Rick Weaver
Defiance High School, Defiance, Ohio – Baseball and Golf
Offical Bio
Hometown: Bryan, Ohio
Education: Otterbein College
Twitter: @rweaver23
Day job: Math teacher at Defiance
Founder of Krato Sports
Wife: Lisa
Children: Tyler (Accounting for Keller Trucking), Mallory (Freshman at Xavier), Brayden (Freshman at Defiance HS)
Grandchild: Penelope
The moment you first realized that you might like to make coaching part of your career.
I originally went to college to become a doctor. After my freshman year, I decided to transfer from Ohio State to Otterbein so I could play baseball. That summer, my high school coach (Tom Held) talked me into helping coach the high school summer team so that I could be at the field every day working out and getting ready for fall when I started at Otterbein. Well, at the end of the summer, I absolutely fell in love with coaching and helping kids that I changed my major. I remember that I was nervous to tell my dad since I was going from being a doctor to a teacher, his response “This is one of the best days of my life. I always wanted my boys to be coaches.” Now both his boys are coaches. My brother Mike is the head coach at Olentangy Berlin baseball.
Outside of mentors, talk about one or more ways you have learned some aspect of coaching.
I like to read leadership books. I am a huge fan of Jamy Bechler and have read several books of his. My favorites include The Leadership Playbook, The Captain, and The Bus Trip. Two other books that I really enjoyed and took a lot from is The Twin Thieves and Win in the Dark. Another great read is Life is Yours to Win by Auggie Garrido.
Tony Wolfe talks about Goals vs. Purpose. Kevin Wilson calls it your “Why”. What is your purpose or “why” for coaching?
This is a great question. I firmly believe that when I was younger, my “Why” was to win games and championships. I was obsessed with it, and I wore my losses on my sleeve. I would come home after losses and be in a terrible mood and make it miserable for my wife. Then we had kids, and my perspective changed, I soon realized that wins and losses really don’t matter.
Today my “Why” is how I can make a difference in their lives. I believe as a coach; you have a tremendous amount of influence on the kids. How can I help them to become a better person, become a great father, become a great husband, and make a positive impact on the world. My “Why” is realized when former players come back to visit during winter workouts, practices, or games. When they share what the program meant to them and how much they miss being a part of it.
Don’t get me wrong, I still want to win but that joy is also felt when I see our former players graduate college, when I get invited to their weddings, when I see them coach their kids youth teams, and when they become great members of the community they live in.
If you could go back to your rookie coach self and give one piece of advice, what would it be?
My piece of advice: Be more positive and not as negative.
As a young coach, I always wanted to point out what players were doing wrong and never let them know what they were doing right. As I got older, I realized how important it is for kids to be told when they are doing a good job. I now make a conscious effort to praise kids 5 times more than I correct them.
What is your favorite memory from a coaching conference or clinic?
It was the ABCA in Indianapolis and we were having a round table discussion in the lobby of the hotel about the mental side of baseball. We had about 25-30 high school coaches from all over the U.S. and we were having a great time. Standing about 20 ft away from us was Ken Ravizza, and he was just casually talking to a friend. One of the guys in our group approached him and told him what we were doing. Ken came over and sat down with us. He ended up leading our discussion for about 2 hours. We had a great time and still talk about it to this day.
Your dream lunch date. One coach. Any sport. Any level. Living or dead. Who is it?
This is an easy one: Jim Tressel.
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