Episode 13: Why Football is a Lesson for Life w/ Coach Paul Graham
This week, Dr. Mike Quintans is joined by Paul Graham, a teacher and football coach at Penncrest high school (Mike’s alma mater) in Media, PA. Mr. Graham played football at Ursinus College where he was a two-time captain and all-American. Since then, he has coached offensive line, defensive line and served as the offensive coordinator for a number of high schools around Pennsylvania. Currently, he is the defensive coordinator at Penncrest.
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03:36 - Graham talks about what it is like transitioning to Penncrest from his previous coaching position at Garnet Valley high school, one of the top football programs in southeast Pennsylvania, where he had nearly 90 wins in the 9 years he coached there.
06:39 - Graham and Mike reminisce on their experiences in high school. Graham played high school football at Upper Darby, an extremely diverse school right outside of Philly.
10:00 – The left tackle from Rowin University was Graham’s white whale – the player he put himself in competition with to keep himself motivated. He says that all athletes need to pick their own white whale to drive their competitiveness.
23:24 – When school and sports were canceled, Graham and his fellow coaches came up with unique ways to keep their athletes in shape from home. Their solution was to create different programs for athletes based on their access to gym equipment.
32:39 – Find a way to get it done. This is the approach Graham and the Penncrest football team took when they started weight training together again outdoors.
40:39 – Graham talks more about what the at-home workouts looked like when the US was still fully shutdown. Mike asks how parents and kids responded to this new kind of training.
46:46 – As president of Media Little League, Graham worked alongside other board members who happened to be doctors. One was a pediatric doctor and the other was an orthopedic doctor who serves as the team physician for the Phillies. He talks about how he was able to utilize their medical recommendations when thinking about what actions to take at Penncrest.
50:22 – Mike asks what Graham is most excited about for the upcoming season. Additionally, Graham talks about how his coaching style has changed over the years.
59:39 – Graham discusses the safety concerns around football, and when he first let his own kids start playing. He also talks about the positive impact that playing a team sport like football has on a young person’s growth and development. More specifically, how football builds empathy by bringing together people of diverse backgrounds.
CONTACT
Twitter – @pagraham90