Embarrassing Mistakes, Patrick Murphy, and How to Muster Courage
/This was originally posted in June 2021
Good things happen when you sit at the front of the class. I'm living proof of that.
When I was a kid growing up, adults and teachers would tout sitting in the front of the class as the holy grail of all serious learners. And it stood to reason that if you sit in the front of the class, you must pay close attention - as there is no one to hide behind and less opportunity to distract yourself without the teacher taking notice. And though I accepted this as truth, I didn't always like to sit in the front of the class. It's not always comfortable to make direct eye contact with the teacher or be "called on" more often, so I always thought the middle of the room was safer. But nonetheless, I knew that teachers wanted their best pupils to sit in the front of the class, and because I cared about being a great student, I embraced the uncomfortable and leaned in.
This was a lesson that served me well, and a few great things happened because of my commitment to the front row: I took a liking to "harder" content areas that I only tolerated before, I developed many positive relationships with my teachers because I participated more frequently, and I paid close attention in all of my classes which helped my grades to soar. But the greatest gift was yet to come from this new habit, and it happened because of my passion to be an elite teacher for you, my Practice Pro students.
Let me set the scene...
As I embarked on my new career as a full-time pitching instructor, I knew that if I was to become elite for you -my students- I would need to learn from the most skilled teachers in the game. I quickly learned that the greatest coaching minds of our sport gathered each year in one location: the NFCA National Convention. Everyone you've ever read about or seen on TV is there to take notes from their greatest inspirations and most respected opponents. These softball "greats" share their most coveted secrets of the game, and I knew that if I wanted to become a great teacher, this was the place to learn how to do it.
It was December of 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. I was tagging along with my big cousin Erica, Head Coach of DePauw University Softball, and her coaching friends from colleges across the country (who I now consider my friends as well). They provided safe insulation from the overwhelming number of coaches that surrounded me at every turn. Would you believe there were over 1500 people in some of these presentations?
As wonderful as my cousin and her friends were to be around, I didn't want to go to every session that they were attending; I wanted to hone in on what was being taught about pitching skills specifically. While they were at one of the "other" skills sessions, I found a great spot in the lobby to reorganize the notes I'd taken from an earlier pitching presentation. After I finished my notes, I looked at my watch and saw that one of the main presentations was about to take place, delivered by the current NFCA President at the time. I thought, “I better go to this one.”
There was still about 15 minutes before it was slated to begin, so I hoped I could sneak in a little early, claim a good seat, and wave down my friends as they shuffled in from the previous presentation. As I walked into the massive convention center, I looked around to scope out a good table. To my dismay, there were more people filtering in than I'd hoped. And though I knew I'd be more "comfortable" somewhere in the middle, I gathered my courage, and forced myself to walk past the hundreds of people already seated to find a "better" seat at the front of the room. It is where I'd always learned the most, but more importantly, my Practice Pro students deserved a "front row" teacher.
So, I did just that.
I made my way to the front of the room, close to the stage and the microphone where the President would be addressing his 1500 person audience. And then a stroke of good luck occurred. I was rewarded for my bravery. I saw my Hall of Fame, Ithaca University coach, Deb Pallozi, seated with some other former Ithaca players. Bullseye. I had some familiar faces to join.
When I approached the table, I waved hi, made small talk for a couple minutes, and then turned around to prepare for the upcoming presentation. As I took out my notebook, a middle aged gentleman plopped down in the chair next to me, holding a truckful of papers in his hands. He seemed rushed but focused, and it felt eerily familiar to one of my favorite mentors: my Uncle John (who had taught me everything I knew about pitching when I was growing up). My new neighbor turned my direction and asked if I wouldn't mind holding his papers for a minute, and I said "sure" obligingly. He took a few minutes to organize himself completely before settling in. After passing back my neighbor’s stack of papers, I reclaimed my notebook to ready myself for the speaker who was sure to begin soon. However, I quickly realized that I'd left my pen in the lobby. I thought nothing of asking this gentleman beside me to borrow a pen. He kindly replied, "of course," dug in his bookbag, and handed me a pen. And that is when we struck up a conversation that I won’t soon forget. It began with this kind stranger asking me about my life, my story, and my reason for being there that weekend. I excitedly explained all about Practice Pro, as it was fresh ears to listen to what I was most passionate about. After a couple minutes of talking, I returned the favor and asked about his story. I was fascinated. It turned out that he too grew up in the Midwest - not Illinois, but Iowa - and played baseball before getting into coaching.
Now... I must admit in looking back, I only half-consciously noticed that my Ithaca peeps were glaring at us. I thought, "Am I talking too loud? No one is at the microphone yet. Oh well." I turned back to the kind gentleman who had lent me the pen and finally asked, "So where do you coach?" He said calmly, evenly, and with no ego, "Alabama." My response, "Wow. That's important."
As I flatly proclaimed my expression of awe, a woman started talking at the podium, welcoming us all to the convention. She proceeded almost immediately into her introduction of the NFCA President who would be addressing the 1500+ coaches in the room. And as she announced his name, Patrick Murphy, the Alabama coaching legend stood up next to me and approached the podium to humbly deliver his address.
That moment will go down in history as one of the most amazing moments of my convention history.
My cousin and her friends were flabbergasted as I recounted the story later, in disbelief that I'd talked to THE Patrick Murphy and hadn't even realized it at the time.
If you are anything like the “2015 me,” you might need a bit of a refresher on just how important Patrick Murphy has been for growing the game of softball, especially in the ESPN TV era.
Murphy has been a part of Alabama softball since its inception, first as an assistant coach, and then as the Head Coach, beginning in 1999.
He has guided Alabama to its first NCAA Division I National Championship, 21 consecutive NCAA tournaments, and appearances in 12 Women’s College World Series.
Since the Super Regional round was introduced to the NCAA Tournament in 2005, Alabama is the only team in the country to appear in all 15 series, winning 10 of them.
Alabama’s coaching staff has been named the NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year 11 times, including national staff of the year honors in 2012 (following the team’s national title).
Murphy has compiled a winning record in all 21 seasons and has a career mark of 1,083-303 (.781). Murphy’s ability to build and maintain this impressive level of consistency places him among the nation’s elite.
I will admit, though I was a touch embarrassed for not knowing that I was talking to one of the most relevant coaching legends of our time, I was also quite proud of myself. I'd created that moment by being brave. You see, good things do happen when you sit at the front of the class. And I can assure you, I'm going to keep choosing the front row. I hope you'll join me. Who knows what we might learn or who we might meet next!
If you want to read one of the most recent articles written about Patrick Murphy and his 7 most impactful lessons in softball, check out this article below. It all comes full circle, as he gives high praise to my college softball coach, Deb Pallozzi, in lesson #6.
