaching there are repetitive concepts you constantly address, hustle, commitment, determination, resilience and persistence. Other than your foundational mantras, which require repetition, articulating them the same way gets boring. If boredom sets in, your coaching shelf life will reach an expiration date sooner, rather than later. Boredom creates complacency and when complacency becomes endemic you are done. Reading does not detract from originality. You will discover just the opposite. It ushers the mind toward relevant present-day scenarios that creatively meet your players and staff where they are. Most of the great world leaders in politics, religion, the military and public service were and are voracious readers. The book entitled ‘The Leader’s Bookshelf’ by R. Manning Ancell and ADM. James Stavridis USN (Ret) identifies the books that were most impactful for some of the extraordinary leaders in modern times. So, read more! The information you gather will broaden your scope, enhance creativity and promote out of the box thinking. Great leaders read for inspiration and I would encourage you to consider doing the same. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/5/13/three-key-components-to-greatness monthly 0.5 2020-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1589388963434-P7C90BK3H6Y4WKIY7VU6/Three+Key+Components+to+Greatness.jpg Words From Coach - Three Key Components to Greatness Jim Collins has some great observations about the culture of successful businesses that correlate with the culture of winning athletic teams. In his book ‘Great By Choice’ I found the central theme and three key components extremely relevant to success in any realm. First, the central thesis of the book states “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” A team, organization, business or individual does not become great by happenstance. It is not a coincidence! You don’t just start a venture and suddenly greatness seems to abound. You must choose to be great. You must affirm a commitment to do all the little things required to be the best in your chosen field. The hard work, dedication, and a “no short cuts” mentality has to permeate your environment. You must be willing to do all the difficult things required to be successful. Collins identifies three key characteristics that guide successful organizations: Fanatical Discipline, Productive Paranoia and Empirical Creativity. You must be extremely disciplined. Following the fundamentals that are the foundation to success in your chosen field. No matter what becomes the flavor of the month or the popular path of some strategic genius, stay the course. Secondly, you must have Productive Paranoia. Joe Paterno would often say you have to “run a little scared.” Meaning you must never feel as if you have all the answers. The feeling that we have made it and have “nothing else to learn” mentality is a sign of arrogance which will certainly lead to your demise. The humility required to look at what you are doing, evaluate it honestly and assert, “we can always be better” must be part of your ethos. Lastly, you must utilize Empirical Creativity. As you evaluate your company, team, or yourself don’t make changes for the sake of change. We have all made emotional decisions that have come back to haunt us. Or, in the process of attempting to hurry along to the realm of greatness we implore something that doesn’t fit our blueprint. Make sure that every decision is properly and thoroughly vetted. You need to ensure there is data that supports your suggestion to change. I believe ‘Great By Choice’ is a must read because the principles have universal appeal. The real-world examples that apply to successful companies also are applicable to our teams and ultimately to individuals who are on a quest to become experts in their chosen field! Remember it doesn’t happen by accident, you must choose to be great! https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/5/5/paving-a-way-and-paying-it-forward-the-vial-lesson-al-davis-taught-me-as-a-young-coach monthly 0.5 2020-05-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1588709971204-JAGMUYK9IJQOO9EBJ27E/Slide1.jpeg Words From Coach - Paving a Way and Paying it Forward: The Vital Lesson Al Davis Taught Me as a Young Coach. In 1981, I was an assistant coach at Northwestern University under the tutelage of Coach Dennis Green. I coached the secondary and as a young coach I was trying to find a way to get better. One of my professional goals was to strive to become a better version of myself each year. There were always obstacles, but I was determined to pave a way to be an expert in my field. So, I would analyze the statistics in Division I, Division II, and Division III and the National Football League at the end of the and identify who was the best in the country at an aspect of defensive football. Then I would chart a course to determine who coached the position and try to find a way to get an audience with them. Typically, I could catch up with some of the college coaches at the American Football Coaches Association National Convention, on the recruiting trail or at clinics held suburban Chicago where we lived. I would gather a list of questions in advance and interrogate them until I had a complete understanding of their system. The NFL was a little different, you had to find a way to gain access through a coaching connection because they were all rather secretive. The other issue was the funding for the trips to NFL camps; Most college teams would not pay for your travel to visit a pro team during summer vacation. Therefore, I had to be creative. I had to pave my own way. During spring recruiting we would get per diem for our meals. I would go to the grocery store upon my arrival to the city that I was recruiting and buy a quart of milk, a box of cereal, a loaf of bread and some peanut butter. I would save my breakfast and lunch per diem for the month I was on the road, couple that with some travel awards discounts I could afford to fund my summer pro football visit. The summer of 1981 I set my sights on studying the best bump and run man to man perimeter defenders in the NFL. During that time Kansas City was outstanding with the likes of Hall of Famer, Emmitt Thomas but no one played it to perfection like the Oakland Raiders, Lester Hayes. Coach Green had several NFL contacts and I asked him if he knew anyone on the Raider’s staff. He advised me to “choose another team because they don’t allow anyone to visit their camps.” I said I would like to give it a try anyway, because all they can say is “no.” Coach Green gave me the name of their offensive line coach Sam Boghosian. I called right away. A gentleman answered the phone, and said “Sam is on vacation can I help you?” I introduced myself and explained my inquiry. He asked several questions about my background, my age, where I was from and the teams I had coached for. He asked why I wanted to visit the Raiders? He asked me how are you getting here? I explained I was going to fly out to the Bay Area and rent a car and hopefully spend 3 days observing their training camp practices. He followed up by telling me the best place to stay in close proximity to the facility. At the conclusion of the hour-long conversation, I asked, “to whom am I speaking?” He said, “this is Al Davis.” I recognized the voice of the Owner/General Manager of the Oakland Raiders when he said his name. It turned out to be an amazing visit! Upon arrival Al Davis gave me unprecedented access to every aspect of the organization. I was the only visitor and possibly the first ever (or at least one of the very few) to visit their training camp. Davis also, made certain that I understood every facet of the bump and run techniques they were teaching Lester Hayes and company. He instructed Coach Chet Franklin and the NFL Hall of Famer Willie Brown, the two guys in charge of the secondary, to run the drills associated with implementing a cohesive teaching progression during practice. Al Davis personally watched film with me every night after staff meetings until 3am. I would hustle back to the hotel get a few hours of sleep then return to the facility by 7 am. He granted that type of special access and attention for 3 full days. It was a lesson I never forgot. The owner of the Oakland Raiders taking an interest in the development of a hungry young coach. He devoted precious time which left an indelible mark on my coaching career. I in turn throughout my career have tried pay it forward to the young men and women that have sought my advice and council through the years. The time you spend passing on your knowledge and expertise to the next generation of individuals in your profession is well worth it. Mentorships, internships and professional understudies are vital to the ecology of sustained excellence. Leave a legacy of paying it forward! https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/4/20/the-mental-edge-attacking-doubt monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1587398385436-H1REKOA1FOB9H25S24X3/Screen+Shot+2020-04-20+at+11.58.50+AM.png Words From Coach - The Mental Edge; Attacking Doubt Penn State is often referred to as “Linebacker U,” but through the years they have been blessed with a bevy of great running backs. Lenny Moore, Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, John Cappelletti, Curt Warner, Booker Moore, Matt Suey, Steve Smith, Tim Manoa, DJ Dozier, Ritchie Anderson, Leroy Thompson, Sam Gash, Gary Brown, Kijana Carter and most recently Saquon Barkley — just to name a few. In my third year I witnessed one of the great ones have a mental breakthrough that I have never forgotten. His name was Blair Thomas. As a junior in 1987, Blair rushed for 1,414 yards on 268 carries and 11 touchdowns. He was certainly well on his way to an illustrious career to extend the long line of greatness at the position. He was quiet and likeable but also a fierce competitor who was respected and loved by his teammates. Unfortunately Blair experienced a devasting knee injury and he was lost for the entire 1988 campaign. Blair was without question one of the hardest workers that I have ever been around. He rehabilitated like crazy and set his sights on a full recovery with his extraordinary skill level intact. Blair returned to action in the fall of 1989. The reconstructive surgery in that decade was a lot more invasive than they are today. Many athletes returned to the field of play never regaining the mobility they once possessed. Blair was extremely quick, elusive and fast. His lateral quickness was exceptional and best described as explosive because of the violent, low to the ground cuts he would make to avoid tacklers. It was absolutely impossible for one defender to tackle him in the open field. Now Blair had to wear a brace on his surgically repaired knee. We could all see his frustration in not being able to do the same things he was accustomed to doing on the field. It wore on him for a number weeks at the start of the season. I was coaching the quarterbacks at Penn State during that time and we always wanted to set the tone by being the first guys on the practice field and the last ones to leave. After putting the QB’s through their paces and debriefing the practice we walked out of Holuba Hall, our indoor practice facility complex. Blair had also begun staying out after practice to work on the small details of his craft trying to get back to normal. One of the challenging things about the sport of football is the high rate of injury. Although most of the injuries do not require surgery, many of them do. The difficulty of coming back from an injury is a traumatic experience. The rehabilitation process is a physically grueling, time intensive, mentally draining endeavor which takes a toll on your psyche. Even after the doctors, physical therapist and trainers release you with a clean bill of health and sign off on a return to action the mental battled rages on. Although the knee is completely repaired, healed and in most cases after surgery, stronger than it has ever been. Convincing yourself that you can’t hurt it again is an internal struggle which often lasts an extended period of time post surgery. One evening after practice, I had walked with the quarterbacks across the parking lot into the locker room, showered, changed my clothes and then I remember I left my 7on7 cards in Holuba. Tom Venturino, who supervised the facility, had dimmed the lights and there appeared to be no one around. I walked in an noticed a silhouette in the distance. It was Blair! He was running through a bag drill that Coach Fran Ganter used as a staple to perfect the ability to cut and avoid defenders. I stood in the hallway and watched Blair. He ran through the bags, once, twice, three times and you could see he was not pleased with his performance. Then I saw the breakthrough! He stopped ripped the knee brace off in disgust, threw it to the ground, tucked the football under his arm and attacked the bag drill with the violent, slashing, cutting like the Blair of old. Blair finished the season rushing for over 100 yards in 6 consecutive games, gaining 1,341 yards in 264 carries and 5 touchdowns. He earned All-American honors and selected 2nd overall by the New York Jets in the 1990 NFL draft. In order to unleash his physical gifts and regain a foothold on greatness, Blair had to throw caution to the wind and conquer his fears. At some point in our lives we will fail, get rejected, suffer an injury or experience a critical major medical event. We will have to fight our way back. There will be a crossroad where you will have to make a decision to attack or succumb to your fears. When that moment arrives, I encourage you to use Blair’s example as a source of inspiration and Attack Doubt. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/4/13/creating-a-winners-mind-set monthly 0.5 2020-04-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1586810396289-5R1DZJTWXMZUY5Q42QPQ/Screen+Shot+2020-04-13+at+4.33.24+PM.png Words From Coach - Creating a Winners Mind Set https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1586809696656-02ZM09QRPRKHW1N7WODP/Screen+Shot+2020-04-13+at+4.27.15+PM.png Words From Coach - Creating a Winners Mind Set When developing a winning culture one of the primary goals should be to get the team to take responsibility for it’s performance. Losing teams rationalize the reasons why they lose. We don’t have a great fan base, our facilities are subpar, the coaches don’t know what they are doing, we need better players. The list goes on and on and on! They emanate from top to bottom and from the bottom to the top. At the onset, it is up to the head coach or CEO to set the tone for every team function or event. He or She has to cast the vision and be the center point of the energy source which will make it a reality. You set the standard! You are light upon the hill! Only the person in charge can establish the culture of winning. Great teams have a synergy of accountability which permeates throughout the organization. The standards are set high and everyone is held responsible for falling short. But the really successful teams develop a bottom up mentality. It is no surprise that the best teams have superb player leadership. I was fortunate enough to coach on a couple of Super Bowl winning teams that were led by arguably two of the finest team leaders the game has ever known, Peyton Manning from the 2006 Indianapolis Colts and Ray Lewis on the 2012 Baltimore Ravens. Although the teams were led by brilliant head coaches, Tony Dungy and John Harbaugh, the tone of practice, decorum in meeting rooms, the ethos of the locker rooms was enforced effectively by Peyton and Ray. I remember Coach Dungy telling us a story about a staff meeting with Coach Chuck Knoll, the legendary head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was during training camp and they were going over the previous nights bed check report. The coach responsible for bed check that evening told Coach Knoll that a couple of young guys were late. Coach Knoll noted the names and said, “Joe will handle it and I’m certain it won’t happen again.” Coach Knoll was not referring to the strength coach, another assistant coach or some administrator responsible for discipline. He was referring to a veteran player on the team, Joe Greene. There was a great book written by Captain D Michael Abrashoff entitled ‘It’s Your Ship.’ The book documents the unbelievable turn around of a low performing ship to one of the best in the Navy. The following bullet points from the book illustrate my point. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/4/13/leadership-and-lessons-learned monthly 0.5 2020-04-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1586808930126-SS1X7CMBIKBPCP2HE897/einstein.jpg Words From Coach - Leadership and Lessons Learned Often while preparing to address the team regarding the importance of NFL teams having a strong community service presence, I would search for quotes to support my position. I discovered a quote by Albert Einstein which has always left an indelible mark in my mind. It was also a thorn in my side because I attempted to memorize it on several occasions to use in a speech. (I struggled with that endeavor until I read the book ‘Moon Walking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything’ by Joshua Foer and he provided a blueprint to enhance my memory.) Nevertheless, the quote was captivating for a couple of reasons; First, growing up I only recall the name Albert Einstein as this incredible mathematical genius. Secondly, in several articles I read about him you immediately mentally categorize him as the aloof, unemotional absent-minded professor type. Yet he defies that notion once you begin to read about the hundreds of philosophical quotes attributed to him through the years. The quote follows: “Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of other men —above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received and am still receiving.” ― Albert Einstein, Einstein’s observations are particularly apropos as it relates to the situation the world finds itself in today. I want to focus in on two sentences. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of other men-above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. I believe that it is quite evident that there is a strong need for all of us to assist our fellow man during this outbreak. The clarion call for a cooperative worldwide effort to mitigate the spread of this virus is on every radio, television, cell phone, and newspaper in every corner of the planet. We are not just talking about our family members or loved ones but those that we are connected to through a shared experience. Our actions have always impacted others, but I believe this brings into focus just how interconnected we are. Prior to the pandemic our country was going through one of the most divisive political periods since the Civil Rights Movement. You could actually feel the ethos of disapproval, animus, distrust and racial tension upon every turn. Speaking of distrust; on several occasions while jogging through my neighborhood in which we have owned a home since 2005. Many of my neighbors upon seeing me, turn their vehicles around in the middle of the road and return to their homes to check their doors again to ensure that they set the alarm. The other day a white guy was to the right, jogging toward the vehicle and the driver looked at him and began to make the right-hand turn. Then he looked left and saw me, did a double take and made an illegal U-turn and headed back home. Thus I hope after we fight our way through this battle the world is much better on the other side. So, let’s band together as a team, be thankful for all the Lord has blessed us with and commit ourselves to giving in return as much as we have received. To understand that, You don’t have to be a genius. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/4/13/the-mental-is-to-the-physical-10-to-1 monthly 0.5 2020-04-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1586808780121-GHB90ALS0CLQM4JNCD2Z/Blog%2B2.jpg Words From Coach - The Mental is to The Physical 10 to 1 Persistence In 2014 I took over as the head coach of the Detroit Lions which had not been accustomed to winning on a regular basis. I have always believed that it is the 6 inches between the ears that determines the outcome of most games. When I was an assistant coach at Penn State under the tutelage of Joe Paterno prior to a big game he was always at his best. We had lost a couple games which was totally uncharacteristic for us. In our Friday morning staff meetings he would often give us a glimpse of the talk that he was going to give the players that evening. I can’t recall exactly who we were slated to face that upcoming Saturday afternoon, but his talk centered around a poem by Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World. He focused his talk on a few stanzas from his poem ‘I Will Persist Until I Succeed’ which follow. I Will Persist Until I Succeed I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep the slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed I will strive and strive again each obstacle I will consider a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession I will persist and develop my skills as a mariner develops his by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm I will persist until I succeed I believe that your mind set is the most important factor in whether you will succeed or fail. Whether it is in sports, business, your physical well-being or your spiritual journey. It begins with your ability to reconstitute your belief system and press forward. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/4/13/do-what-is-right-and-fear-no-one monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1586808650664-LM8XZLJ6H1N4LR5TT62F/Screen+Shot+2020-04-13+at+2.55.58+PM.png Words From Coach - Do What Is Right And Fear No One! A coaching friend of mine named Floyd Keith grew up on a farm. He told me that they raised livestock to maturity and sold them at auctions. He said the price was determined in most cases by the pound. They were weighed on a scale similar to the attached photograph.. His father relayed the story about how many ranchers would over-feed their animals just for the weigh in to receive an over inflated price. His dad said they buyers would be up in arms days after the purchase and feel cheated. They would often return to the next auction looking for the person who sold them the fattened livestock. Floyd’s father offered some sage advice, he said “son we are not going to operate that way. We are going to simply do what is right then we don’t have to fear anyone.” https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/words-from-coach/2020/4/13/championship-teams monthly 0.5 2020-04-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1586812193912-JWF1VERD1AZV9U4ISGG0/Screen+Shot+2020-04-13+at+5.06.35+PM.png Words From Coach - Championship Teams https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1586808132794-Y28HQQSG32508QQFI8HT/Screen+Shot+2020-04-13+at+2.34.37+PM.png Words From Coach - Championship Teams Through years of reading everything that I could get my hands on about leadership, a few authors stand out. One of the most dynamic is, Jim Collins. He has done exhaustive studies using comparative analyst of companies that have succeeded through the years and those that have failed. He searched for the common denominators of companies with a history of success identifying the leadership styles and cultures that fueled it. He also examined the companies that failed and why? After we had a great season, I would often use the following presentation based on his book ‘Why the Mighty Fall’ to plot our course for the upcoming year. “Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more on what you do to yourself than what the world does to you.” – Jim Collins Five Stages of Decline to Avoid! Central Theme - matched pairs of successful companies with unsuccessful companies. Analyzed the issues that led to the demise of once great companies. I think we can learn something from this study. Premise - “Decline is largely self-inflicted” Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success hu-bris: noun. Excessive pride or self confidence. Success is viewed as “deserved,” rather than “earned.” Belief that success will continue almost no matter what the organization decides to do or not do. People become arrogant, regarding success as an entitlement. Lose sight of the true underlying factors that created success in the first place. “What” Replaces “Why” “We’re successful because we do these specific things.” Replaces understanding and insight “We’re successful because we understand why we do these specific things and under what conditions they would no longer work.” Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More Organizations stray from the disciplined creativity that led them to greatness in the first place i.e. More plays, get fancy, drastic schematic changes Taking action inconsistent with your core values is undisciplined. Avoid It “Do What We Do” Rely on the things that we do best. Does not mean you should not be creative, but over-reaching is counter-productive Distinction between having the wrong people and having the right people is that the wrong people see themselves as having “jobs” while the right people see themselves having “responsibilities.” Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril Internal warning signs begin to show while external results remain strong enough to “explain away” disturbing data. i.e. Win with negative turnover ratio. Discounting negative data, amplify positive data, and put a positive spin on ambiguous data. Blaming external factors Avoid It Facing the facts Accept Responsibility Unify behind a decision once its made Conduct “autopsies without blame” gaining wisdom from painful experiences Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation Events take a turn for the worse. How do we respond? Looking for a Quick Fix Silver Bullet (Radical Transformation, Dramatic Cultural Revolution, etc.) vs Getting Back to the Basics that brought out greatness in the first place. Avoid It Get the Facts, Think, then Act. Get back to the basics Reaffirm your core principles Do Less Better Create Momentum with a series of good decisions (“Long Term Success is Nothing But a Series of Short Term Successes Strung Together”) Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death Avoid addressing the issues until it is too late “Atrophy into insignificance” Avoid It Build habits of Never Giving In regardless of the circumstances Be willing to endure pain Never give up faith in the ability to prevail Never give up on the principles that define our culture Truly Great vs Successful Leaders are those who simply refuse to give up on not only survival, but of ultimate triumph despite the most extreme odds. The signature of the truly great versus the merely successful is not the absence of difficulty, but the ability to come back from setbacks, even cataclysmic catastrophes, stronger than before. As long as you never get entirely knocked out of the game, there always remains hope. We Must Improve Turnover Margin Missed Tackles Drops Running the Ball Making Big Plays Situational Success Foundation for Success Preparation Fundamentals Techniques Effort Team Chemistry Core Values Hard Work “Talent will prevail over hard work every time if Talent works hard.” Daniel Cole, ‘The Talent Code’ Determined to get better A sense of urgency that never changes with success or failure Unselfish Team First, One Team, No Hazing Common Goal Team interests placed above personal interests Poise (Play Smart) Absolutely Nobody can Beat Us if We Don’t Beat Ourselves Crisis = Danger / Opportunity Former Marine: Greatest lesson learned is when you are outnumbered Breathe. Calm yourself. Think. Focus. Aim. One Shot at a time. When we find ourselves in trouble, when we find ourselves on the cusp of failing, our survival instinct – and our fear – can evoke lurching, reactive behavior absolutely contrary to survival. That very moment, take calm, deliberate action that brings about success. https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/caldwellisms daily 0.75 2018-02-14 https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/about daily 0.75 2024-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1558029722396-NLALYNXLYKYZRVZ58WSG/Caldwell-Jim-2019-01.jpg About Photo Credit: Miami Dolphins https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483994009-3ITNWJR1VL7NSHV7G6LN/12974821125_59716afc64_o.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520279624418-BPBBD032RHSI9J89OILK/Caldwell111013A.jpg About Photo Credit: Baltimore Ravens https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520484532685-XAJN2HFL8N7U3G6188L1/2010_0207SB_NO_405_macht+%281%29.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520279535617-W8QZAMZODMALWQXR43XV/JimCaldwell+running.jpg About Photo Credit: Wake Forest Athletics https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/caldwell-isms daily 0.75 2020-04-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1587955917366-4VLBT3ADN3D48CF3IC1H/IMG_2541.jpeg Caldwell-isms - WORDS FROM COACH https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/new-page daily 0.75 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519455149304-9USCZ9L2NSNBWXOJ3JOH/LION2001.jpeg Contact Coach https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/players-coaches-quotes daily 0.75 2018-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520464622501-MCYFB18FY3A7O96TDPOR/47f3e5d7d01dc08fd38169bbd7a64cbc-original.jpg Player & Coaches Quotes "Peyton Manning had put up a lot of numbers in Indianapolis his first three years in the league, but his career really started to take off after Caldwell became the quarterbacks coach." – Tony Dungy (Former NFL Head Coach) Photo Credit: Indianapolis Colts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520279225089-TLMHVDVWTZZV4PL5PKI4/Flacco100613B.jpg Player & Coaches Quotes “I enjoyed my time with Jim greatly,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “He is a man that I will always respect as a football coach, leader and a friend. Through his calming influence and extensive knowledge of the game, he was an integral part of our success over the past few years. – Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens Quarterback) Photo Credit: Baltimore Ravens https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520484496792-JVWIOPL6EYOPEUUBL3L3/2010_1128_SD_069_macht_%281%29+%281%29.jpg Player & Coaches Quotes “Jim Caldwell has been a great coach for me, a great friend for me, a great resource, ally, he was a great fundamental teacher for me, very much a technician, appreciates doing the little things right and he had a big influence on me." – Peyton Manning (Former NFL Quarterback) Photo Credit: Indianapolis Colts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519858137490-2MAIV4S2AWY1FN9BREPQ/898059392.jpg Player & Coaches Quotes “I appreciate everything Coach Caldwell does. I think he’s a really good leader of men. I think he does a great job in our locker room, helping get us ready to go play football and the rest is up to the players to go out there and make plays and win games.” – Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions Quarterback) Photo Credit: Detroit Lions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520463720954-NSE47SARFOEIUZUDCO49/image.png Player & Coaches Quotes “In all the years I was there, he spoke to everyone and treated everyone on the team like a man," Johnson said. "That's what you like to see in a head coach. You can't have someone who treats some guys one way and treat others another way." – Calvin Johnson (Former Detroit Lions Wide Receiver) Photo Credit: Detroit Lions https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/testimonies daily 0.75 2020-07-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519856866113-JP4LU471TXOK8M6W5MYQ/12975045304_e86d80080a_o.jpg Testimonies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519856872834-2C59ZTIYYDO6CQEPTDA3/12975501695_ddb409093f_o.jpg Testimonies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1558030525207-B5XUOQY7YU5K18FP8EKJ/LION3901.jpg Testimonies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519857570403-JD68GFW8QEADT7KFKF92/12974821125_59716afc64_o.jpg Testimonies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519941207844-Z25JE3O1V1000Q148AAQ/jim_caldwell_beloit_memorial_hall_of_fame.jpg Testimonies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519857819934-ACXQ3BDGO54KX6OSS5L7/IMG_3105.jpeg Testimonies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1558030500902-V1N876VQK18YFS0ZI2AI/DSC_0105.jpg Testimonies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1519857428401-A38ULRVJJL29JFMQYSMR/4I1A1944.jpeg Testimonies https://www.coachjimcaldwell.com/highlights daily 0.75 2018-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520482473937-DP645AQTKE1HU5PNX6DL/2011_1222_HOU503_macht_%281%29.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520482361653-7B12UUWCI3LKOBVEDU1N/2010_0124_NYJ_0476.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520482454050-1CA0G0Y6RYXJ1ZTW7ZYC/2010_1128_SD_069_macht_%281%29.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520482362158-EBUSIJVBUP0TJCNWKA2S/2010_0207SB_NO_405_macht.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520482474745-KIPO73YFGOAPHMM05DW9/2010_1107_PHI083_macht.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483199316-HU4VSE2YNEWBU0MSFA4A/LION6795.jpeg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483216308-6EPU3E9K8CAYFY8B39DA/01072017GavinSmith46905.jpeg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483216083-4LOIQK1DGUB4JL0MK8TX/09102017GavinSmith06621.jpeg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483293150-7BVD0O84XJ7VYMX024SC/The+Caldwells-Williams+Family+Lions-0009.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483280095-Z9HTLMKV01Z2I1B4GPNP/The+Caldwells-Williams+Family+Lions-0010.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483351020-KP0T51S8TW9PMWKCWCUT/DSC_4600.JPG Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483313169-187JTSEPAK9X5M1Y6YA8/TrainingCamp080113sh043.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483303006-NKZRIJ6TUET9GQG5CBT6/JimCaldwell.1.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483379661-BG91UYA84F2PZAKY6J9Y/JimCaldwell+2.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483321199-LGJPO0RZF5D9E1G0094U/caldwell.jpg Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520483476010-1KBOLMY79Q18KHLEU1M8/no+blue.png Highlights https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520471965096-4S9WNDWU1YM7WFIQ04U2/09182017GavinSmith09510.jpeg Highlights - COACHING HIGHLIGHTS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a7b60afe45a7ca79a4caa23/1520613327752-ENLGHQNN0SV9IV4I44YZ/option+5.jpg Highlights