--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a Division III kid whose dad wasn't…" description: "\"I was a Division III kid whose dad wasn't a coach.\" — Tom Herman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/tom-herman-9281_coach_i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn_1892364.jpg" --- # I was a Division III kid whose dad wasn't a coach. ![“I was a Division III kid whose dad wasn't a coach.” quote by Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/tom-herman-9281_coach_i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn_1892364.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/tom-herman-9281_coach_i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn_1892364.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/tom-herman-9281_coach_i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn_1892364.jpg) > “I was a Division III kid whose dad wasn't a coach.” [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He notes his unconventional path without family coaching support. **In simple terms:** Success can come from non‑traditional backgrounds. Key Takeaway Embrace unique journeys. Themes perseverance non‑traditional paths family dynamics Mood reflective inspirational Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - college athletics - personal growth Key Concepts career development sports leadership Questions to Reflect On - How did you compensate for missing guidance? - What resources helped you succeed? A Different Perspective Lack of coaching can be a hurdle without self‑motivation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coach/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) ## Related quotes > [George Karl's son probably wouldn't have made it to the NBA if he wasn't a coach. He would have never got the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jackson/george-karl-s-son-probably-wouldn-t-have-made-it-to-the-nba-if-he/) [Stephen Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jackson/) > [In high school, baseball was life. My senior year, I had the highest batting average on the team. I was one of the starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ramos/in-high-school-baseball-was-life-my-senior-year-i-had-the-highest/) [Anthony Ramos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ramos/) > [The NBA? Never in my wildest dreams when I was playing in Division III basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-vogel/the-nba-never-in-my-wildest-dreams-when-i-was-playing-in-division-iii/) [Frank Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-vogel/) > [I had a coach when I was getting recruited say maybe you should play basketball at a Division III level, because you're not good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-thielen/i-had-a-coach-when-i-was-getting-recruited-say-maybe-you-should-play/) [Adam Thielen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-thielen/) > [I wasn't the brightest kid in school. I was a backbencher troubling the frontbencher, and eventually I failed in my 10th grade. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-khera/i-wasn-t-the-brightest-kid-in-school-i-was-a-backbencher-troubling/) [Shiv Khera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-khera/) > [Once you coach football in Texas, you fall in love with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/once-you-coach-football-in-texas-you-fall-in-love-with-it/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [When I was on the swim team as a kid, I used to hide out from my coach by going into the bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-kinney/when-i-was-on-the-swim-team-as-a-kid-i-used-to-hide-out-from-my-coach/) [Jeff Kinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-kinney/) > [My dad was my swim coach growing up, and I tried to get kicked out of practice every day. I was a little devil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lochte/my-dad-was-my-swim-coach-growing-up-and-i-tried-to-get-kicked-out-of/) [Ryan Lochte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lochte/) > [The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-scriptures-record-remarkable-accounts-of-men-whose-lives-changed/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can't ensure, who may stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/waking-up-every-day-and-loving-someone-who-may-or-may-not-love-us/) [Brene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [The last four years have not diluted the memory or weakened the resolve of our citizens. Four years later, our hearts still hurt for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doolittle/the-last-four-years-have-not-diluted-the-memory-or-weakened-the/) [John Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doolittle/) > [It turns out that the God whose word will stand forever does not exist to insure our fantasies that we will not have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/it-turns-out-that-the-god-whose-word-will-stand-forever-does-not/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) ## More by Tom Herman > [Players will get you above average. To get to the elite, you need culture and leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/players-will-get-you-above-average-to-get-to-the-elite-you-need/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [For me, nobody's re-inventing football. We just have to do it better than everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/for-me-nobody-s-re-inventing-football-we-just-have-to-do-it-better/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [My wife and I made a pact a long time ago we really don't give gifts on holidays. We figure if it's coming from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/my-wife-and-i-made-a-pact-a-long-time-ago-we-really-don-t-give-gifts/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [Once you coach football in Texas, you fall in love with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/once-you-coach-football-in-texas-you-fall-in-love-with-it/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [You need explosive plays to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/you-need-explosive-plays-to-win/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [One of the neatest things I saw with the team at Ohio State - and we preach about it all the time as coaches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/one-of-the-neatest-things-i-saw-with-the-team-at-ohio-state-and-we/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [Twitter gives you a forum to let loose a little bit and have fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/twitter-gives-you-a-forum-to-let-loose-a-little-bit-and-have-fun/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [I delete the Twitter app during the season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-delete-the-twitter-app-during-the-season/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [Losing has to be awful. You can never get used to losing. That's one of the biggest downfalls to a lot of teams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/losing-has-to-be-awful-you-can-never-get-used-to-losing-that-s-one-of/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [The price of championships will never change. It's been set long before me. It will be the same long after me. That price is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/the-price-of-championships-will-never-change-it-s-been-set-long/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [I think first and foremost, you've got to be able to run the football to be successful in college football. Some teams have thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-think-first-and-foremost-you-ve-got-to-be-able-to-run-the-football/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [I was a highlight coordinator. My job was to go in and watch games, watch and type. Basically every time the camera frame changed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-was-a-highlight-coordinator-my-job-was-to-go-in-and-watch-games/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [Bankers don't get to do this. For all the hours, the late nights, lack of sleep and hours of pulling your hair out from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/bankers-don-t-get-to-do-this-for-all-the-hours-the-late-nights-lack/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [I've never met a successful person in any walk of life - from Michael Dell to Peyton Manning to Barack Obama - that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-ve-never-met-a-successful-person-in-any-walk-of-life-from-michael/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [Phenomenal people in Ames and throughout the state of Iowa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/phenomenal-people-in-ames-and-throughout-the-state-of-iowa/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) [Explore all 74 Tom Herman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) ## More Coach quotes > [You get a new coach; you do things a little differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/you-get-a-new-coach-you-do-things-a-little-differently/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [My coach, Robert Allen, helped me a lot. He had more influence on my growth as a player than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamarcus-aldridge/my-coach-robert-allen-helped-me-a-lot-he-had-more-influence-on-my/) [LaMarcus Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamarcus-aldridge/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Every coach in the league does an unbelievable job, and they're prepared and think you're going to outcoach people, or you think that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d-antoni/every-coach-in-the-league-does-an-unbelievable-job-and-they-re/) [Mike D'Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d-antoni/) > [Everything I have experienced and learned in football led me towards one day becoming a coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/everything-i-have-experienced-and-learned-in-football-led-me-towards/) [Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/) > [Often, organizations don't know how good they have it with a player or coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-gundy/often-organizations-don-t-know-how-good-they-have-it-with-a-player-or/) [Jeff Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-gundy/) > [I was just putting way too much pressure on myself. I was just trying to get that validation from my dad. It got so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/i-was-just-putting-way-too-much-pressure-on-myself-i-was-just-trying/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [A lot of the kids gave a lot of positive feedback about if I ever became a coach, they would love to play in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/a-lot-of-the-kids-gave-a-lot-of-positive-feedback-about-if-i-ever/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [I think it's very important to have contact with the players that I will coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerardo-martino/i-think-it-s-very-important-to-have-contact-with-the-players-that-i/) [Gerardo Martino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerardo-martino/) > [Of course, it's always fun when you're winning and you have a great coach, great organization, great trainers, great strength staff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-gurley/of-course-it-s-always-fun-when-you-re-winning-and-you-have-a-great/) [Todd Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-gurley/) > [No one likes a change of coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-azpilicueta/no-one-likes-a-change-of-coach/) [Cesar Azpilicueta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-azpilicueta/) > [As far as being a coach, it's always fascinated me. It's a greater responsibility than most people give it credit for because you're dealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-prefontaine/as-far-as-being-a-coach-it-s-always-fascinated-me-it-s-a-greater/) [Steve Prefontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-prefontaine/) > [Mourinho is a great coach. He has told me he believes in me, both in person but also publicly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/memphis-depay/mourinho-is-a-great-coach-he-has-told-me-he-believes-in-me-both-in/) [Memphis Depay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/memphis-depay/) > [I've grown up playing for some incredible coaches, and I don't think anybody's ever been as fortunate as I have in terms of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brown/i-ve-grown-up-playing-for-some-incredible-coaches-and-i-don-t-think/) [Larry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brown/) [Browse all 2,963 Coach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a Division III kid whose dad wasn't a coach.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Herman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn-t-a-coach/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn-t-a-coach/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/tom-herman-9281_coach_i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn_1892364.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/tom-herman-9281_coach_i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn_1892364.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/tom-herman-9281_coach_i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn_1892364.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was a Division III kid whose dad wasn't a coach.” — Tom Herman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Herman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was a Division III kid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn-t-a-coach/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-was-a-division-iii-kid-whose-dad-wasn-t-a-coach/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```