Sunday, December 23, 2012

Interview with Dee Brown


(Originally published February 6, 2011)

Without a doubt one of the most successful cross country coaches in Iowa has been Dee Brown.  Brown is head coach at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge and has been for all seven years the Triton cross country programs have been in existence.  As coach of the Tritons, Brown has been named National Coach of the Year three times – in 2005 for his efforts steering the Triton men to a second place finish at Nationals and again in 2007 and 2008 for guiding the Triton women to national championships.  He has been Region XI Coach of the Year honors 10 times.  He has coached individual national champions and in 2006 his women’s team had the highest GPA in the nation.

Tell us about how you got started in running.
I got started in running like many other high schoolers, I wasn’t big enough nor talented enough to play football. During an assembly our eighth grade year, all of the high school sports coaches came and spoke to us. I recall when Coach Jim Boughton (Dubuque Senior HS) said “there is no bench in cross country” my ears perked up!! I had been spending a lot of time on benches in junior high throughout my football, basketball and baseball careers. I had no clue what cross country was, but I knew it was the right sport for me. I have always been hard worker and Coach Boughton stated that “whatever you put into you get out of it”. I was hooked!
How did you get into coaching?
Oddly enough I had no aspirations of becoming a coach throughout college. I was a computer science and business double major. I was hired as a computer programmer for an insurance company right out of college and making good money doing so. Six months later I was offered a similar job at my alma mater, Luther College, where I could also be an assistant coach of cross country and track & field. I had a love interest there, coupled with the prospect of working with the team that I so dearly missed… well the draw was irresistible.
After a year of coming to work an hour earlier than everyone else, so that I could leave an hour earlier in order to attend practice I was convinced. Not only was the work I was doing as a programmer not stimulating for me, I was watching the minutes tick off the clock until 3:00 pm when I knew I could leave for practice. I made a decision that I was going to quit my job and go to graduate school to become a coach.
Two years after graduating from Luther College I was enrolled at Springfield College (MA), where I would spend my next three years taking the necessary undegraduate and graduate courses to receive my MS in Physical Education.
Have you had any coaches that really influenced you?
I would say my coaches I had in high school and college influenced me a great deal in regards to my value system and philosophy. Jim Boughton of Dubuque Senior High School is unmatched when it comes to educating young runners. He was my cross country and track and field coach for those blisfully ignorant four years. Nowadays many coaches do a poor job of teaching, myself included. He took the time to teach us about form, nutrition, mental toughness, race preparation, racing, etc. He also took the time to coach and talk to each one of us, no matter our ability level. I was a back of the pack runner at best and without his encouragement I never would have attempted to run at the collegiate level.
At Luther College I met Kent Finanger (cross country), Jeff Wettach (men’s track and field) and Betsy Emerson (women’s track and field). I met these individuals at a distance running camp I attended the summer of my junior year. It was at that time I decdided I wanted to run for them. Since then I have attended running camp every except while I was in graduate school. Coach Finanger is the most motivational man I have ever met, not a bad bone in his body. He too was a like Coach Boughton in the fact that he coached and genuinely cared about each and every runner on the squad. It wasn’t until my senior year that I was actually competing among the top 14 of our team of 40 plus athletes.
Coach Wettach and Coach Emerson have a special place in my heart. Not only did I run for Coach Wettach in track and field but I worked as an assistant coach for both of them for four years. They taught me so much about being a professional, recruiting, training, managing a team and loving life.
What's it like coaching at a junior college compared to a 4 year school?
When I first arrived at Iowa Central Community College seven years ago, I did not know what to expect. When I first saw the position advertised I knew it was my job, I just had to prove that to the administration. I love a good challenge and I tend to take on more than I should. When I saw Iowa Central was going to start brand new cross country and track and field programs I was giddy with excitement. Everyday on my run I thought about different things I could do, or wanted to do, or needed to do… once I convinced them I was their coach!
I love my job, I have been fortunate to have a very supportive administration here. The biggest let down of coaching at a junior college to me is the fact that I do not get to train athletes for four years. I am lucky if get them for two straight years, many athletes come here and only need to be here for one year before they move on to something else.
What I enjoy most is the fact that I am able to help a large number of student-athletes in so many ways. I asked my athletic director, Dennis Pilcher, after I was hired why he has continued to coach here for 20 years and not move up or move on. He told me that he knew these kids here needed him more and he could help them more than athletes at a four year school. It took me a while to fully understand and appreciate that, but I get it now.
You're known by many as a great recruiter.  How do you sell kids on running at a junior college in Fort Dodge?
We provide opportunities here. Coach Wettach drilled that word into my head, he said we always need to create opportunities, so that is what I continue to do here. It might be Iowa, it might be cold (the windchill is currently below zero), and it might be a small town compared to some of the bigger cities we get athletes from, but we offer them opportunities. If you compare the cost of an education here to any college or university, it is an easy decision. For many athletes we are a stepping stone to an NCAA Division I or II scholarship, for others we are a last chance to run or prove to themselves that they can be collegiate athletes. We have met with a lot of success and provide a competitive training environment and a program they can develop in over a short period of time. Affordability + Success = Opportunity
What do most of your runners end up doing after they leave ICCC?
It depends, as I alluded to earlier, for many we are a stepping stone. Many come here and transfer on to bigger universities on scholarship where they compete at a high level. Other student-athletes choose to come here for two years before attending a private college where they will be paying three to four times our cost per year. Still others come here for the education and elect to run because the program is offered or they have unfinished business after their high school career and desire that one last chance at running before they give it up and move on to a university where they will focus solely on their academics.
You've had incredible success at Iowa Central.  What are you and your runners doing that sets you apart?
We work hard year round. Some college programs are still run like high school programs in that running is allowed to be a seasonal sport. Distance running is a lifestyle, it is a year-round commitment to your own success. Just like Coach Boughton once told me, whatever effort these kids are willing to put into their training, they will see those benefits. If you do not work hard, you will not reach your full potential. That is what the athletes are doing, I just try to keep making new contacts with coaches across the United States and around the world let them know about who we are here at Iowa Central.
What's your training philosophy like?It is kind of a mix of Daniels and Lydiard. I have listened to Coach Vigil speak a number of times and either incorporated some of his ideas or he has reinforced things we are already doing. We run a lot of miles but I wouldn’t say we are a high mileage program. We get our weekly long runs in on Sundays. We do our pace and interval workouts, we get our tempo runs in. The main thing is we have fun.
I attempt to produce well rounded individuals. Parents or recruits often ask what it takes to be a member of our team. I do not care how talented you are or are not. I was not a talented runner if my coaches hadn’t cared about me as an individual I would not have continued running or even considered coaching. I tell these recruits that they must go to every class and work hard, and come to every practice and work hard.
Given your success I would imagine you would have opportunities to coach elsewhere.  Is that something that you're looking to do at some point in the future?Like I said, I am comfortable where I am at and enjoy my job here a great deal. If something amazing came up, I would explore the opportunity. I have really come to enjoy junior college coaching and would prefer to remain in this setting.
Do you have a single moment in your coaching career that stands out as particularly amazing - where you said to yourself, "This is why I love coaching?"Luckily I get to say that often when I am at a National Championship and I get to see our athletes shine, or when I see an athlete from a third-world country come here with nothing but the clothes on their back, accomplish so many great things academically and athletically, and earn a diploma.
One moment stands out for me. I coach because I love helping people. My coaches helped me and I saw them help so many others. My dream has always been to influence half as many people in at least half the way as my coaches did. I had a student on our team our second year. He was a great kid, I liked him a lot as an individual. He performed well on our team, however outside of that he was not making smart decisions for himself and those decisions (and consequences) were having a negative impact on our team. I had to remove him from the team, it broke my heart, he was a good kid. I believe that many kids here need our program in order to be successful in life. We don’t just preach academics and promote athletics. We promote citizenship, accountability and responsibility. Those qualities are key to being successful in life. I feel it is my responsibility to also prepare these people for life after Iowa Central. Whether it be another college or a job in the real world, they need to be prepared to make smart decisions.
Anyway, we parted ways and it was hard on both of us. I don’t regret the decision, because it was necessary for the success of our team and program. This athlete ended up joining the military and really getting himself straightened out. A few years later after our ‘break-up’ he walked into my office. He had his bag of equipment that he hadn’t turned in and some money he had owed some people. I never thought I would see this kid again. Furthermore, he sat down in my office, we had a great talk and he offered me a tearful thank you. He thanked me for the opportunities I had provided for him and for kicking him off the team. That moment made an impact on me.
Thanks, Dee, for the interview.  Best of luck to you and all the Tritons!

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