Today, I wanna talk about Don James, the football coach. I gotta say, this guy’s a legend in the coaching world, and digging into his career has been quite a ride.
So, I started by looking up who this Don James fella was. Turns out, his full name is Donald Earl James, born on the last day of 1932, and he passed away in 2013. This dude was a big-time American football player and coach. I found out he was the head honcho at Kent State University from ’71 to ’74 and then moved on to the University of Washington from ’75 all the way to ’92.
Diving deeper, I stumbled upon some stories about his coaching style. One person shared that when they were a graduate assistant coach, Coach James was very particular about how to staple a game plan – top left corner, a quarter inch from the top. Sounds a bit OCD, but hey, the guy was meticulous!
Coaching Style and Philosophy
I also read that he didn’t want to be seen as anything other than a college football coach. A darn good one, maybe the best, but still just a coach. That’s kinda humble for a guy with his track record.
Then there’s this book by a Spokane author that highlights his teaching techniques. And another one, “Fear No Man” by Mike Gastineau, that talks about the national championship team he built at Washington. They went undefeated, can you believe it?
- Focused on building a team with a clear vision.
- Created a realistic plan to achieve his goals.
- Excelled at managing and delegating tasks to his staff.
- Maintained a unified team focused on a common objective.
I also dug into some articles about Kent State’s best football team. It turns out Don James was a key figure during their golden era. The guy had a 25-19-1 record at Kent State, and his 1972 team even won the Mid-American Conference championship. Then at Washington, he had a whopping 153-57-2 record over 18 years. His career total? 178-76-3. Those are some serious numbers!
Key Takeaways
From all this, I learned that a good head coach needs a clear vision and a solid plan. They also gotta be great managers who know how to delegate and keep everyone on the same page. And it seems like Don James was all of that and more. He had his quirks, sure, but the man knew how to build a winning team.
This whole deep dive into Don James’s career was pretty eye-opening. It’s clear why he’s remembered as one of the greats. I mean, the guy was dedicated, detail-oriented, and had a knack for winning. I’d say he’s definitely someone worth studying if you’re into football or just leadership in general.
