To listen to the Brian Kelly podcast, please click Play above or download from iTunes. (If you received this post via email, you can go to the online blog to listen.)
At Steiner Sports, we're very proud to have a partnership with Notre Dame. One of the cooler parts of this partnership is that it afforded me the opportunity to sit down and talk with Head Football Coach Brian Kelly, when he visited our offices a few weeks ago.
Some highlights from the pod:
On the pressure of being the Head Coach at Notre Dame:
If I went in every day thinking, “I’m the Notre Dame coach,” I’d probably jump out my window. So I focus on the day-to-day process of putting together a successful football team.
Why he loves football:
I love it as a team sport. 11 guys have to play together as one. I love that teams can beat individuals. And I love the personal interaction with the players on a day-to-day basis.
On preparation:
We break it down for our guys so that when they come to the football building every day they know what to expect. For instance, Monday is a mental day. So we have “Mental Monday.” It’s all about film study, scouting reports. Tuesday is “Intense Tuesday.” So they know they’re going on the field and we’re gonna bang it around. It’s important to set expectations and eliminate surprises, every single day. I want that consistency, day in and day out.
On why it's great to recruit with the Notre Dame brand:
A degree is not just a four-year decision. It’s a forty-year decision.
On growing up in a sports-loving family in Boston:
Growing up in a family that was so into sports was great. I loved competing on the field. My brother and I are eleven months apart - those are Irish twins on the East Coast. I loved going to ballgames. Seeing Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito and Carl Yastrzemski - we grew up with those memories.
On separating the men from the boys:
The off-season is the separator. Because those that love the game are going to train no matter what. But if it's a job to you and it's hard for you to get up and do it every single day, you're probably someone we can't count on.
On his Kelly Cares Foundation:
My wife's a two-time cancer survivor. She's battled through cancer twice, and we have a young family that has lived through that as well. So we look towards cancer, health education and community. It's a way for us to give back, because we've been blessed as a family.
I loved my time with Coach Kelly. He's an extremely intelligent and warm guy, as you can tell from listening!
Visit Coach Kelly's foundation HERE.
You can LISTEN TO MY OTHER PODCASTS, including LOU HOLTZ, Eli Manning, Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, Mariano Rivera, Lou Holtz, Robert Wuhl, Dave Winfield & Brian Cashman, by clicking HERE.
