Christian Klemash - How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the Worlds Greatest Coaches

Diversion Books
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Copyright 2006 by Christian Klemash
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

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First Diversion Books edition July 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62681-945-0

This is dedicated to my father, the worlds greatest coach.

This book is the result of the hard work and cooperation of many people. Id like to thank all of the coaches who shared their time, experience, and wisdom with me; Alec MacDonald and Danielle Egan-Miller at Browne & Miller Literary Associates, for believing in me and this project; Jennifer Potter, for all of her help; my cousin Jimmy, for his endless enthusiasm and input; and my wife, Jennifer, for holding down the fort while I got this done.

Believe in yourself so much that you counter others disbelief.

Trudi Lacey

I am a pretty typical guy, a couch potato who grew up watching sports on television like most American boys. I primarily watched the big fourfootball, baseball, basketball, and hockeyalong with boxing and a few select Olympic events, like figure skating (though Ill deny that at my neighborhood bar). So I was thrilled when, over the past couple of years, I had an opportunity to live out any sports fanatics dream: to speak with some of the greatest coaches ever and pick their brains about what it takes to succeed.

In 2001, after thirteen years of living in Los Angeles and pursuing a career as an actor and screenwriter, I returned to my hometown of Philadelphia because:

1) The Internet company I worked for was closing their Los Angeles office.

2) I had not yet reached Tom Cruise status as an actor.

3) I had recently rekindled a romance with a woman from Philly while back East on Christmas vacation (were now married).

4) My bitterness at the movie industry was growing (see reason No. 2).

I grew up in south Philadelphia, a blue-collar section of the city, which is home to some of the most loyal and rabid fans in the country. Philly sports fans measure up well to the Red Sox faithful in Boston, the Cubs diehards in Chicago, and the silver-and-black army of the Oakland Raiders. Hollywood has a lot of other entertainment distractions and I was looking forward to once again living in a city that is crazy about sports.

When I came back, I needed a job to keep me afloat. The Internet bubble of the late 1990s had just burst and I was having trouble finding work in the computer industry. Luckily, a childhood friend got me a job as a suite attendant at the local sports arena, the Wachovia Center, where the Sixers and Flyers play. Since the money was decent and I love sports, it was a good fit. I worked there for a full season and attended games almost every night, and thats when I got the idea for this book.

I realized how many different teams and players I had seen over the years. Some of them (outside of Philadelphia) had sustained periods of excellence. The obvious examples are the New York Yankees, the Boston Celtics, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Montreal Canadiens, along with the Michael Jordanera Chicago Bulls and the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and early 1990s. These organizations consistently produced winners. Since I was watching games on a nightly basis now, I became intrigued by what made certain teams and players so successful, as opposed to most of the other teams in the leagues. What made one team or person more successful than another?

Well, I certainly didnt have the expertise and experience to answer this question, but I knew who would. Coaches are the authority on this subject. They are directly responsible for the success of the team as a whole, and on a more personal level, the individuals themselves. Since they devote their lives to teaching others about cooperation, character, and winning, they have a firm grip on the elements needed to build and sustain success. Theyve worked with a wide spectrum of players, from the least to the most talented, and have used a variety of tactics to bring out the best in different kinds of athletes. In addition, theyre constantly being scrutinized by their superiors and the public, so they know what its like to handle pressure. If their teams dont produce, theyre fired. Therefore, I thought they could shed some light on what it takes to make the most successful individuals and the best teams, so I set out to interview the greatest coaches in the sporting world.

I put together a list of questions about what elevated certain teams and individuals above others and began mailing requests to coaches throughout the country. Weeks and months went by without a reply from anyone. Then several decline letters started trickling in. I was losing hope for this book when one day I received a positive response from legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden had actually taken the time to write out answers to my questions, included his telephone number, and mailed the letter back to me. He also included an autographed picture and a copy of his famed Pyramid of Success. I was thrilled when I received his letter! I called him immediately and he graciously granted me a telephone interview. Coach Wooden had breathed new life into my project.

Riding the energy from the John Wooden interview, and armed with his advice of patience and persistence, I came up with a new strategy to approach the coaches for interviews. I called one coach after another, keeping a log and following up on unreturned calls every couple of weeks. I was methodical and persistent, often waiting months for a reply, understanding how extremely busy these men and women were. Scotty Bowman took nine months to get back to me. Bill Walsh took over a year, as did Bill Parcells. Several teams declined my original request, but granted me an interview more than a year later. The New York Yankees, for example, originally declined my interview request with Joe Torre in November 2003. However, when I requested it again in February 2005, Mr. Torre kindly accepted.

As the book progressed, I spoke with coaches I never dreamed I would, and glimpsed a side of them you dont see on television. When I was trying to schedule Whitey Herzog, he postponed the interview a couple of times to go fishing with his buddies; he said he preferred fishing to doing interviews. Who can blame him? When I asked for Angelo Dundee on the phone, he bellowed in his East Coast accent, You got him! Mr. Dundee is from the same neighborhood that I grew up in, so we had a lot to talk about. We discussed Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Roberto Duranall idols of my youth. In a short amount of time I felt as comfortable with Mr. Dundee as I would with any guy from my block.

Another time, I was on the phone with a friend when my call-waiting rang. I clicked over to the other line and a gravelly voice on the other end said, Bill Cowher calling for Christian Klemash. I had requested the interview with Coach Cowher a couple of weeks earlier and he just called me out of the blue. I clicked back to my friend and told him Id have to call him back because Bill Cowher was on the linehe couldnt believe it and neither could I.

Im still a little shocked that I spoke with all of these great coaches, and Im truly grateful that they shared their time, knowledge, and experience with me. The advice they gave me has helped me realize a dream of my own in writing this book. Im sure it will help and inspire you to achieve some of your own dreams!