June 25, 2025 • 38 mins
📍Rut welcomes Penn State AD, Dr. Pat Kraft, for a deep dive into the mindset, mission, and transformation of one of America’s most storied athletic departments. From building a culture of toughness and grit to achieving academic excellence across 31 sports, Kraft reveals the leadership principles driving Penn State’s meteoric rise. If you love college sports, culture, and the power of belief—this one’s for you.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Pat’s Focus After Becoming The Penn State AD
05:03 - The Commitment It Takes To Be An Elite College Athlete
08:15 - How Pat’s Competitive Nature Spreads Across The Department
13:20 - Not Falling Prey To Success
19:49 - What Is Penn State’s Culture?
24:42 - How Penn State’s Legendary Fan Base Fuels Their Motivation
30:57 - Pat’s Goals For Penn State Athletics
34:22 - Rut On The Meaning And Importance of Sports For Kids And Culture
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the crazy world that we have going right now,
the one thing that can always get you motivated is athletics.
We'll stand by as we welcome the number one athletic
director in all of NCAA Division I Sports, doctor Pat
Kraft at Penn State University. This is the David Rutherford Show.
(00:23):
One of the most important things that I think all
people can ever participate in is athletics. We learn so
much about ourselves, about working with teams, about working in
a mission oriented focus, and really pushing ourselves to be
the best version of ourselves. Well in this country right now,
(00:46):
in my opinion, the number one athletic director by far
is doctor Patkraft at Penn State. In this year alone,
he has transformed the storied institution into one of the
most success athletic departments around. And the reason he does
it is because he teaches these young people how to win. So,
(01:08):
ladies and gentlemen, I'm so privileged to welcome one of
my favorite people of all time, doctor Patcraft, to the show. Dota, Hey,
how are you doing that?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I appreciate that, Rod. I was swirming in my seat
a little bit because, as you know it, I don't
have that much to do with what we're what we're
doing right now. But I appreciate that from an alump,
I will say, do you know who was our I
forget who was our guest speaker at our first all
(01:39):
staff meeting this year before we went embarked on one
of the best years in the history of this story program.
Who's that? Do you remember who that was?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I know it looks a little bit like that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, oh that's right, that's right. It did coincide with
you doing that. So I give you as much credit
as anybody else to get enough off on the right foot.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Now, man, I listen, I've been a part of this
institution for a long time in a bunch of different ways,
and the energy that you have brought. I mean, just
looking at this year alone, National championship wrestling, national championship, volleyball,
Final four, football Final four for the first time, men's
(02:20):
hockey Final four, lacrosse, and winning seasons across the thirty
one different sports. But the one that really is highlighted
for me, and this is the thing that I thought
was incredible, is that, you know, for the student athletes
who excelled academically this year, the overall average was a
three point three to two. Right, six hundred and thirty
(02:43):
six students achieving a three point zero or higher. So
you know that type of excellence is indicative of the
culture that you're bringing. Can you describe what when you
got to the university, what was your main focus in
is what's now percolating across all the teams?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
No, yeah, I appreciate you referencing the academic side of
it too, because here that part gets lost in our
world right now with all the revenue talk and or
you know, the house case and paying money, and it
is a big business. I'm not dismissing that. But at
the end of the day, we're our student athletes are
the people who we serve every day. That's why I
(03:25):
serve every day. I happen to have eight hundred and
thirty three. Different schools have different amount of athletes, but
I've eight under thirty three students, and as I tell them,
they're my children. I have my two kids at home,
and then I have eight hundred thirty three kids here.
But I think when I got here three years ago,
if I'm being really honest with you, but I think
(03:45):
there was a siloed approach the way we communicated the
way that we looked at competition and the way we
looked at everything we were attacking as an organization, and
it's just different than the way I approach it. My
philosophy is always just give me your best to the
best you possibly can classroom, socially, competitively, and if you
(04:09):
do that, good things will happen. And then you have
to really surround yourself with really great people. And I
think three years in and we've had we've been very
blessed to have success along the journey. I think this
year kind of was the the acceleration of that, and
I think we still left a lot of meat on
the bone, and I think none of us are satisfied
(04:30):
within these walls. I think we see it as a
lot more for us to accomplish next next season. But
I think it is coming around to everybody feeling that
they're they're holding on to the road and no matter
what you are, or what role you play or what
sport you play, you're important. And our student athletes are
(04:50):
really special young men and women who who get it
and they want they want to be the best, they
want to be elite, and we just got to fuel
that fire.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You know, one of the hardest things. I think for
most kids, you know, they come out of wherever, they're
coming out of any all, and you guys recruit from
all over the country, all over the world. Really, I mean,
it's incredible, and you know, they they show up and
a lot of people don't realize just the arduousness of
being a student athlete at an elite level program. Can
(05:26):
you describe some of the impact or the commitments that
you see from these student athletes, whether it's football or
volleyball or whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah, I think you're I think you're one hundred percent
right now. People don't really understand the commitment that they're
making to being successful. It's why I tell them all
the time they're going to be really successful and they
leave our little world here because they're being trained to
understand the time commitment it takes to being elite. They
(05:59):
understand than we think it's silly, but sleep why that's important.
They understand you know, hey, your diet does impact how
you approach a day. All these things that you know,
we see as adults and we look back, especially if
you're in a competitor like, oh man, why didn't I
listen to that? A little bit more right right now,
(06:20):
and I'm trying to lose weight, might go and it
hurts to run or walk on a treadmill. I think
they see all these things. They're much more in tune
to their body. They're much more in tune to their
surroundings that they're involved in. And I think from academics,
remember now, we're not just telling them to be great
at like one thing. We're laying out a list of things.
(06:44):
That's a lot of pressure. And one of the things
that we try to deal with is, hey, you also
got to be like a studient. You just got to
be you, and that is really hard in this world
now because of so many people can come at you.
And so as much as I talk to him about, hey,
we're going to go win, and we're going to go
(07:05):
one hundred, you know, one hundred percent into everything, there
is also the talk of taking care of yourself, Understanding
your body needs dress, understanding your mind needs dress, Understanding
that the care that you give yourself and your teammates
actually is as valuable as doing the extra lyft, doing
the extra run, doing the extra study. And so it's
(07:26):
a very holistic approach. I've had that it really stems
from my time at you know, Loyola Chicago and and
the Jesuit tradition of mind, body, and spirit, and it
correlates no matter where you are. It's not a religious thing.
It's about can we make the mind right? Can we
make the spirit right? And and your body will follow.
(07:47):
And you know, it's just about being healthy and holistic
in everything you do. And so that's the approach, and
and the pressure is tough, it's it's a lot. And
my job is to try to make that as easy
as humanly possible on the individual, provide everything they need,
(08:09):
and then keep it as simple as I can throughout
their death.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I love that, you know. One of the things that
I think I was just watching a podcast with a
bunch of former Penn State football players and they were saying, listen,
you know, prior to doctor Craft coming in, there was
kind of a different mentality. But when he came in
the way he spoke to us, the way he was
(08:35):
so invigorated about winning, Like one dude was like, man,
I was ready to run through a wall after he
spoke to it. And then we see you on the
mats watching the wrestling team, you know, win year after year,
and you're screaming, or at the volleyball championships when they
came back, you know, down two sets and you're screaming,
(08:56):
or whatever sport it is. You know, I think that
an activity to the administration, to the athletic to program,
you've you've personalized it in such a palpable way that
the kids are feeling that. Do you find that that
and it really helps support your coaching staff as well too,
(09:17):
that that they feel that connection as well.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I would hope. So I think it's one of those
things I've learned. I remember when I became an ad
for the first time at Temple and I sat in
the proverbial chair. It was a chair in my office
that was the ady office. And my dad had just
recently passed and he had run a business and he
his office was in the back of where the shop was.
(09:42):
You know. He was, you know, servant leadership. Right, Let's
let's lead by example. There's nothing too small and nothing,
you know, we're going to do it together. And so
I sat down, I thought about my dad and I said, Okay,
I'm just gonna be who I am because I can't
be anybody different. Now, you know, ten plus years ago
in your that moment, you're still young and raw and
(10:04):
and but I have learned over time, like this is
just who I am. I'm a competitor. I want to win.
I mean I was playing in the parents daughter soccer
game this past week. Yeah, I'm not gonna write Anny
score on me. I'm not gonna let my dog. I'm
just gonna I'm gonna be that guy. And if I
gotta be broken ribs after diving after a ball, I'm
(10:26):
gonna do it. And that's probably not the right thing
to do, but hey, we're in it. You're twelve years old.
We got it. You gotta compete. But like it's just
kind of how I'm wired and and a lot of
people bring up you know, my side, but like I'm
all in, and my wife will tell you that, like
I truly do. I tell my athletes like I love
(10:47):
them and I want them to succeed. But if I'm
not there through good and bad, then who is? Yeah,
So like I have to I hope my coaches. I
know it was hard for our coach. I'm not not
the normal, but like when I come around like the
normal stereotypical ad. But when I come around practice I'm
(11:08):
not coming around just to like, hey, are you doing. No,
I'm coming around just to be around the energy. Being
around the athletes is the one treasure that in the
job that is like it is priceless to me, and
so I don't get to do that. But I think
our coaches now understand, Oh wait, this just isn't you know,
the first week or the first month. It's everything. And
(11:29):
I hope they understand now I'm doing this to help them.
I'm doing everything I can. I feel invested in fencing,
track and field, soccer, gymnastics, football, volleyball, wrestling, I mean, diety.
It doesn't matter because I want to win and I
want to compete, and I think that is resonating. You know.
(11:51):
Now they don't think I'm a total lunatic or like,
but but like for me on the sidelines, when people
bring that up, like how could you not get excited,
Like how could you be a red goooded American and
not jump through the roof when our volleyball team comes
back down ten against the brawn Like I'm just so
proud of them, Like I see them so differently than
(12:15):
most people see our alleys. Yeah, and to see them succeed,
You're like, I get emotional doing that, and the same
when we lose, you want to hold them and you know,
so I'm glad. I I wanted to be something organic
and real and it is just what it is.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Well, I think that's the that's the genuine thing to
always do. But it's so difficult because of the pressure,
the stressors, right, I mean you showed up at that
institution and you know the facilities there were the worst
facilities in in the Big ten, right, the stadium hadn't
been redone. You know, my one of my favorite things
(12:57):
that you've done is the upgrades to Jeff Field. I
mean where I played back in the day. And you know,
we've got one of the greatest female soccer programs in
the entire country, one of the best coaches. I just
saw recently one of our our grad recent graduates scored
our first winning goal in the in the female professional league.
(13:18):
And it's like, and now, all of a sudden, you
know this with you know the momentum is it? Are
you finding it more uh less complicated to fix all
of those kind of hardcore administrative problems to bring the
money in to bring all this I saw a recent
(13:41):
article that you know, they said, you know, you were
going to go work with private funding and all this stuff,
and you're like, hey, no, we we are. We are
the funding Penn State, the alumni. So can you talk
a little bit about, you know, now that you have
the momentum supporting the athletes, supporting the programs with all
these new renovations in additions, Yeah, I think I hope
(14:08):
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(15:14):
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Speaker 2 (15:34):
Thank you. You know, women's soccer is a great example.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
We have.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Our soccer programs are tradition, historic soccer programs. We didn't
have a bathroom, they didn't have a real locker room,
gorgeous grass, but there literally was like my first summer,
I put two double wide trailers in there, and you
would have thought we had built them. The taj Mahal
they were just happy to have a place of going
at rains. You know, I'm sitting there against you know,
(16:00):
we're number we're top five in North Carolina. I think
was one or two first game of the year a
couple of years ago, and it's downpouring. We had nowhere
to go. So I look at it as like, no,
I'm just doing what I should be doing. You deserve
better than that. That's not what you deserve, a better experience.
And so we've done a lot of projects to focus
on what I told you food recovery. For soccer, it
(16:23):
was make their life easier, locker room, weight room, buyer facility,
you know, a better environment for our fans. But they
deserve that. I would love to say it's gotten easier.
It's not easier, but that's a product of who I am.
I probably I think you have to continue to push
(16:46):
yourself and push the people in the organization to not
get complacent, to not take your foot off the gas.
I think that's true easy for people to do. You
got to get uncomfortable. I'm not saying, you know, we're
over working people, but you have to keep the mindset that, yeah,
we had a great year this year, but as I
(17:07):
told the athletes, this summer is gonna be the most
important summer in the history of Penn State because we
can do things that no one's ever done in college sports.
So I, yeah, I'm so happy and so proud of
what we accomplished, but we should be able to do
that again and again and again. And so I a
little sadistic, I guess in my mind, but like I keep,
(17:28):
I keep the We got to keep the energy going
because if you don't, and if I back off, it
gives everyone the opportunity to back off. And I just
am not wired that way. Like I have. You know,
I have to be able to continue to be creative
and find new ways. And yeah, you put certain things
to bed, but it just creates a whole other thing.
(17:50):
They're like, okay, well we got to get one percent better?
How can we get one percent better? You know, Erica
with Eric and I had a great conversation this offseing,
our women's soccer coach said Okay, how do we like
the ball can go one way or the other, but
how do we get ourselves just a little better? And
I need she's the best coach, but we all need that.
They challenge me I challenge that, and so yeah, it's well,
(18:14):
look at we have a historic wrestling program. You know that.
Kel's I think the greatest coach in the history of coaches,
not college anything. What he does and what our athletes
do there is truly remarkable, and they're incredible human beings.
But I do think sometimes people take them for granted,
(18:36):
for them to reprocess and take that winning and how
hard it is to do what they do and to
watch it, because there's two weeks where I really am
embedded with them. We go big tends d NCAA's and
for me to watch what they do at that moment
and do it so graciously, so incredibly successful, and you're like, well,
(19:00):
you don't ever want to get to place like, man, yeah,
we're gonna win the nasals. No, every year were like, okay,
how do we get better? How could you get back? Well,
we could get better, we can keep getting better. And
so that's just kind of the way I'm built and
I think the way we're built here, and I'm blessed
because and right, you know a lot of our coaches
you had guy on, I have great coaches who think
(19:24):
the same way. Yes, And so when you can give
them the ability to even push further. Then they'll then
they'll do it, and and so we just keep you know,
it's not easier, it's not. It's no, it's and that's
it's fun. Well that that.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Well, that's that's where you are statistic. Right, It is
like the pain of winning. And I think, you know,
Kale and his program are the perfect examples of that, right,
I mean, to win four national champions in the row
and to become the greatest wrestling program in his And
I agree with you wholeheartedly. He is the best coach
(20:03):
to ever have coached. And I trust me, I'm not,
you know, old enough or young enough not to you know,
put John Wooden in there for sure, or some of
the other great you know legends Bear Bryan or whoever.
But what I'll never forget I when I a couple
of years ago, the last time Penn State went to
the Final four, I was working with the captains that year,
(20:24):
and the first thing I did at the beginning of
the year, I said, go talk to the captains of
the wrestling team and ask them what their culture is about,
ask them what they do, how do they cultivate it,
how do they embody it? What do they do every day?
And so can you explain kind of your philosophy of
culture to be at Penn State, not only as a
(20:47):
as a as a coach, as a supporter of coaching
or the administration, and then also as as an athlete?
What is if you could define the culture being a
Penn State athlete, what is it?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Well, I'm glad you bring up culture because I think culture.
I'm a firm believer. Culture is what drives everything. Uh,
if i'd sum it up, you know, grittiness, toughness, like
we have to out tough everybody in this world, this
new world with the house case and everything. Tougher teams
will win. And I talked. We talked about hockey team.
(21:23):
Tougher team on the ice this year. They didn't flinch.
You can't flinch. Volleyball don't flinch. They didn't flinch in
so many instances where they could have bowed down. That's toughness.
Toughness is I tell them all the time, that's not
getting a bar fight. That's actually a sign of weakness.
Toughness is going to class, doing the extra work, being
(21:43):
a good teammate. So I when I look at who
we are and going all the way back to when
you were here, and everybody like there is a level
of grittiness and toughness to what me do. And yeah,
we're not going to be flamboyant and we're not gonna
be that's not and there's nothing wrong with that. But
(22:04):
here it is right. It's the simple uniforms. If you
look at our new facilities, they're very big. I mean
they get the needs that we what we have to have,
but they're not you know, Holli braand pictures and no,
it's it's a place to go, get work, go get rehab,
go get it done, and and come together as a group.
So I think that culture is what is driving us
(22:27):
to succeed. And then it's this, let's not back down.
We are Penn State, So have a chip on your
shoulder and go take it. Don't It is never going
to be given to I don't care who you are,
but if you don't go and take it, then you're
never going to get it. And so we're trying to
get everybody to say, I don't care if you're a fencer,
(22:50):
a swimmer, a football player, go get that thing that
you want. Go one hundred and ten to that and
if we're all do that, coaches, equipment, staff it, boy,
you become really difficult to beat. And but we all
need to be going in the same direction, everybody. And
(23:13):
and so I think I really believe culturally we are
we are closer to that than I think probably most
people really realize to who we are as as this
thing is building and and that toughness is hard when
you're this big. That toughness piece is really hard to
(23:34):
get ingrain. But you've seen, you saw so many examples
this year. Yes, football at SC, you know, wrestling in
the third round where everyone thought the sky was fun,
We're still up thirty points and we lost a couple
of matches, and then the next morning we go fourteen
and one and set it all up right. Well, that's
(23:57):
that's Penn State. Katie are volleyball coach, battles freaking cancer
and is the first female to win a national championship
as a head coach. Like, that's what it takes. So
being all in, being together and doing it with heart
and passion and toughness, it's hard to beat us.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I agree, And I think that grittiness is and you
and I've talked about this, that that grittiness is the
essential thing within sport itself, right, It's it's it's doing
the thousands and thousands of reps, it's doing what you're
not what you're doing, and off, it's taking care of
each other on the team. Like that's the essence of
that grit and thing. But there is also this other
(24:43):
phenomenon that I believe exists in a happy valley, and
that is the fans. You know, can you talk about
what it's like going from Boston College or or Temple
and coming into Penn State and participating in your first
white out, or going you know to the Frozen four this
(25:03):
year in Altoona, or being in and and one of
you know, the the you know, one of the Arenas,
whatever it is on whatever field. What's that embody to you?
And how does that that that force of our our
fan dedication drive you?
Speaker 2 (25:19):
It fuels your fire, It fuels you number one. You
You take great pride in being able to deliver you want.
Like we're in the memories business, so I need to
like to be able to give memories to whether it's
the students or families, the lums and supporters. Is a
(25:41):
treasure gift that we have in this business and it's
not lost on me. It's not lost on me to
have this role. That is something that is is so
important to so many and I respect that and I
don't want to mess that up. That's the pressure that
I put on myself. But at the same time, it's
so powerful. It's like, you know, when I recruit coaches
(26:05):
or I recruit staff or even athletes. I try to
put it into words what it means to either represent
us be a part of this, and it's never I
can never do it in a way that shows it
in real life. I mean, my first game, I get
off the bus of Purdue for football, It's my first
(26:26):
year and there's seventeen one hundred to two thousand people
waiting for us for the opener at Purdue. I'm like,
you would think another game. Nothing here is another game,
and whether it's you hit it like a lacrosse gymnastics,
it doesn't matter. The fandom and the support is it's
(26:51):
it's inspirational, it's motivating, it helps motivate us. It separates
us in every category and it's not normal. And I
mean that in a really special way. And so if
we don't have that, we don't do the things we can't.
We can't do what we are doing. The fans are
(27:14):
such a critical aspect to the whole. Lord, you know,
we have ninety four thousand season ticket holders. That number
is insane, that's crazy. It's insane that like in football
that like it's insane. People announced sixty and they're probably
we got to buy thirty plus. You know, you can't
get a ticket to wrestling and our hockey cells out
like and so the impact lacrosse, the impact and the
(27:38):
passion of our fans is so powerful. What I do
think I've learned in three years years, we all as
Fence State nation need to stand up and stick our
chest out and say yeah, we're penns Day and not
just talk to each other, but talk to everybody and say, no,
we are elite, we are the best, We are the
(27:58):
best base in the country. We are the strongest institution
in the country. We are the best athletic department. That's
okay to see that, that's our cocky, that's just confident
and as we say, that's juice and it's the Jews
and we as at we Penn State. I think we can.
I think we're helping to fuel that fire in athletics.
(28:19):
But right you know, it's it's it's it's a powerful,
powerful thing. Our eight hundred thousand alumni and no matter
where you go in the world, you're hearing a we
Are chant. And everybody can say they're powerful, They're not
as powerful as us.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
No, No, I love that coach. I mean that just
makes me it. It's overwhelming one to see all over
the country. And I travel the country every year. You know,
I'm giving one hundred, one hundred and twenty speeches a year.
You know, last year, thirty different states. Everywhere I go,
I see I see that panther head on someone's chest,
(28:59):
you know, and I'm screening out the window. I forget
where I was, you know, some state, and I see
this woman and she's got it on. I go, we
are you know. She looks at me and she's like
Penn State, you know. And it's it's that energy, man,
It's that thing that comes with the grit and the dirt. Termination.
So you know, last question for you. Let you go,
(29:25):
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check them out Firecracker dot Farm. You know, what are
you hoping to accomplish this coming year? Like, what are
what are some personal milestones that you're hoping to achieve?
And then what would you like to see as an
institution both athletically and then as the as the athletic
(31:11):
department itself and its growth.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Well, I think you just hit it, and I think
you have to continue to grow. You can't settle. Uh,
you know we have a huge beaver stadium projects or
you know that that is it takes time. And then
obviously the chaos of what our world is in college
athletics right, so stabilizing it and we're in a good
spot once again being a Penn state. You know, we
(31:35):
have that the ability to do what we need to
do to be successful because of the support we have,
because of the infrastructure we've built and the support from
Neely Gown, our president, to all of us. So that's
extremely helpful. I think from look at I believe if
we if we all do our jobs in the summer
(31:56):
and get ourselves ready. We can absolutely match and surpass
our national title mark this year. I think our teams,
believe it or not, are positioned better than we were
last year. But with that, we've got to be able
to do the work to get there. So I think
continuing to progress competitively and and build off of what
(32:20):
we do, That's what I'm kind of looking for. A
lot of my work right now is to make sure
we don't miss a beat over the summer, take our
eye off the ball. But I'm really I don't want
to wish summer away, but I'm really excited to get
our fall off and running because we are very well
positioned competitively. Obviously, you see you mentioned what we do academically,
(32:44):
but as a unit and as an organization, I'm very
excited about. We haven't even scratched a surface, right, Like,
we haven't even gotten to what we can do. I
think we can be a transcendent department to where people
are like what is going on in Happy Valley. I
believe that in No Maart, So I think make sure
(33:06):
we'll just be another phase of that.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Well, Doc, I just wanna just you know, I have
so much gratitude for you being at the school, but
for being a friend, but more importantly for the impact
and what you're doing for those young student athletes, because
there's no place like Penn State. It's transformative and you
are a huge piece of that. So I wish you
(33:30):
all the bless God bless you, good luck and if
there's anything I can ever do to help you or
that institution.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Don't ever have a man. You know, I'd be remiss
if I didn't tell you how much your support has
helped mean through this these three years. You know, you
know how much I love you, and what you said
to our teams and all jokes aside set us up
to rethink how we attack every day to be great
(34:00):
and so you know, and your texts and notes mean
a lot, brother, but I appreciate it. I'm so happy
for you too. Man. Now that you get too good
time that you don't come back, that's the problem.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Ah, dude, you're gonna have to pull me out of
that place, and God bless you. Yep, thank you, thank
you for joining us in our interview with doctor Pat
Kraft from Penn State as the athletic director for what
(34:31):
most consider was the most significant athletic program of the
Year in NCAA Division One Sports. What I hope you
got and what you pulled away from this man was
not only his passion and his dedication to those athletes
and his coaching staff, but more important, his idea behind
(34:51):
what enables young people and coaches to grow, which is
that sense of grit and determination and the building of
great culture to be all in. And that's an important
part that I think we need to really begin to
emphasize in our society at a higher level. I've been
(35:12):
in sports since organized sports since I was four years old,
and and I learned more about who I was and
who I potentially could become through athletics. And I think
with the you know, with the advancement in technology, what's
ultimately happening is is, you know, our kids are moving
(35:34):
a more a way towards that competition or the desire
to compete in athletics, you know. And then I also
think that there's a negative component of the travel UH
leagues in what they've done overwhelming kids and overwhelming parents
quite frankly, and coaches. I mean, there's a lot of
(35:54):
people I know that have wanted to be into coaching
or gotten into coaching in travel and then and up
quitting because of the madness of the parents, the intensity
of the leagues, and just you know this all of
the negative aspects that seem to be uh, you know,
fusing their way or or infecting the beauty of what
sport can be. And what I want to emphasize is
(36:16):
that if if you're struggling, if your children are struggling,
if your high school or your college is struggling, lean in,
like doctor Craft said, lean in and support them. Volunteer
to go coach your high school football team. I've been
working with my like you know, the high school I
(36:36):
went to, my kids go to this, I've been working
with their athletic department and specifically their football for years now,
and and and the reward that I get for having
some small influence on these people is overwhelming. And it
also contributes. Obviously. You know, many schools around the country
don't have the financial opportunities as Penn State does. But
(36:59):
what they do have is they do have the ability
to influence your children or to influence you if you're
out there competing yourself still in that capacity. So what
I just ask of you is contribute, get involved. If
you're going to be a coach, be a guest coach
for one season a year, or just show up for
one practice a week. And if you're a player, listen
(37:22):
to what he was saying. Contribute to the advancement of
the culture. Really get in and understand the long term
positive impacts of what sport will do for you.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
You know, we're a country that seems to be pulling
apart at the seams a little bit, and the one
thing that always kind of keeps us together is our
fascination and our desire to want to be a part
of athletics. It's the thing that really exemplifies what's best
in each of us and what's best in us as
a society. So don't be afraid to volunteer. Thank you
(37:57):
so much for joining me. If you love this show,
please like, add a comment, give us a five star
rating Radio of rating. But more importantly, share it with
somebody that you knows in the athletic world. Share it
with a young person that's thinking about involving in sports
(38:17):
or leaving sports. But share it around so we can
inspire other people to feel the benefits of what athletics
can do. Thank you so much. I'm your host on
The David Rutherford Show,
In the crazy world that we have going right now,
the one thing that can always get you motivated is athletics.
We'll stand by as we welcome the number one athletic
director in all of NCAA Division I Sports, doctor Pat
Kraft at Penn State University. This is the David Rutherford Show.
(00:23):
One of the most important things that I think all
people can ever participate in is athletics. We learn so
much about ourselves, about working with teams, about working in
a mission oriented focus, and really pushing ourselves to be
the best version of ourselves. Well in this country right now,
(00:46):
in my opinion, the number one athletic director by far
is doctor Patkraft at Penn State. In this year alone,
he has transformed the storied institution into one of the
most success athletic departments around. And the reason he does
it is because he teaches these young people how to win. So,
(01:08):
ladies and gentlemen, I'm so privileged to welcome one of
my favorite people of all time, doctor Patcraft, to the show. Dota, Hey,
how are you doing that?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I appreciate that, Rod. I was swirming in my seat
a little bit because, as you know it, I don't
have that much to do with what we're what we're
doing right now. But I appreciate that from an alump,
I will say, do you know who was our I
forget who was our guest speaker at our first all
(01:39):
staff meeting this year before we went embarked on one
of the best years in the history of this story program.
Who's that? Do you remember who that was?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I know it looks a little bit like that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, oh that's right, that's right. It did coincide with
you doing that. So I give you as much credit
as anybody else to get enough off on the right foot.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Now, man, I listen, I've been a part of this
institution for a long time in a bunch of different ways,
and the energy that you have brought. I mean, just
looking at this year alone, National championship wrestling, national championship, volleyball,
Final four, football Final four for the first time, men's
(02:20):
hockey Final four, lacrosse, and winning seasons across the thirty
one different sports. But the one that really is highlighted
for me, and this is the thing that I thought
was incredible, is that, you know, for the student athletes
who excelled academically this year, the overall average was a
three point three to two. Right, six hundred and thirty
(02:43):
six students achieving a three point zero or higher. So
you know that type of excellence is indicative of the
culture that you're bringing. Can you describe what when you
got to the university, what was your main focus in
is what's now percolating across all the teams?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
No, yeah, I appreciate you referencing the academic side of
it too, because here that part gets lost in our
world right now with all the revenue talk and or
you know, the house case and paying money, and it
is a big business. I'm not dismissing that. But at
the end of the day, we're our student athletes are
the people who we serve every day. That's why I
(03:25):
serve every day. I happen to have eight hundred and
thirty three. Different schools have different amount of athletes, but
I've eight under thirty three students, and as I tell them,
they're my children. I have my two kids at home,
and then I have eight hundred thirty three kids here.
But I think when I got here three years ago,
if I'm being really honest with you, but I think
(03:45):
there was a siloed approach the way we communicated the
way that we looked at competition and the way we
looked at everything we were attacking as an organization, and
it's just different than the way I approach it. My
philosophy is always just give me your best to the
best you possibly can classroom, socially, competitively, and if you
(04:09):
do that, good things will happen. And then you have
to really surround yourself with really great people. And I
think three years in and we've had we've been very
blessed to have success along the journey. I think this
year kind of was the the acceleration of that, and
I think we still left a lot of meat on
the bone, and I think none of us are satisfied
(04:30):
within these walls. I think we see it as a
lot more for us to accomplish next next season. But
I think it is coming around to everybody feeling that
they're they're holding on to the road and no matter
what you are, or what role you play or what
sport you play, you're important. And our student athletes are
(04:50):
really special young men and women who who get it
and they want they want to be the best, they
want to be elite, and we just got to fuel
that fire.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You know, one of the hardest things. I think for
most kids, you know, they come out of wherever, they're
coming out of any all, and you guys recruit from
all over the country, all over the world. Really, I mean,
it's incredible, and you know, they they show up and
a lot of people don't realize just the arduousness of
being a student athlete at an elite level program. Can
(05:26):
you describe some of the impact or the commitments that
you see from these student athletes, whether it's football or
volleyball or whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah, I think you're I think you're one hundred percent
right now. People don't really understand the commitment that they're
making to being successful. It's why I tell them all
the time they're going to be really successful and they
leave our little world here because they're being trained to
understand the time commitment it takes to being elite. They
(05:59):
understand than we think it's silly, but sleep why that's important.
They understand you know, hey, your diet does impact how
you approach a day. All these things that you know,
we see as adults and we look back, especially if
you're in a competitor like, oh man, why didn't I
listen to that? A little bit more right right now,
(06:20):
and I'm trying to lose weight, might go and it
hurts to run or walk on a treadmill. I think
they see all these things. They're much more in tune
to their body. They're much more in tune to their
surroundings that they're involved in. And I think from academics,
remember now, we're not just telling them to be great
at like one thing. We're laying out a list of things.
(06:44):
That's a lot of pressure. And one of the things
that we try to deal with is, hey, you also
got to be like a studient. You just got to
be you, and that is really hard in this world
now because of so many people can come at you.
And so as much as I talk to him about, hey,
we're going to go win, and we're going to go
(07:05):
one hundred, you know, one hundred percent into everything, there
is also the talk of taking care of yourself, Understanding
your body needs dress, understanding your mind needs dress, Understanding
that the care that you give yourself and your teammates
actually is as valuable as doing the extra lyft, doing
the extra run, doing the extra study. And so it's
(07:26):
a very holistic approach. I've had that it really stems
from my time at you know, Loyola Chicago and and
the Jesuit tradition of mind, body, and spirit, and it
correlates no matter where you are. It's not a religious thing.
It's about can we make the mind right? Can we
make the spirit right? And and your body will follow.
(07:47):
And you know, it's just about being healthy and holistic
in everything you do. And so that's the approach, and
and the pressure is tough, it's it's a lot. And
my job is to try to make that as easy
as humanly possible on the individual, provide everything they need,
(08:09):
and then keep it as simple as I can throughout
their death.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I love that, you know. One of the things that
I think I was just watching a podcast with a
bunch of former Penn State football players and they were saying, listen,
you know, prior to doctor Craft coming in, there was
kind of a different mentality. But when he came in
the way he spoke to us, the way he was
(08:35):
so invigorated about winning, Like one dude was like, man,
I was ready to run through a wall after he
spoke to it. And then we see you on the
mats watching the wrestling team, you know, win year after year,
and you're screaming, or at the volleyball championships when they
came back, you know, down two sets and you're screaming,
(08:56):
or whatever sport it is. You know, I think that
an activity to the administration, to the athletic to program,
you've you've personalized it in such a palpable way that
the kids are feeling that. Do you find that that
and it really helps support your coaching staff as well too,
(09:17):
that that they feel that connection as well.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I would hope. So I think it's one of those
things I've learned. I remember when I became an ad
for the first time at Temple and I sat in
the proverbial chair. It was a chair in my office
that was the ady office. And my dad had just
recently passed and he had run a business and he
his office was in the back of where the shop was.
(09:42):
You know. He was, you know, servant leadership. Right, Let's
let's lead by example. There's nothing too small and nothing,
you know, we're going to do it together. And so
I sat down, I thought about my dad and I said, Okay,
I'm just gonna be who I am because I can't
be anybody different. Now, you know, ten plus years ago
in your that moment, you're still young and raw and
(10:04):
and but I have learned over time, like this is
just who I am. I'm a competitor. I want to win.
I mean I was playing in the parents daughter soccer
game this past week. Yeah, I'm not gonna write Anny
score on me. I'm not gonna let my dog. I'm
just gonna I'm gonna be that guy. And if I
gotta be broken ribs after diving after a ball, I'm
(10:26):
gonna do it. And that's probably not the right thing
to do, but hey, we're in it. You're twelve years old.
We got it. You gotta compete. But like it's just
kind of how I'm wired and and a lot of
people bring up you know, my side, but like I'm
all in, and my wife will tell you that, like
I truly do. I tell my athletes like I love
(10:47):
them and I want them to succeed. But if I'm
not there through good and bad, then who is? Yeah,
So like I have to I hope my coaches. I
know it was hard for our coach. I'm not not
the normal, but like when I come around like the
normal stereotypical ad. But when I come around practice I'm
(11:08):
not coming around just to like, hey, are you doing. No,
I'm coming around just to be around the energy. Being
around the athletes is the one treasure that in the
job that is like it is priceless to me, and
so I don't get to do that. But I think
our coaches now understand, Oh wait, this just isn't you know,
the first week or the first month. It's everything. And
(11:29):
I hope they understand now I'm doing this to help them.
I'm doing everything I can. I feel invested in fencing,
track and field, soccer, gymnastics, football, volleyball, wrestling, I mean, diety.
It doesn't matter because I want to win and I
want to compete, and I think that is resonating. You know.
(11:51):
Now they don't think I'm a total lunatic or like,
but but like for me on the sidelines, when people
bring that up, like how could you not get excited,
Like how could you be a red goooded American and
not jump through the roof when our volleyball team comes
back down ten against the brawn Like I'm just so
proud of them, Like I see them so differently than
(12:15):
most people see our alleys. Yeah, and to see them succeed,
You're like, I get emotional doing that, and the same
when we lose, you want to hold them and you know,
so I'm glad. I I wanted to be something organic
and real and it is just what it is.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Well, I think that's the that's the genuine thing to
always do. But it's so difficult because of the pressure,
the stressors, right, I mean you showed up at that
institution and you know the facilities there were the worst
facilities in in the Big ten, right, the stadium hadn't
been redone. You know, my one of my favorite things
(12:57):
that you've done is the upgrades to Jeff Field. I
mean where I played back in the day. And you know,
we've got one of the greatest female soccer programs in
the entire country, one of the best coaches. I just
saw recently one of our our grad recent graduates scored
our first winning goal in the in the female professional league.
(13:18):
And it's like, and now, all of a sudden, you
know this with you know the momentum is it? Are
you finding it more uh less complicated to fix all
of those kind of hardcore administrative problems to bring the
money in to bring all this I saw a recent
(13:41):
article that you know, they said, you know, you were
going to go work with private funding and all this stuff,
and you're like, hey, no, we we are. We are
the funding Penn State, the alumni. So can you talk
a little bit about, you know, now that you have
the momentum supporting the athletes, supporting the programs with all
these new renovations in additions, Yeah, I think I hope
(14:08):
you've been enjoying this incredible interview with doctor Pat Kraft
at PENNS from Penn State Athletic Department. What I want
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(14:29):
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(14:52):
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(15:14):
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Speaker 2 (15:34):
Thank you. You know, women's soccer is a great example.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
We have.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Our soccer programs are tradition, historic soccer programs. We didn't
have a bathroom, they didn't have a real locker room,
gorgeous grass, but there literally was like my first summer,
I put two double wide trailers in there, and you
would have thought we had built them. The taj Mahal
they were just happy to have a place of going
at rains. You know, I'm sitting there against you know,
(16:00):
we're number we're top five in North Carolina. I think
was one or two first game of the year a
couple of years ago, and it's downpouring. We had nowhere
to go. So I look at it as like, no,
I'm just doing what I should be doing. You deserve
better than that. That's not what you deserve, a better experience.
And so we've done a lot of projects to focus
on what I told you food recovery. For soccer, it
(16:23):
was make their life easier, locker room, weight room, buyer facility,
you know, a better environment for our fans. But they
deserve that. I would love to say it's gotten easier.
It's not easier, but that's a product of who I am.
I probably I think you have to continue to push
(16:46):
yourself and push the people in the organization to not
get complacent, to not take your foot off the gas.
I think that's true easy for people to do. You
got to get uncomfortable. I'm not saying, you know, we're
over working people, but you have to keep the mindset that, yeah,
we had a great year this year, but as I
(17:07):
told the athletes, this summer is gonna be the most
important summer in the history of Penn State because we
can do things that no one's ever done in college sports.
So I, yeah, I'm so happy and so proud of
what we accomplished, but we should be able to do
that again and again and again. And so I a
little sadistic, I guess in my mind, but like I keep,
(17:28):
I keep the We got to keep the energy going
because if you don't, and if I back off, it
gives everyone the opportunity to back off. And I just
am not wired that way. Like I have. You know,
I have to be able to continue to be creative
and find new ways. And yeah, you put certain things
to bed, but it just creates a whole other thing.
(17:50):
They're like, okay, well we got to get one percent better?
How can we get one percent better? You know, Erica
with Eric and I had a great conversation this offseing,
our women's soccer coach said Okay, how do we like
the ball can go one way or the other, but
how do we get ourselves just a little better? And
I need she's the best coach, but we all need that.
They challenge me I challenge that, and so yeah, it's well,
(18:14):
look at we have a historic wrestling program. You know that.
Kel's I think the greatest coach in the history of coaches,
not college anything. What he does and what our athletes
do there is truly remarkable, and they're incredible human beings.
But I do think sometimes people take them for granted,
(18:36):
for them to reprocess and take that winning and how
hard it is to do what they do and to
watch it, because there's two weeks where I really am
embedded with them. We go big tends d NCAA's and
for me to watch what they do at that moment
and do it so graciously, so incredibly successful, and you're like, well,
(19:00):
you don't ever want to get to place like, man, yeah,
we're gonna win the nasals. No, every year were like, okay,
how do we get better? How could you get back? Well,
we could get better, we can keep getting better. And
so that's just kind of the way I'm built and
I think the way we're built here, and I'm blessed
because and right, you know a lot of our coaches
you had guy on, I have great coaches who think
(19:24):
the same way. Yes, And so when you can give
them the ability to even push further. Then they'll then
they'll do it, and and so we just keep you know,
it's not easier, it's not. It's no, it's and that's
it's fun. Well that that.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Well, that's that's where you are statistic. Right, It is
like the pain of winning. And I think, you know,
Kale and his program are the perfect examples of that, right,
I mean, to win four national champions in the row
and to become the greatest wrestling program in his And
I agree with you wholeheartedly. He is the best coach
(20:03):
to ever have coached. And I trust me, I'm not,
you know, old enough or young enough not to you know,
put John Wooden in there for sure, or some of
the other great you know legends Bear Bryan or whoever.
But what I'll never forget I when I a couple
of years ago, the last time Penn State went to
the Final four, I was working with the captains that year,
(20:24):
and the first thing I did at the beginning of
the year, I said, go talk to the captains of
the wrestling team and ask them what their culture is about,
ask them what they do, how do they cultivate it,
how do they embody it? What do they do every day?
And so can you explain kind of your philosophy of
culture to be at Penn State, not only as a
(20:47):
as a as a coach, as a supporter of coaching
or the administration, and then also as as an athlete?
What is if you could define the culture being a
Penn State athlete, what is it?
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Well, I'm glad you bring up culture because I think culture.
I'm a firm believer. Culture is what drives everything. Uh,
if i'd sum it up, you know, grittiness, toughness, like
we have to out tough everybody in this world, this
new world with the house case and everything. Tougher teams
will win. And I talked. We talked about hockey team.
(21:23):
Tougher team on the ice this year. They didn't flinch.
You can't flinch. Volleyball don't flinch. They didn't flinch in
so many instances where they could have bowed down. That's toughness.
Toughness is I tell them all the time, that's not
getting a bar fight. That's actually a sign of weakness.
Toughness is going to class, doing the extra work, being
(21:43):
a good teammate. So I when I look at who
we are and going all the way back to when
you were here, and everybody like there is a level
of grittiness and toughness to what me do. And yeah,
we're not going to be flamboyant and we're not gonna
be that's not and there's nothing wrong with that. But
(22:04):
here it is right. It's the simple uniforms. If you
look at our new facilities, they're very big. I mean
they get the needs that we what we have to have,
but they're not you know, Holli braand pictures and no,
it's it's a place to go, get work, go get rehab,
go get it done, and and come together as a group.
So I think that culture is what is driving us
(22:27):
to succeed. And then it's this, let's not back down.
We are Penn State, So have a chip on your
shoulder and go take it. Don't It is never going
to be given to I don't care who you are,
but if you don't go and take it, then you're
never going to get it. And so we're trying to
get everybody to say, I don't care if you're a fencer,
(22:50):
a swimmer, a football player, go get that thing that
you want. Go one hundred and ten to that and
if we're all do that, coaches, equipment, staff it, boy,
you become really difficult to beat. And but we all
need to be going in the same direction, everybody. And
(23:13):
and so I think I really believe culturally we are
we are closer to that than I think probably most
people really realize to who we are as as this
thing is building and and that toughness is hard when
you're this big. That toughness piece is really hard to
(23:34):
get ingrain. But you've seen, you saw so many examples
this year. Yes, football at SC, you know, wrestling in
the third round where everyone thought the sky was fun,
We're still up thirty points and we lost a couple
of matches, and then the next morning we go fourteen
and one and set it all up right. Well, that's
(23:57):
that's Penn State. Katie are volleyball coach, battles freaking cancer
and is the first female to win a national championship
as a head coach. Like, that's what it takes. So
being all in, being together and doing it with heart
and passion and toughness, it's hard to beat us.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I agree, And I think that grittiness is and you
and I've talked about this, that that grittiness is the
essential thing within sport itself, right, It's it's it's doing
the thousands and thousands of reps, it's doing what you're
not what you're doing, and off, it's taking care of
each other on the team. Like that's the essence of
that grit and thing. But there is also this other
(24:43):
phenomenon that I believe exists in a happy valley, and
that is the fans. You know, can you talk about
what it's like going from Boston College or or Temple
and coming into Penn State and participating in your first
white out, or going you know to the Frozen four this
(25:03):
year in Altoona, or being in and and one of
you know, the the you know, one of the Arenas,
whatever it is on whatever field. What's that embody to you?
And how does that that that force of our our
fan dedication drive you?
Speaker 2 (25:19):
It fuels your fire, It fuels you number one. You
You take great pride in being able to deliver you want.
Like we're in the memories business, so I need to
like to be able to give memories to whether it's
the students or families, the lums and supporters. Is a
(25:41):
treasure gift that we have in this business and it's
not lost on me. It's not lost on me to
have this role. That is something that is is so
important to so many and I respect that and I
don't want to mess that up. That's the pressure that
I put on myself. But at the same time, it's
so powerful. It's like, you know, when I recruit coaches
(26:05):
or I recruit staff or even athletes. I try to
put it into words what it means to either represent
us be a part of this, and it's never I
can never do it in a way that shows it
in real life. I mean, my first game, I get
off the bus of Purdue for football, It's my first
(26:26):
year and there's seventeen one hundred to two thousand people
waiting for us for the opener at Purdue. I'm like,
you would think another game. Nothing here is another game,
and whether it's you hit it like a lacrosse gymnastics,
it doesn't matter. The fandom and the support is it's
(26:51):
it's inspirational, it's motivating, it helps motivate us. It separates
us in every category and it's not normal. And I
mean that in a really special way. And so if
we don't have that, we don't do the things we can't.
We can't do what we are doing. The fans are
(27:14):
such a critical aspect to the whole. Lord, you know,
we have ninety four thousand season ticket holders. That number
is insane, that's crazy. It's insane that like in football
that like it's insane. People announced sixty and they're probably
we got to buy thirty plus. You know, you can't
get a ticket to wrestling and our hockey cells out
like and so the impact lacrosse, the impact and the
(27:38):
passion of our fans is so powerful. What I do
think I've learned in three years years, we all as
Fence State nation need to stand up and stick our
chest out and say yeah, we're penns Day and not
just talk to each other, but talk to everybody and say, no,
we are elite, we are the best, We are the
(27:58):
best base in the country. We are the strongest institution
in the country. We are the best athletic department. That's
okay to see that, that's our cocky, that's just confident
and as we say, that's juice and it's the Jews
and we as at we Penn State. I think we can.
I think we're helping to fuel that fire in athletics.
(28:19):
But right you know, it's it's it's it's a powerful,
powerful thing. Our eight hundred thousand alumni and no matter
where you go in the world, you're hearing a we
Are chant. And everybody can say they're powerful, They're not
as powerful as us.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
No, No, I love that coach. I mean that just
makes me it. It's overwhelming one to see all over
the country. And I travel the country every year. You know,
I'm giving one hundred, one hundred and twenty speeches a year.
You know, last year, thirty different states. Everywhere I go,
I see I see that panther head on someone's chest,
(28:59):
you know, and I'm screening out the window. I forget
where I was, you know, some state, and I see
this woman and she's got it on. I go, we
are you know. She looks at me and she's like
Penn State, you know. And it's it's that energy, man,
It's that thing that comes with the grit and the dirt. Termination.
So you know, last question for you. Let you go,
(29:25):
Thank you for joining. I apologize for the interruption, but
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only in your salt, but also in a discount. So
check them out Firecracker dot Farm. You know, what are
you hoping to accomplish this coming year? Like, what are
what are some personal milestones that you're hoping to achieve?
And then what would you like to see as an
institution both athletically and then as the as the athletic
(31:11):
department itself and its growth.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
Well, I think you just hit it, and I think
you have to continue to grow. You can't settle. Uh,
you know we have a huge beaver stadium projects or
you know that that is it takes time. And then
obviously the chaos of what our world is in college
athletics right, so stabilizing it and we're in a good
spot once again being a Penn state. You know, we
(31:35):
have that the ability to do what we need to
do to be successful because of the support we have,
because of the infrastructure we've built and the support from
Neely Gown, our president, to all of us. So that's
extremely helpful. I think from look at I believe if
we if we all do our jobs in the summer
(31:56):
and get ourselves ready. We can absolutely match and surpass
our national title mark this year. I think our teams,
believe it or not, are positioned better than we were
last year. But with that, we've got to be able
to do the work to get there. So I think
continuing to progress competitively and and build off of what
(32:20):
we do, That's what I'm kind of looking for. A
lot of my work right now is to make sure
we don't miss a beat over the summer, take our
eye off the ball. But I'm really I don't want
to wish summer away, but I'm really excited to get
our fall off and running because we are very well
positioned competitively. Obviously, you see you mentioned what we do academically,
(32:44):
but as a unit and as an organization, I'm very
excited about. We haven't even scratched a surface, right, Like,
we haven't even gotten to what we can do. I
think we can be a transcendent department to where people
are like what is going on in Happy Valley. I
believe that in No Maart, So I think make sure
(33:06):
we'll just be another phase of that.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Well, Doc, I just wanna just you know, I have
so much gratitude for you being at the school, but
for being a friend, but more importantly for the impact
and what you're doing for those young student athletes, because
there's no place like Penn State. It's transformative and you
are a huge piece of that. So I wish you
(33:30):
all the bless God bless you, good luck and if
there's anything I can ever do to help you or
that institution.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Don't ever have a man. You know, I'd be remiss
if I didn't tell you how much your support has
helped mean through this these three years. You know, you
know how much I love you, and what you said
to our teams and all jokes aside set us up
to rethink how we attack every day to be great
(34:00):
and so you know, and your texts and notes mean
a lot, brother, but I appreciate it. I'm so happy
for you too. Man. Now that you get too good
time that you don't come back, that's the problem.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Ah, dude, you're gonna have to pull me out of
that place, and God bless you. Yep, thank you, thank
you for joining us in our interview with doctor Pat
Kraft from Penn State as the athletic director for what
(34:31):
most consider was the most significant athletic program of the
Year in NCAA Division One Sports. What I hope you
got and what you pulled away from this man was
not only his passion and his dedication to those athletes
and his coaching staff, but more important, his idea behind
(34:51):
what enables young people and coaches to grow, which is
that sense of grit and determination and the building of
great culture to be all in. And that's an important
part that I think we need to really begin to
emphasize in our society at a higher level. I've been
(35:12):
in sports since organized sports since I was four years old,
and and I learned more about who I was and
who I potentially could become through athletics. And I think
with the you know, with the advancement in technology, what's
ultimately happening is is, you know, our kids are moving
(35:34):
a more a way towards that competition or the desire
to compete in athletics, you know. And then I also
think that there's a negative component of the travel UH
leagues in what they've done overwhelming kids and overwhelming parents
quite frankly, and coaches. I mean, there's a lot of
(35:54):
people I know that have wanted to be into coaching
or gotten into coaching in travel and then and up
quitting because of the madness of the parents, the intensity
of the leagues, and just you know this all of
the negative aspects that seem to be uh, you know,
fusing their way or or infecting the beauty of what
sport can be. And what I want to emphasize is
(36:16):
that if if you're struggling, if your children are struggling,
if your high school or your college is struggling, lean in,
like doctor Craft said, lean in and support them. Volunteer
to go coach your high school football team. I've been
working with my like you know, the high school I
(36:36):
went to, my kids go to this, I've been working
with their athletic department and specifically their football for years now,
and and and the reward that I get for having
some small influence on these people is overwhelming. And it
also contributes. Obviously. You know, many schools around the country
don't have the financial opportunities as Penn State does. But
(36:59):
what they do have is they do have the ability
to influence your children or to influence you if you're
out there competing yourself still in that capacity. So what
I just ask of you is contribute, get involved. If
you're going to be a coach, be a guest coach
for one season a year, or just show up for
one practice a week. And if you're a player, listen
(37:22):
to what he was saying. Contribute to the advancement of
the culture. Really get in and understand the long term
positive impacts of what sport will do for you.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
You know, we're a country that seems to be pulling
apart at the seams a little bit, and the one
thing that always kind of keeps us together is our
fascination and our desire to want to be a part
of athletics. It's the thing that really exemplifies what's best
in each of us and what's best in us as
a society. So don't be afraid to volunteer. Thank you
(37:57):
so much for joining me. If you love this show,
please like, add a comment, give us a five star
rating Radio of rating. But more importantly, share it with
somebody that you knows in the athletic world. Share it
with a young person that's thinking about involving in sports
(38:17):
or leaving sports. But share it around so we can
inspire other people to feel the benefits of what athletics
can do. Thank you so much. I'm your host on
The David Rutherford Show,
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