Year 5: Wins, Losses...and Losses

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“Success” in the coaching world is relative. Many outsiders compare and contrast coaches based on their win-loss record, or how many championships they won. Others, especially in the college ranks, are judged on how many kids they graduate or send to the pros. Every coach is judged by someone’s view of what “success” really means.

Some of the widely-regarded greatest coaches of all-time have staggering numbers to look at:

Mike Krzyzewski – 938 wins, 306 losses…4 National Championships

Bobby Knight – 902 wins, 371 losses…3 National Championships

John Wooden – 664 wins, 162 losses…10 National Championships (7 in a row)

Pat Summitt – 1,098 wins, 208 losses…8 National Championships

Geno Auriemma – 879 wins, 133 losses…9 National Championships

Greg Popovich – 967 wins, 443 losses…5 NBA Championships

Phil Jackson – 1,155 wins, 485 losses…11 NBA Championships

As honorable as those numbers are, does it really tell who has been the most successful?

What if success as a coach is defined as:

-       Helping players reach their goals

-       Staying positive, even in the most dire of situations

-       Genuinely caring for all of the people who surround you

-       Loyalty to those who help you

-       Empathy for those in need

These are the qualities that need to be praised, and if we can agree these are the most successful, then the race to find the most successful coach is not even close.

I moved to Akron in 2010, in search of jump-starting a career in college basketball. I was excited to learn from Lebron James’ high school coach, Keith Dambrot. I spent two years there, but over time I had grown close to the Director of Basketball Operations, Dan Peters. “Coach Pete,” as he was referred to by everyone, had seen every level of college basketball from seemingly every position. He had been a head coach at Youngstown State, an assistant at Cincinnati under Bob Huggins, an assistant at Ohio State under Thad Matta, and now the DOBO at Akron.

We used to argue about politics…a lot. He was the hard-line conservative to my liberal. He vowed to move to Canada if Barack Obama was elected President. It would be the only promise he didn’t keep. Through all the discussions, right or wrong, you could sense his passion to affect change and help others. He came to work every day serious enough to instill discipline, but lighthearted enough to let you know that nothing is that serious. He attacked every single day with a smile and a hello to everyone he would meet.

Coach Pete cared genuinely about the lives of his players. Unfortunately, the rules from the NCAA about the Director of Operations position makes it harder for those in that role to foster relationships with players. However, Coach Pete had great relationships with all of his players because he took time to speak with them about their lives outside of basketball. He wanted them to succeed. He wanted them to be great businessmen, doctors, lawyers, fathers, and husbands.

When I left Akron in 2012, I packed my car with my things as much as it would hold. I had to leave some things behind, thinking I would have to sell my furniture and my bed. Coach Pete wouldn’t allow that, he told me to put my things in his garage, and when I got a new job I could come get them. I kept my things in his garage for over a year, and he never asked for any kind of payment. He knew I was in need, and didn’t want anything in return.

Late in 2013, Coach Pete was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I had moved on as assistant coach at Guilford College, and the news reached around the college basketball world. Suddenly, those whose lives he touched (and many who never got the chance to get to know him) began a campaign to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer. Purple Ribbons with the slogan “4 Pete’s Sake” dotted the lapels and shirts of coaches and players around the nation.

I was fortunate enough to get to speak to Coach Pete on the phone a couple times during his battle. One of the most memorable times was his first day at home alone after his wife, Nancy, had returned to work during his chemo treatment. We talked for just under an hour about his experience, the outpouring of support from friends and rivals, the books he was reading, as he had to stay close to his bed, and…politics.

I continued my journey, wearing a purple ribbon to finish the season at Guilford, carrying a small piece of him with me as I went. A couple weeks ago, I was offered a job at Radford University and have spent the past few days trying to transition a move back into Division I athletics.

And so, on my first official day as Assistant Director of Basketball Operations at Radford University, I received a phone call from Coach Pete’s son, Danny. He called to tell me his father had passed early in the morning, ending his year-long battle with cancer. Apparently, as Danny explained to me, Coach Peters had written a list of people to contact after he passed to let them know. Being included among this list will remain the greatest honor of my young coaching career.

In my new job, I will face many challenges, one of which is the battle in a limited role to have a positive impact on the lives of the players in our program. But I have been given a blueprint, a map to show me that not only can it be done, but it can be done at a high level, despite many challenges. And if times get tougher in my life (I’ve had it pretty easy to date), I know that I can still be positive and happy about where I am and what I’ve accomplished. As long as my “success” is measured in terms of the lives you impact.

Coach Dan Peters’ official record as a coach is littered with awards, “Coach of the Years”, championships and wins. But Coach Pete won the game of life every single day, and for that the only real stat is that he has 60 years worth of wins, and the only loss is the one felt today by those who knew him.