Product Description

Coaching student-athletes is a moral endeavor. Despite countless hours of time, dedication and effort, the stark reality for the vast majority of youth and college athletes is that they will not become professional athletes. With this in mind, what should parents, educators, citizens and even student-athletes expect from coaches? Can athletic coaches model authentic leadership? Is it possible to prepare student-athletes for their lives beyond the field of play in highly competitive settings? Through the voices of former players, a powerful story emerges of how Peter Fewing built a nationally recognized soccer program from obscurity that earned a #4 collegiate ranking in 2010 from U.S. News and World Report for college soccer facilities. Despite inheriting a program that had nine losing seasons in a row, Fewing led teams to the 1997 NAIA and 2004 NCAA national championship titles, developed two National Players of the Year, and achieved nearly a 100 percent graduation rate - including a 1994 Rhode Scholar. In addition, Coach Fewing spearheaded efforts for a new soccer stadium and established the foundation for a NCAA Division I soccer program while twice receiving Seattle University's Presidential award for campus leadership. At the center of this success was Coach Fewing's understanding that few if any of the players he coached would play professional soccer. Now Coach Fewing shares the guiding leadership principles he used to educate his players and achieve authentic and transformational leadership. This book explores how and why these principles enabled Coach Fewing and his players to accomplish championship results both on and beyond the soccer pitch.