#42. Jim Konrad had a unique path into education. While in medical school, he was coaching a youth team and fell in love with the idea of teaching and coaching for a career, so he left medical school after his second year to pursue a career in education. In 1997, Jim was hired by his alma mater, Naperville North HS (IL), and became the head soccer coach in 2003. His program is based upon the idea of "Nothing Without Work" (Sine Labore Nihil), and clearly, Coach Konrad's dedication to his team off the field is yielding the result on the field:
- Myro Rys Sportsmanship Award Winner
- 3 State Championships (including a 45 game winning streak)
- 4 Final 4 appearances
- 7 Final 8 appearances
- 16 Dupage Valley Conference Championships
- USC National Coach of the Year (2018)
- NFHS National Coach of the Year (2019)
My takeaways (Reminder: click on the timestamp).
- 14:42 - Lasting relationships are a result of treating kids the right way and creating a program that they are proud to be a part of
- 17:40 - Take the time to listen, process and explain, rather than just punish kids. This is how to develop a relationship built on trust.
- 20:08 - "Nothing without work"
- 28.00 - What we do is important; however, it may not be the most important thing in your players' world at that current moment. So need to be empathic and creative to capture their attention.
