Playing For Coach Meyer

Don Meyer has been coaching the game of basketball at the collegiate level for the past 33 years, amassing more than 800 career victories at three different schools (Hamline University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee; and now at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD). He has won a national championship, coached players that were at one point in time the all-time leaders in college basketball in points (John Pierce, Philip Hutcheson), steals (Marcus Bodie), and assists (Jerry Meyer), been inducted into five different Halls of Fame, including the NAIA Hall of Fame at the age of 47, and he was twice named NAIA National Coach of the Year (1989 & 1990). In addition, Coach Meyer was running the largest summer camps in the nation while at DLU and over 10,000 coaches have attended Coach Meyer's nationally acclaimed Don Meyer Coaching Academies which featured speakers such as John Wooden, Pat Summit, Morgan Wooten, Roy Williams, Tubby Smith, Rick Majerus and countless others. While these accomplishments are impressive, they pale in comparison to the relationships that he has developed with his players, co-workers, and fellow coaches over the years. In this book, one of his former players, Steve Smiley, discusses his five-year journey with Coach Meyer in detail. The ups, the downs, the triumphs and the defeats are all discussed as the author attempts to show the amazing bond that Coach Meyer develops with his players and the true character of a legendary coach whom many people know nothing about. Included are over twenty pieces written by other former players, coaches, and administrators that have worked with Coach Meyer that will give you, the reader, an even deeper appreciate for the impact that Coach Meyer has had on these people's lives. Take pleasure in reading about a truly amazing teacher of basketball and life; a man that embodies the idea of servant leadership. A man simply known as Coach Meyer.

Relates the story of college basketball coach Don Meyer, who struggled through a car accident that left him an amputee and a bout with cancer, and went on to set a record for all-time wins by an NCAA basketball coach.

The instant New York Times bestseller Remarkable lessons in leadership and team building from one of the greatest football coaches of our time. Urban Meyer has established himself as one of the elite in the annals of his sport, having lead his players to three national championships. In Above the Line, he offers readers his unparalleled insights into leadership, team building, and the keys to empowering people to achieve things they might never have thought possible. Meyer shares his groundbreaking game plan—the game plan followed every day in the Ohio State Buckeyes’ championship season—for creating a culture of success built on trust and a commitment to a common purpose. Packed with real life examples from Meyer’s storied career, Above the Line delivers wisdom and inspiration for taking control and turning setbacks into victories for a team, a family, or a Fortune 500 company.

Ohio State University's remarkable 2012 season--and the beginning of a new era at the Big Ten school—are recalled in this fascinating account. It tells the story of Urban Meyer, who accepted the job as head coach at Ohio State just before the NCAA banned the Buckeyes from postseason play in 2012, rendering them ineligible for the Big Ten Championship and bowl games. Meyer ultimately rose to the challenge of motivating a group of players to commit to the program despite the ban, and the book recounts what turned out to be one of the most remarkable seasons in Ohio State's 123-year history. Filled with never-before-revealed details about Meyer and the 2012 season, this surprising and entertaining record provides a complete picture of the new age at Ohio State.

If you’ve ever asked yourself why you do what you do, or wondered what your purpose is in life, this book is for you. The lives of an intensely-driven basketball coach, an ultra-successful CEO, and an unassuming janitor all intersect in this captivating parable about leadership, relationships, and the pursuit of success. An unforgettable story packed with profound truths, LEAD . . . for God’s Sake! will challenge you to think deeply about who you are as a leader, what success means to you, and why you do what you do. Whether you’re leading a business, a team, or your own family, this book is the first and most important step to becoming the leader you were meant to be.

A comprehensive biography of the personal and professional life of the University of Florida's football coach, Urban Meyer, that chronicles his childhood in Ashtabula, Ohio, and early coaching career, as well as his 2007 season with the Florida Gators.

In September 2008, Northern State University men’s basketball coach Don Meyer stood on the brink of immortality. He was about to surpass the legendary Bobby Knight to become the all-time NCAA wins leader in men’s basketball. Then, on a two-lane road in South Dakota, everything changed in an instant. In How Lucky You Can Be, acclaimed sports journalist Buster Olney tells the remarkable story of the successive tragedies that befell Coach Meyer but could not defeat him. Laid low by a horrific car accident that led to the amputation of his left leg below the knee, Coach Meyer had barely emerged from surgery when his doctors informed him that he also had terminal cancer. In the blink of an eye, this prototypical 24/7 workaholic coach—who arrived at the gym most mornings before 6 a.m.—found himself forced to reexamine his priorities at the age of sixty-three. A model of reserve, Coach Meyer had sacrificed much of his emotional life to his program. His wife, Carmen, felt disconnected because of his habitual reticence, while his three children—all now well into adulthood—had long had to compete with basketball for his attention. With sensitivity and skill, Olney shows how Coach Meyer mined his physical ordeal for the spiritual strength to transform his life. In the months that followed his accident and diagnosis, he reached out to family, friends, and former players in a way he had never been able to do before, making the most of this one last opportunity to tell those close to him how he felt about them—and in turn he received an outpouring of affirmation that confirmed how deeply he had affected others. Sustained throughout an often painful recovery by his love of basketball, he would return to the court once more—with a newfound appreciation for the game’s place in his life. The inspirational story of a life renewed by unimaginable hardship, How Lucky You Can Be proves that it’s never too late to start making changes—and reminds us that fortune can smile upon us even in our most trying hours.

Taking a decade-by-decade approach to the University of Florida football tradition, this collection brings together over 40 stories from the most outstanding voices of the program. The spirit of Gators football is not captured by just one phrase, one season, or one particular game; instead, the student-athletes and coaches who made the magic happen over the decades blend their experiences to capture the true essence of their beloved school. From Danny Wuerfful and the shotgun formation in the Sugar Bowl to Tim Tebow and his transition to a full-time starter as a sophomore, Florida fans will relish the intimate stories told by the figures they have come to cherish.

Examining a simple questionWhat is so special about Ohio State football?this book provides a forum for the school s greatest players and coaches from the past nine decades to express why they are so proud to be a part of the storied tradition that is Buckeye football. Many players took this unique and exclusive opportunity to set the record straight about a few topics that have never before been addressed, including Rex Kern revealing what happened in the bitter 1969 defeat to Michigan, Chris Spielman explaining why he almost chose Michigan instead of Ohio State, Cornelius Greene talking about the real discomfort behind his ulcers, and Joe Germaine detailing how he gave President Clinton s Secret Service a scare. From Charlie Ream in the 1930s and Paul Warfield in the 1960s to Urban Meyer s first days on the job after taking over after the 2011 season, What It Means to Be a Buckeye brings together a who s who of Ohio State football icons in a fashion that no other book has ever accomplished, making it the ultimate keepsake for any fan of Buckeye football."