Best Books Written by Sports Coaches
As the old adage goes, it takes one to know one. And perhaps that’s nowhere more true than when it comes to coaching a sports team. Being a coach is a relatively selfless pursuit and one in which one’s own success is highly dependent on the success of others.
However, as a coach, there are ample opportunities available to help your players and your team to not only succeed but to also do so in an honorable and humble way. And if you’re looking for some assistance on how to better coach your own team, then what better way to do so, and to learn, than from some of the greatest coaches of all time.
Below, we are going to discuss and review the best books written by sports coaches. These are books written by some of the greatest coaches of all-time. And while many of these books discuss specific tactics, plays, and routes for their respective sports, the coaches divulge intimate details on how to be a better coach, no matter the sport you are in.
Interested in more coaching books? Be sure to check out our review of the best books for coaching a winning youth basketball team.
Heart and Steel
Long before the Lombardi Trophy, the Golden Hall of Fame jacket, and successful TV career, legendary head coach Bill Cowher was simply “Billy from Crafton.”
Born and raised just fifteen minutes from old Three Rivers Stadium, it was in Crafton where the foundation of Cowher’s irrepressible work ethic, passion for teaching, and love of football and the Pittsburgh Steelers were built. Now, for the first time, Cowher will shine a light on a life filled with success, achieved through will and resilience in situations which, often times, appeared to be hopeless.
In Heart and Steel, Cowher will take you on his journey from childhood to the undersized, mohawked, disco-dancing North Carolina State linebacker, to fighting for a spot as a “bubble player” with the Browns and Eagles, before injuries ended his playing career.
Bill discusses how that same drive led to his big coaching break, running Special Teams for Marty Schottenheimer and the Cleveland Browns at just 27, before taking over the Pittsburgh Steelers just seven years later.
Cowher will reveal exclusive, never-before-told anecdotes and candid thoughts on the biggest games, players, and moments that defined his fifteen-year Steelers tenure.
But this is more than a “football story.”
In 2010, Bill lost his beloved wife, Kaye, and father, Laird, within three months of one another. It forced him, yet again, to summon that resiliency to unearth a stronger version of himself—not only so he could march on, but to add a deeper level to the loving, supportive father his three daughters had always known.
Cowher’s learned many lessons in his life; as a father, grandfather, husband, coach, and broadcaster. He will show you how you can continue to grow by embracing transition, personally and professionally, through renewed perspective and social consciousness.
“Billy from Crafton” has come a long way. Through love and conviction, Cowher’s achieved more than he ever could have dreamed of. You can, too, with the same heart and steel.
Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski
Mike Krzyzewski, known worldwide as “Coach K,” is a five-time national champion at Duke, the NCAA’s all-time leader in victories with nearly 1,200, and the first man to lead Team USA to three Olympic basketball gold medals.
Through unprecedented access to Krzyzewski’s best friends, closest advisers, fiercest adversaries, and generations of his players and assistants, three-time New York Times bestselling author Ian O’Connor takes you behind the Blue Devil curtain with a penetrating examination of the great, but flawed leader as he closes out his iconic career.
Krzyzewski built a staggering basketball empire that has endured for more than four decades, placing him among the all-time titans of American sport, and yet there has never been a defining portrait of the coach and his program.
O’Connor uses scores of interviews with those who know Krzyzewski best to deliver previously untold stories about the relationships that define the venerable Coach K, including the one with his volcanic mentor, Bob Knight, that died a premature death.
Krzyzewski was always driven by an inner rage fueled by his tough Chicago upbringing, and by the blue-collar Polish-American parents who raised him to fight for a better life. As the retiring Coach K makes his final stand, vying for one more ring during the 2021-2022 season before saying goodbye at age 75, O’Connor shows you sides of the man and his methods that will surprise even the most dedicated Duke fan.
Reviews from The Washington Post state this book is an, “insightful biography, sportswriter O’Connor captures the formative experiences and inner drive that catapulted the coach to icon status. Even the most die-hard fans will learn something.”
Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life
Tony Dungy’s words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African American coach.
How is it possible for a coach—especially a football coach—to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, and the demand that the sport come before anything else?
How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family?
In this inspiring and reflective memoir, now updated with a new chapter, Coach Dungy tells the story of a life lived for God and family—and challenges us all to redefine our ideas of what it means to succeed.
Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Season
Urban Meyer has established himself as one of the elite in the annals of his sport, having lead his players to three national championships. In Above the Line, he offers readers his unparalleled insights into leadership, team building, and the keys to empowering people to achieve things they might never have thought possible.
Meyer shares his groundbreaking game plan—the game plan followed every day in the Ohio State Buckeyes’ championship season—for creating a culture of success built on trust and a commitment to a common purpose. Packed with real life examples from Meyer’s storied career, Above the Line delivers wisdom and inspiration for taking control and turning setbacks into victories for a team, a family, or a Fortune 500 company.
Players First: Coaching from the Inside Out
John Calipari, one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history, presents the world of college basketball from the coach’s chair, unvarnished and straight from the heart.
Players First is Calipari’s account of his first six years coaching the University of Kentucky men’s team, leading it to a national championship in 2012 and the championship game in 2014, all while dealing with the realities of the “one-and-done” mentality and an NCAA that sometimes seems to put players last.
Filled with revelatory stories about what it takes to succeed at the highest level of the college game, Players First is a candid look at the great players and rivalries that have filled Calipari’s life with joy and a sense of purpose.
The Lombardi Rules: 26 Lessons from Vince Lombardi–the World’s Greatest Coach
Vince Lombardi is considered by most to be the greatest NFL coach ever. His leadership and motivational skills drove the Green Bay Packers to four NFL titles in seven years, an amazing record that has yet to be equaled.
The Lombardi Rules examines the strategies and techniques that Lombardi followed to achieve his unprecedented success. Especially valuable in today’s take-no-prisoners business environment, it provides an insider’s look at Lombardi’s remarkable methods and how they can be transformed to any field or endeavor.
Coach to Coach: An Empowering Story About How to Be a Great Leader
Think about the coaches you’ve had throughout your life. Most likely, some were good, others not so good. Maybe one or two were great. One thing is undeniable: Coaches can influence your life in ways that can be negative or positive.
A coach can either build you up or tear you down. The world needs better coaches in all walks of life—if you’re a parent, a teacher, a co-worker, or a leader, you are also a coach. Which kind of coach do you want to be?
Coach to Coach helps you answer this question and shares the secrets to bringing out the best in a person, both on and off the field.
For more than twenty years, author Martin Rooney has coached professional sport stars, Olympic champions, and business leaders to high levels of performance, analyzing thousands of real-life examples of what works and what doesn’t.
Reading like a simple parable, this engaging book gives you an easy-to-use yet highly effective formula for becoming a better coach for your teams, in your business, and in your personal life.