North Dakota State Head Baseball Coach Tod Brown
In this episode of Coaches’ Corner, North Dakota State head baseball coach Tod Brown shared his thoughts on having grit, being a student of the game and sticking to the grind to launch a successful coaching career.
credit: NDSU Athletics
Be a student of the game
“Be smart, throw pitches at the right time, be fundamentally sound. These give you an advantage.”
How did I survive? The will to win, putting my fundamentals together, along with making the right pitch at the right time, a little bit of luck.
Head, heart, guts: If you have the head to do the right things, the will to want to compete and do well…that can overcome a lot of your shortcomings you have in talent.”
Having grit and grinding every single day
“There’s a lot of ups and downs in your life, and sports is a direction reflection of life.
I find the guys that really keep moving up the ladder, the guys that aren’t given everything but they still achieve more than they’re supposed to, those are the guys that are gonna go on and be a great sales team leader, a CEO, a great teacher, a great coach, whatever profession they go into.
Those are the kids that are really being successful. They use all the information and data that’s out there, but still having that grit and that grind on a day-to-day basis to succeed.”
What’s exciting about college baseball?
“College baseball, if you watch it, compared all the other levels, it’s so pure and innocent. The kids are playing because they really love playing. Watch the College World Series sometime, watch the regional action. College softball is the same thing you watch that on TV, there’s such an innocence to it where kids are playing the game for the right reasons.
That’s what’s so fun about the game. That college spirit really motivates me to come to work every day. It’s really fun to see their growth.”
Coach Brown’s mantra
“Something that i tell my team before big games or stressful moments that has seemed to work…
‘Relax, have fun and play. And let the chips fall where they may.'”
Listen to Coach Brown’s episode here:
In this episode:
2:04 Where Tod’s grit comes from
4:20 Rising up the coaching ranks
8:30 Overcoming physical limitations
13:01 Coaching as a calling
16:15 What would you be doing if you weren’t a coach?
19:00 It all starts with recruiting
30:46 Best (and worst) memories as a coach
34:15 The future of college baseball
