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| John Crawford, Head Swimming Coach ('80-'88), Diving Coach ('03-'14) |
I first met John Crawford in 2009 when I was 22 years old. A few months out of college, I was training a few volleyball players in the gym when John walked by and began asking questions. He thought a particular exercise we were doing could also help his divers and he picked my brain for about half an hour. I didn't know until several years later that that man was one of the most successful coaches Fredonia has ever seen.
Since 2003, he has coached 11 All-American divers (that's almost one every year), including a national champion. In retrospect, it should have been me picking his brain back then.
Last week I got to interview John for the Fall alumni magazine, which is published at the beginning of each semester. After the interview he sent a thank-you e-mail that I want to share (how common is it that the person being interviewed sends the thank-you note, and not the other way around?):
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| Crawford with 2015 graduate, Heather Colby |
Thanks for taking the time to interview me Wednesday. I wanted to send you a list
of the books that I found inspirational and that affected my coaching. Here are some since the
early 2000's They are in no special order.
The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch
Leading with the Heart - Mike Krzyzewski
No Ordinary Joe - Michael O'Brien
The North Carolina Way - Dean Smith
Reach for the Summit - Pat Head Summit
Matheny's Manifesto - Mike Matheny
Also
look up the concept of Servant Leadership developed by Bob Greenleaf.
There are many takes on it. However, it applies not to just business
leaders but to coaches.
It is given that coaches will
improve their craft if they are passionate about a sport. There are
many that work on learning and studying more on the finer points of
teaching the skill and the sport. In my mind, what separates the good
coaches from the exceptional or excellent coaches is the excellent
coaches invest a large amount of their time and effort in caring for and
counseling the kid. We coach humans to become better citizens,
workers and family members The sport is the tool that captures their
interest and we used that tool to craft a better person!
In
your busy life, continue to take the time to explore and commit to
making people's lives better by being a positive influence.
Thanks, again!
JC