About the Author

Martin A. Davis Jr. is a journalist who covers sports for national publications. He's also a high school football coach and teacher. His writing has appeared in PGA Tour Magazine, US News & World Report, The Christian Science Monitor, Philanthropy Magazine and The Washington Post, among many others. When he's not writing, you can often find him on the football practice fields of Riverbend High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. For more than two decades, journalist G. Jeffrey MacDonald has focused his reporting on religion, ethics and social responsibility. His stories have appeared in TIME, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe and The Christian Science Monitor. You can learn more about his work at gjeffreymacdonald.com. Dr. Brian Gearity, PhD, CSCS, FNSCA, ATC, is a coach and a tenured professor at the University of Denver, where he also is the director of Online Graduate Sport Degrees and Undergraduate Kinesiology and Sport Studies.

Reviews

Martin Davis has written a book that highlights the impact that high school coaches have on the lives of their athletes. The key to success both on and off the field are the relationships that each of these coaches have with their players, which extends well beyond a student's high school career. This is a textbook on the value that high school coaches bring to a school community. This is a great read as well as a valuable resource for all coaches, athletes, parents and administrators.Steve Young, CMAA, Director of Athletics, City School District of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY. Coaches and athletic administrators nationwide will find that this book can generate helpful conversations about how to hone our crafts and identify best practices in our profession. Although the stories behind the successes of the coaches profiled in this book are unique, they are nevertheless equally inspirational. Reading about these coaches, it becomes very clear how they have made a difference in the lives of the young people in their charge. Davis clearly illustrates the importance of relationships, program culture, community involvement and investment, and program philosophy in guiding these coaches. At its core, Davis's work reveals that the true essence of coaching is teaching and that the most effective coaches are those who forge connections with their student-athletes. The impact of each of the coaches described in this book extends far beyond the playing fields and courts; they are purveyors of lessons and skills that have transformed lives.Gary Stevens, Athletic Administrator, Thornton Academy, Saco, Maine, and Assistant Director of the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. I once knew a coach who failed-at swearing. When he got angry, he'd often blurt out this: "By damn ..." By damn? Instead of paying attention to what we players had just done wrong, we had to work hard to hold in our laughter. What this man needed was this new book by Marty Davis. Not that it would have taught him to swear. But it would have reminded him why he was a coach in the first place: Not to win games but to give healthy, generative direction to young lives. Any coach who can learn that from this book will-no matter his or her final won-loss record-be a great coach, by damn.Bill Tammeus is the author of Love, Loss and Endurance: A 9/11 Story of Resilience and Hope in an Age of Anxiety and is a past president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
Martin Davis has a deep understanding of the lasting impression, both positive and negative, that a high school coach can have on teenage student-athletes. There is something to be learned from each coach Martin includes in this collection of 30 true stories. These are gems that show us how coaches can come to love and inspire their student-athletes. If you want to be inspired, this is a must read!Michael J. Groves is the President of EMC Planning Group, a land use and environmental planning firm and is Head Baseball Coach for Monterey High School.