Tag: NCAA

What Greatness is NOT: Maryland at Mid-field

Written on November 7, 2014.

Over the last five years, I have written over one-hundred and fifty blogs and newsletters about Greatness—the imperceptible things that make the best athletes and leaders dramatically different from their peers. This past weekend, I saw what it wasn’t. One of the most “sacred” events in collegiate and professional football is the exchange of handshakes of team captains after the coin toss. It is tradition to show a...

Rebuilding Greatness through Culture of Character

Written on October 14, 2013.

Pay attention to the way head football coach Bill O’Brien and the Penn State program have conducted themselves in the aftermath of one of college football’s biggest scandals, and you’ll see an effective step in the move from good to Great. When rocked by a crisis, the tendency for most people—and companies—is to create distance. In many cases, more energy is spent defending, debating and deflecting a scandal, than...

Recognizing Your Hall of Famers

Written on October 2, 2013.

Should you ever have an opportunity to attend a Hall of Fame ceremony—of any kind—make sure you go! Trust me, it just might change your perspective on thanking others. Last month’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony honored some of the Greatest minds ever to be associated with the sport. It was a 2013 enshrinement class decorated with Olympic medals, NBA Championships, NCAA Titles, and more than 3,000...

Great Resilience

Written on June 1, 2013.

Each week, it seems the sports world captures our attention and sends us on an emotional rollercoaster worth the price of admission. But this week’s thrill ride inspired me to focus on perspective. Under what lens would you view emotional moments of failure, tragedy or triumph?

Greatness isn’t convenient

Written on December 19, 2012.

Now that college football has shifted from the regular season over to the “invite-only” season, I thought this would be the ideal time to shift the attention from the quest for greatness over to the pressure placed on greatness. Simply put, winning brings joy and adoration . . . but it also brings heightened expectations. The great leaders never really take their success for granted. Most of them relish...

Be Perfect on EVERY Play

Written on October 31, 2012.

Decisions are the frequent fabric of our daily design. Studies show the average person makes at least five decisions per minute. Given the ideal goal is eight hours of sleep each night–although since becoming a father to young Will and Maddie, that appears to be more fantasy than a realistic goal– the average person is awake for 16 hours. By those parameters, the average person makes 4,800 decisions daily....

Risk it for Greatness

Written on October 4, 2012.

Winning and losing are the most basic, and yet thrilling principles in sports. The final whistle blows and the scoreboard plasters an image that quickly becomes the ultimate stamp of validation or frustration for all to see.

Why March Madness Pits David Against Goliath

Written on March 21, 2012.

It’s my favorite sporting “event” of year. March Madness, the NCAA Basketball tournament, is in full force. Some call it the Big Dance and one reason is that some of America’s smallest colleges get to appear at the ball like Cinderella. You get to pull for teams with mascots like Greyhounds, Jackrabbits, Racers, Catamounts, Zags, Delta Devils, Hilltoppers, and Gaels. Gaels???

Paying The Price

Written on June 20, 2005.

The end of the road comes for a figure in a recruiting scandal that refuses to die When rookie free agent Albert Means was cut by the Houston Texans last month, it likely signaled the end of his unremarkable football career. Once the most promising high school defensive lineman in the country, he’ll be remembered for being at the heart of a recruiting scandal that left one booster headed to prison, two schools...