As athletic director, I strongly believe that many of life’s most important lessons and habits can be learned through participation in extracurricular activities. Attributes such as work ethic, dependability, self motivation, and self-discipline can all be learned while playing sports. Sports are a great tool that can be used to teach life lessons. A successful athletic department should strive to educate the entire child. Sports can teach young adults things that cannot be learned in a classroom. Athletics can teach our future workforce how to be successful in whatever endeavor they choose to engage in. We must prepare students to be successful in their lives after they leave school. Sports and extra-curricular activities are vital to a complete and well rounded education.

The most successful student-athletes are ones that participate in as many sports as possible. By participating in many different sports athletes learn how to be a part of many different teams and reduce the risk for overuse injuries. Students need to learn how to be successful in many different environments and with different types of people. As AD I will encourage coaches to work together to share athletes. I will strive to create a coaching staff that shares this philosophy. Administrators and coaches need to have the best interest of student-athletes in mind at all times. Coaches need to work together to do what is best for athletes. Doing what is best for athletes should guide each decision that coaches and administrators make. 

All participants of the athletic department should live by one philosophy – Act like a champion. This means that participants must do their best in everything that they do. One must always represent themselves, their teammates, the school, and their family in a positive way at all times. If players, coaches, and administrators act like champions in everything they do then they will be successful.

The Athletic Director is the primary leader for the Athletic Program at the school. Leaders are the first link in the chain. Depending on the AD’s strength as a leader the chain will either do its job or fail. In my experience the most successful style of leadership is servant leadership. I believe that my first priority is to serve the student-athletes and coaches at the school. I want coaches to take initiative in their programs and I will be there to help guide them. My job is to ensure that student-athletes and coaches have everything they need to be part of a successful program. Successes will be measured by student-athletes acting like champions in everything they do. I will do anything I can to help the people in my organization. As the leader of the Athletic Department I must focus on building and working as a team. This is the only way our athletic teams can be successful and the only way our Athletic Department can be successful.

I have played and coached sports for over 50  years. Athletics is what has made me successful in my life. Sports have held me accountable in school, taught me how to work hard for my goals, and how to be a part of something that is larger than myself. These are the attributes that I want to instill in the athletes that participate in my program. 

My passion for athletics and my tireless desire to help student-athletes become successful is what drives me to be an Athletic Director. Sports can teach young people things that they cannot learn anywhere else.  In order to be successful everyone in the athletic team or department should be held to a high standard. I will ensure success in the Athletic department by hiring and developing like-minded coaches who will always do what is best for students and uphold the tradition of success of the school.