Beyond Xs and Os: What I Learned about Friendship and Success from a College Football Legend

Tom Berthel first met Hall of Fame football coach Hayden Fry when, in the mid-1980s, his investment firm, Berthel Fisher & Co., became a corporate sponsor of the University of Iowa Athletic Department. This business partnership not only helped Berthel Fisher establish a winning public image, but it also gave birth to one of the most important and enduring friendships of Tom Berthel’s life. Fry became a mentor and father figure to Berthel, and the wisdom Fry bestowed on him through their mutual friendship taught Berthel invaluable lessons in leadership, motivation, and what it takes to be a winner in business and in life.

These are the lessons that form the core of Beyond Xs and Os. In the book, Tom Berthel recounts the many lessons he learned from Coach Fry—some but not all related to football—and explains how they helped shape his life and business. In each chapter, Berthel outlines a specific lesson he learned from Coach Fry, explains how he integrated these philosophies into his business and personal life, and offers advice to help readers apply them to their own lives and businesses.

Each chapter also features a special “Postgame with Coach Fry” sidebar written by the venerable Coach Fry himself, in which he reflects on the events and lessons depicted in the chapter and offers a deeper perspective on each, enriching the lesson.

Tom Berthel is the CEO, president, and director of Berthel Fisher & Co. Financial Services, Inc., and a pioneer in the independent Broker/Dealer industry founded by Berthel in 1985.

Hayden Fry spent forty-seven years behind the whistle as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University, North Texas State, and, for twenty years, the University of Iowa, where he won three Big Ten championships. Ten of Coach Fry’s former assistants have gone on to become head coaches of 1-A programs, including Bob Stoops, Barry Alvarez, and Bill Snyder. A decorated veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and awarded the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 2005. Hayden lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kirk Ferentz has been the head football coach at the University of Iowa since 1999. A three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Ferentz has led the Hawkeyes to eight bowl games since 2001, including the 2010 Orange Bowl, in which they defeated Georgia Tech 24-14 to earn the school's first BCS bowl win. Iowa finished the 2009 season ranked #7 in the Associated Pres poll with an 11-2 record that tied the school record for victories in a season.