October 05, 2022 | Read Online

3 Elements of Competitive Maturity

Nick Saban has long credited his college coach, Don James, for developing his coaching philosophy.

After leading Monongah High School to a West Virginia state title as a triple-option quarterback, Nick Saban was set to enroll at the Naval Academy.

But during the spring, he had a change of heart and decided he'd instead head to Kent State, one of the worst football programs in the Middle Athletic Conference. Saban had been recruited by Dave Puddington, but by his second season, Ohio native Don James had taken over — and the Golden Flashes had turned their program around.

Saban has long credited James for developing his coaching philosophy.

"(He was) systematic about everything he did and defined his expectations for everything in the organization," Saban once said. "He worked hard and did things the way I thought they should be done. He did a good job developing players there and a good job recruiting players.”

James eventually left Kent for the far West — taking over the Washington Huskies' football program while instilling the same principles he taught Saban years prior. His blueprint for success involved three key components:

Start with the character of the players inherited: take boys and develop them into accountable and mature men. Make them leaders and examples for future players to follow.
Next, develop the identity of the team as a whole: the cornerstones would be toughness, fundamentals, defense and attention to detail.
Third, develop a personal network: take your branded product combined with your emerging credibility and parlay that into a network of high school coaches and parents who would want to send their young men into your care.

Along with these three cornerstones, James wanted his team to develop competitive maturity:

1. You vs. You. When you have a mature sense of competitiveness, you ultimately understand the main opponent is never the other team, but rather yourself. Competitive maturity understands how to avoid losing before winning takes place — and that starts from within.

2. Love and welcome adversity. When you accept adversity, you then enable a growth mindset and each setback becomes a step towards a comeback. You have more energy to perform after a loss than after a win. Nothing will deter your determination to succeed.

3. The will is greater than the win. Having competitive maturity is all about the process, not the scoreboard. The great Pat Summit, known as one of college basketball’s most relentless competitors, said it best. “Winning is fun, sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point."

James was a remarkable coach and leader. Although he passed away in 2013, his lessons will live on forever.