40 Years with a Whistle: Life Lessons from the Field of Play

40 Years with a Whistle—40 years of coaching tips woven into a touching memoir of a coach's life

Dan John has been performing as an athlete for six decades. His coaches—the mentors he describes in this book—steered him on the narrow path toward success in both sports and life. These coaches emphasized performance, yes...but they all also insisted on the balance of health, fitness and longevity.

From Dan's introduction to 40 Years with a Whistle:

I’ve learned a lot over those decades and would like to share these lessons with you. I didn’t want a book filled with “Xs” and “Os” or sets and reps. I wanted to share the lessons that apply to life and living.

I begin with what are clearly my 10 best lessons of coaching. Each of these works well for the teacher, student, parent and neighbor too. Following the advice of the 10th lesson, I explore the stories of the people who shaped my career and the gems of advice they shared with me. I finish with my vision of coaching—basically looking at training from the big picture and the toolkit to allow one to succeed.

The lessons are simple. The application is difficult. The rewards are worth everything.

The lessons learned on the fields and in the gyms will lead to a successful life. Hop on board.

“As I read through this book, over and over I found myself mentally saying, 'Yup' and 'Absolutely.' If you’re a coach, an athletic administrator or the parent of a school-age athlete, you need to read this book. I know my coaching staff will be reading it.” ~ Chris Long, Athletic Director, Juan Diego Catholic High School