The thoughtful outlook, the supportive attitude, those personal conversations — they’re not a stunt. Rather, they’re examples — just a few of many I could give you — of the culture that Coach D has built at Michigan State over these last nine seasons. It’s a culture that values people as people — not athletes, not blue chips, not superheroes, not scapegoats — and uses relationships, more than anything else, as its positive energy source.
And while that culture started with Coach Dantonio, it wasn’t long before it permeated through the entire program. Trust me on this one: When the head coach acts like that … you notice. Everyone notices. The coordinators pick up on it. The position coaches pick up on it. The strength coaches, the team leaders, the other players — they all pick up on it. And then pretty soon, you have an entire culture where everyone has bought into this one, big idea.
Coach convinced us that being better people would, literally,make us better football players.
If you know football, then you know how incredible that is — and how radical. Football’s default culture is one of “win at any cost.” It’s one of machismo, and “battle” metaphors, and cutthroat competition. Coach Dantonio decided that he was going to have a program of good people first, and winners — well, somehow, also, first.
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/kirk-cousins-redskins-michigan-state-college-football-playoff/
And while that culture started with Coach Dantonio, it wasn’t long before it permeated through the entire program. Trust me on this one: When the head coach acts like that … you notice. Everyone notices. The coordinators pick up on it. The position coaches pick up on it. The strength coaches, the team leaders, the other players — they all pick up on it. And then pretty soon, you have an entire culture where everyone has bought into this one, big idea.
Coach convinced us that being better people would, literally,make us better football players.
If you know football, then you know how incredible that is — and how radical. Football’s default culture is one of “win at any cost.” It’s one of machismo, and “battle” metaphors, and cutthroat competition. Coach Dantonio decided that he was going to have a program of good people first, and winners — well, somehow, also, first.
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/kirk-cousins-redskins-michigan-state-college-football-playoff/
