I can recall the moment like it was yesterday. USC vs Texas. The Rose Bowl. Burnt orange filling up one half of the iconic stadium and cardinal and gold filling up the other. A sunset for the ages. Keith Jackson. Pete Carroll. Mack Brown. Matt Leinart. Reggie Bush. And of course, Vince Young.

I’ve yet to watch that game back, as it was the finale of my first year on the USC staff, but since that day I’ve always had great regard for the Texas head coach, Mack Brown. A few years ago he joined my podcast and since that conversation, I’ve always perked up when he would speak about the game we all adore.

Coach Brown is a Hall of Fame and National Championship winning coach, but he is also a guardian of the game. His lens on the current state of the game, his advice to current coaches and his infectious energy are traits that we all can learn from and I’m honored to have him on today’s Y-Option podcast, thanks to our founding partner 76.

We reflected back on his career, how he navigated the pressures in coaching and even some of his regrets.

What landed most was his sage advice to coaches as we dove into the topic of “self-compassion” in coaching, or the lack thereof. And can’t we all use a little bit of that in today’s world? I know I can.

Hope you enjoy today’s conversation with the legendary coach, Mack Brown.

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi

This episode is executive produced by Jim Thornby and edited by Victor Ren

This podcast is a Best Coast Media production

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