Coach Patrick Murphy on PERSON over athlete, “Affirmation Bags”, and Power of Tiny Gains at Alabama Softball

LeadershipTeam BuildingCultureSoftball
Written By Evan Burk
 

Patrick Murphy is the Head Softball Coach at the University of Alabama. Coach Murphy career accomplishments rank among the best in all of college sports, holding a 78% career winning percentage, winning the National Championship in 2012, and leading the Crimson Tide softball team to the NCAA tournament a remarkable 22 straight years.

In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Coach Murphy about building the culture of his program by prioritizing the PERSON first - athlete second, capturing his players’ hearts with “Affirmation Bags”, and The Power of Tiny Gains in building the program’s culture.

Tune into this episode to hear:

  • Coach Murphy’s approach and mentality starting each new season\

  • Re-establishing and evolving the team culture each season

  • PERSON first, athlete second at Alabama Softball

  • The Power of Tiny Gains

  • Reinforcing the Power of Positivity with “Affirmation Bags”

  • Balancing the Process with the Results

  • Learning from Nick Saban while working together at Alabama

  • Leading with vulnerability and creating a ‘No Judgement Zone’ in the Clubhouse

  • Using practice time to teach life lessons and personal development

  • Mudita: Taking unselfish joy in somebody else’s success

 
 

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Evan Burk

Evan Burk is a speaker, former NFL coach, and podcast host who uses the sports world as his backdrop to engage audiences with thought-provoking lessons of leadership, team-building, and creating championship cultures.

Evan Burk is not your typical football coach. Despite not playing football beyond high school and no network in the coaching profession, Evan's unlikely football journey began as a 4th grade coach, where he quickly worked his way to the NFL in just 6 years, and included coaching for teams such as the Miami Dolphins, UCLA, and SMU.

After spending fifteen-plus years working with the highest-performing athletes, coaches, and teams on the planet, Coach Burk uses his unique football coaching background to teach people how to utilize the same strategies in business and life that elite players and teams use to perform at a world-class level.

Evan received his B.S. in business management from the University of Colorado, and his Master of Liberal Studies degree from Southern Methodist University. He also hosts his own weekly sports leadership podcast, The Highest Level, where he reveals how championship team cultures are built and the keys to leadership excellence at the highest level.

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Tyler Johnson on Developing team trust, the intangibles of self, and obtaining buy-in on a team