Episode Transcript
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Dr. Hardin (00:09):
ey everybody.
Dr harde here at beyond thegame podcast, thanks for tuning
in.
Today.
I have a very special guest andgood friend of mine, coach raig
roden.
Coach how you doing today, manman, it's great.
Coach Craig Roden (00:21):
Any day
you're on the coast, it's a
great day all right.
How about this weather we'rehaving?
Oh, it's awesome, isn't?
It's good a little fall nip inthe air out there, yeah, uh, you
know, football is in full force.
Yeah, and uh, it's great, it'sgood, it's a good day to be here
, right?
Dr. Hardin (00:37):
yes, yeah, coach,
lives out here on the golf
course.
We're actually at his homeright now, uh, recording this
podcast, and his wife, uh, tookus out back to to let us see
they live on the golf course.
We're actually at his homeright now recording this podcast
, and his wife took us out backto let us see they live on the
10th hole out here, and I'mgoing to tell you, man, we've
got some great weather down here.
It's real nice here.
So anyway, coach, I've got afew questions for you that I
(00:58):
think everybody wants to knowand realize.
You know, like we talked aboutearlier, we've got people who
think you know, well, hall offame basketball coach, my gosh,
you know he probably doesn't doanything else besides coach
basketball, right?
However, like I said, we all goto the same grocery store, you
know?
Coach Craig Roden (01:14):
yes, yeah,
yes, I mean, it's just a normal
life, uh, other than having along career.
I won't say it was a greatcareer, but it was a long career
.
Dr. Hardin (01:25):
Long career.
Yeah, no, I hear you, man.
So to start out, man, let'stalk about your Hall of Fame
journey.
What was the moment yourealized you were on the path to
becoming a Hall of Fame coach,or did you even realize that
that was in your future, and howdid it feel to have that type
of recognition?
Coach Craig Roden (01:43):
To be honest
with you, it never crossed my
mind.
Really it never.
I never crossed it, nevercrossed my mind about being
inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The first time it really hit me, I got a call from where I'm
born and raised, in Alabama,marshall County Hall of Fame,
and they said they were going toput me in the Hall of Fame.
(02:06):
And I was like, wow, did yourun out of people to induct this
year?
But so you know, it's one ofthose things that you never
really think about.
But then you know, then theUniversity of West Alabama,
where I graduated from andcoached, then they called and
put me in their Hall of Fame.
And you know, it's one of thosethings that you don't ever
(02:29):
think about, you don't plan on,and once they do it, then you
really, once you do it, oncethey do it, then it kind of hits
you that wow, I did have a goodcareer.
Dr. Hardin (02:43):
Yeah, man, a long
career.
How long was your career inbasketball?
45 years 45 years.
Coach Craig Roden (02:49):
Wow, all at
the collegiate level, 45 years.
Dr. Hardin (02:52):
That's an honor, man
, you know, even without being a
Hall of Fame coach, my gosh,that's an honorable career.
That's a long, long, goodcareer.
And so what schools were you atpredominantly?
Coach Craig Roden (03:04):
Oh, we could
probably go by saying which ones
were you not at?
Yeah, I've coached at all threelevels.
I've coached in junior college,uh, division two and division
one.
Um, so, uh, I was at.
Uh, I started my career atSnead Junior College in Alabama.
Dr. Hardin (03:29):
Yep.
Coach Craig Roden (03:30):
Right after I
got my grad I did a graduate
assistantship at LivingstonUniversity and then I got that
and four years later they hiredme back.
Dr. Hardin (03:43):
Yeah, yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (03:44):
And so I was
the head coach at what?
24, 25 years old, wow and uh,you know, didn't have a clue,
didn't have a clue of what I wasdoing.
Right, just, this sounds right,this feels right, let's go.
And uh, then, um, and then BradHovias was the athletic
(04:07):
director at Delta State at thattime, mm-hmm.
And Brad took the athleticdirector's job at Texas, el Paso
, yeah.
And I'm sitting at home onenight and he calls and he says I
said oh, congratulations onyour job.
He said well, that's why I'mcalling you.
He said I've got to hire awomen's coach.
(04:28):
Would you be interested incoming out here?
And you know I'm like can Idrive?
And he's like no, you've got tofly, right?
So my first trip on an airplane.
I was 26 or 7 years old and Iwas flying to El Paso to talk to
(04:48):
him about that job.
Well, he hired me and then.
So I worked there a while andthen I went to Connors Junior
College in Oklahoma.
From there, you know, peoplesay well, you took a Division I
job and you gave it up for ajunior college.
Well, you know, you've got tounderstand how long ago this was
.
Dr. Hardin (05:06):
Right.
Coach Craig Roden (05:06):
I mean I was
head coach at Division I
institution making $27,000.
Dr. Hardin (05:14):
Big money right.
Coach Craig Roden (05:16):
And you know,
connors offered me $32,000 and
a house and my wife a twentythousand dollar job there you go
so it was like a no-braineryeah, it was a win-win we hit
the gold mine.
So I went there, uh, and then,um, I went back to sneed junior
(05:39):
college again and coached themen for three years and they cut
the programs not out, but cutthem back.
And I went to Crowder Collegein Missouri for one year and we
actually took a team that hadn'tbeen to the national tournament
(06:00):
in 17 years and we went to thenational tournament and finished
seventh.
Wow, that's incredible.
Then University of West Georgia.
Ed Murphy was the athleticdirector at the University of
West Georgia and he had hired meat West Alabama and I never got
to work for him.
He hired me, art Livingston.
(06:21):
He hired me there and then hewent to Delta State as a
basketball coach and next thing,you know, he hired me back over
there at West Georgia.
I was there 14 years.
I went to West Alabama andcoached there for four years and
then went to Delta State.
Dr. Hardin (06:44):
So the whole total
was 45 years, 45 years of
coaching.
Coach Craig Roden (06:48):
I mean that
that is seriously well, that
says something about your mentalstate too.
Dr. Hardin (06:53):
To stay at 45 years,
all right right, um, but you
know you were a mentor to a lotof people.
You know not just your staff,but to the athletes that you
coached.
So, speaking of mentorship, youknow who were some of your
biggest influences in coachingand how did they shape your
philosophy of the game.
Coach Craig Roden (07:14):
Well, I'd
have to start with a guy named
Harry Douglas.
I was in junior high school atClaysville Junior High in
Alabama and we hadn't really hada coach.
We had a person who was incharge and they hired Harry.
That's when I knew, I saw whathe did to that school and to
(07:41):
that program by instilling alittle pride in it, doing some
things.
And, um, I knew then, seventhand eighth grade that I wanted
to coach.
Yeah, I liked the feeling ofwhat he had done there and so,
um, so harry got me started thatway.
And then, uh, john kitchens, atSnead Junior College.
(08:03):
I was a manager for him.
I wasn't a player by any means,so I was a manager for him and
learned the game from adifferent perspective.
And then I went to LivingstonUniversity and Ken Brackett was
the head coach and I really,really learned a lot from Coach
(08:26):
Brackett about organization andgetting things done.
Sure, and you know, rest hissoul.
He passed away from cancer at38 years old.
Oh my gosh, he's too young.
And then ed murphy, who hired meback at west georgia, don
(08:48):
haskins, when I was the headgirls coach at texas, el paso.
Don haskins, uh, influenced mea lot just getting to watch him
and you know, being on that, uh,being on that floor, same floor
with ed, and um, yeah, you know, um it was, it was, it was
(09:09):
interesting and uh, sure.
So those were really peoplethat uh helped me formulate what
I wanted to do as a coach,wanted to coach, made me want to
coach and then formulate what Iwas gonna do yeah yeah, when I
got there and then then there'ssome uh high school coaches uh
that when I was just startingout, let me pick their brain,
(09:33):
come to practice, ask questions,you know.
Dr. Hardin (09:37):
Yeah, no, I totally
get that.
It's like this morning.
You know, I was in surgery thismorning and, uh, two of my
mentors you know makes a hugedifference whenever somebody's
willing to mentor you, becausethen later on that carries over,
right.
So then I can mentor otherpeople.
And I tell you, this morning Iwas in surgery and Dr Brown and
(09:57):
Dr Karpetskaya, two incrediblesurgeons here in South
Mississippi, and Dr Brown pulledme aside and said, hey man, why
don't you come over and watchthis surgery?
I think you'll find it prettyneat and it had been a surgery I
hadn't seen before, you know.
So it gives me an appreciationof what happened to that patient
(10:17):
, how he's going to help thatpatient and, you know, next
level steps right.
So, like for you, you developedthat vision early on and
carried it over, and 45 years ofcoaching and mentorship I mean
that's pretty incredible and Iwould be amiss if I did not
mention these three high schoolcoaches in alabama.
Coach Craig Roden (10:38):
Uh, coach qk.
Dusty carter from scottsborowas a legend.
He retired, he worked at thegolf course and I could go to
the golf course and just talkbasketball with him.
Sure, he allowed me to do that.
Larry Windsor was atGuntersville High School at that
(10:58):
time, absolutely the mostorganized coach I've ever seen
or been around.
I just gave up, I said I can'tmatch his organizational skills.
And then Terry Mitchell atPlainview was another coach that
you know.
Let me pick his brain andunderstand some things.
(11:21):
And then you go on and you coach, understand some things.
And then you go on and youcoach and there's people who you
coach against.
That helps formulate whatyou're doing, because you know
you get along there.
You're feeling pretty good,I've got this, I've got this.
And then you play some peoplethat chew you up and you go wow,
(11:44):
okay, chew you up.
And you go wow, okay.
And you know that was WayneBird at University of North
Alabama was great.
Lloyd Clark, who was at DeltaState, was really good.
And then you play againstpeople like Randy Gibson who was
at Northeastern Oklahoma when Iwas at Connor State and then
(12:10):
Randy went on to NortheasternState in Tahlequah.
Brian Agler was at NortheasternState in Tahlequah and then he
went on with the Missouri-KansasCity and then he was a I don't
know 10, 12, 15-year coach inthe WNBA.
Wow, and you know you'retalking about.
Dr. Hardin (12:32):
We've seen how that
looks these days right, yeah,
and you're talking about?
Coach Craig Roden (12:36):
You're
talking about Randy and Brian.
I mean, you're talking aboutabsolutely the two best
defensive coaches.
I mean, if you weren't on topof what you were doing, they
just shut it down andembarrassed you.
So you learn to do some thingswith them do some things.
(13:04):
Uh, yeah, yeah, with them.
Right, you know.
But so so not only you know thepeople that that trained you,
the people that you were aroundand then people that you coached
against.
So it's really a three-phase uhthing yeah, yeah.
Dr. Hardin (13:16):
So, needless to say,
your coaching style definitely
evolved, just like anything elsewould over over your 45-year
career?
Coach Craig Roden (13:23):
Yeah, yeah,
absolutely.
You know, it probably took 25of those years to really settle
in on what you were doing.
Sure, and once you got that,then it I don't want to say it
became easier, but it becamemore.
You know, like Coach Haskinswas one of the best visionaries
(13:49):
I've ever been around.
The game was so simple to me.
I remember we were going to play, we were going to Alaska and
play in the women's version ofthe Great Alaskan Shootout and
we drew Old Dominion the firstgame.
Well, that was when OldDominion was Old Dominion.
You know, they were top tenteam in the country and I said,
(14:19):
coach, could you watch some filmwith me and give me some
pointers here?
Because they were like 6'5",6'5" and we were 6'5", 10".
Some film with me and give mesome pointers here, because they
were like six, five, six, fiveand we were six foot, five, ten.
And, uh, he goes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, dothis.
This is how you got to handlethat press.
And then he's like and, andremember that I die.
You know he said you're, you'reone of your post players is
(14:39):
really good outside.
Invert them, make their bigscome outside before you shoot it
.
Sure, and I mean just stufflike that.
I remember when he played LSU,UTEP played LSU in the region at
University of Arizona and theydrew LSU, and that was when they
(15:01):
had Chris Jackson and RickyBlanton and they were really
good, yeah, yeah, and you know,the game was just simple to him.
He just was like here's whatyou do boom, boom, boom, boom.
Dr. Hardin (15:14):
Right.
Coach Craig Roden (15:15):
They execute
that and they go out there and
beat LSU by about 16 or 17.
Dr. Hardin (15:20):
Wow.
You know, See, and most peoplewould go well, where's utep
right?
And then for those of you whodon't know, I'm from texas, so
it's funny whenever I come homefrom mississippi back to texas,
and I pull in the great state oftexas and there's a big old
sign that says el paso 898 milesyeah, yeah, there's one out
(15:41):
there somewhere in it that saystomorrow.
Yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (15:45):
It says
Houston X number El Paso
tomorrow Tomorrow.
Dr. Hardin (15:49):
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, big state, you know.
Coach Craig Roden (15:51):
That's funny.
After I got out there, Irealized that when you were in
El Paso you were closer to SanDiego than you were Dallas.
Dr. Hardin (16:01):
It's crazy, isn't it
?
Yeah, I mean, you're basicallyMexico.
Yeah, you know?
Yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (16:05):
That's right.
Dr. Hardin (16:06):
Yeah, so about your
coaching philosophy, let's talk
a little bit about playerdevelopment.
What do you believe is the mostimportant aspect of developing
these young athletes, both onand off the field?
Coach Craig Roden (16:20):
developing
these young athletes both on and
off the field.
Well, player development, and Ireally feel good about this.
I had a coach that worked withme one time named Rodney Hampton
, and Rodney had played for DonMeyer and we got together and we
recognized that we neededbetter player development and so
(16:44):
we put our heads together andRodney kind of spearheaded it
and we put all that together andit's a three-phase.
Basically it's a three-phaseprocess, one you've got to
improve your skills, it's got tobe, you know, and you know it's
(17:07):
kind of like they say um, youknow, we talk, we talk to our
kids sometimes about you know,it's like it's like your drunk
uncle at the family reunioneverybody sits around and
whispers about him but nobodydoes anything about it.
Right, right.
And you know, you've got torecognize there's a problem.
Dr. Hardin (17:30):
Right right.
Coach Craig Roden (17:31):
You know the
player has.
I mean, as a coach you see whatneeds to be done, but there's a
few players that you know someof them get better.
Dr. Hardin (17:40):
But there's a few
players that you know.
Coach Craig Roden (17:42):
Some of them
get better, some of them turn
the notch and get really, reallygood, and then some of them are
the same player when they leave.
Right, it's like a checkingaccount, it's whatever you put
into it.
Absolutely it's what you cantake out.
Yeah, and so one, we think,think you got to improve your
(18:03):
skills yeah and that's a.
you know, skill development isso hard because it's a 25 to 28
day process to create new musclememory.
And so we go from there.
It's a three-legged stool.
(18:24):
That's what I ask the players.
I tell them all the time it's athree-legged stool.
You ever sit on a two-leggedstool?
Dr. Hardin (18:31):
Not very fun, is it?
Especially if you're the drunkuncle.
Coach Craig Roden (18:35):
Yeah, if
you've ever sat on a one-legged
stool, nope, nope.
You know a lot of balance comesin there, that's right.
So it's a three-legged stool.
It's skills, it's making yourbody physically better right
that's something that really, ascoaches, we don't have as much
control over now, because yougot professionals doing it
(18:58):
strength conditioning coachesyou know you think about coaches
.
You think about all the yearsyou coached and how much you did
before you had a strength coach.
Yeah, outside of just coachingbasketball, which is hard enough
and probably how much we brokethem down instead of you know
(19:19):
just because.
So you've got to have it.
So the strength coaching is thebiggest.
That's the biggest change I'veseen in athletics.
Dr. Hardin (19:31):
Do you think it
helps prevent injury?
Oh yeah, no doubt.
Absolutely and no doubt.
Coach Craig Roden (19:35):
I agree.
Let's put it this way If I'dhave ran into Brandon Harden 40
years ago, we would have had alot less injuries.
Dr. Hardin (19:44):
Well, you know what
I can say.
I honestly agree with you onthat right you have to have.
I had a talk with my brotherabout this the other day.
He tore his ACL and I said youknow, do you think that if you
had a strength conditioningcoach who wasn't your baseball
coach, you would have had thatinjury?
And I said you know, do youthink that if you had a strength
and conditioning coach whowasn't your baseball coach, you
would have had that injury?
And he said absolutely, not.
No, absolutely, you know.
(20:08):
Now we can't think aboutinjuries and go backwards, right
, we can't say, oh well, itwouldn't happen if this is, you
know, but what is the likelihoodof it?
I think the likelihood isdefinitely a lot less.
You know, there are coaches.
And then there are coaches,yeah, you know, just like
physicians.
Physician, we're coaches, we'reteachers.
You know, we, we try and helppeople out all the time.
(20:29):
You understand, hey, look, ifyou do this, this is what's
going to happen.
That's the same thing with you,you know.
Hey, look, if you change thisup a little bit, you can be an
all-star.
Coach Craig Roden (20:37):
You know
story on that.
Yeah, uh, when I was at westWest Georgia we had a trainer
named Seth Lester a really good,really good guy and a good
trainer and I stepped off a curband rolled my ankle, oh yeah,
and so you know, it swelled up.
So he's got a couple oftrainers assigned to me and
(21:01):
they're putting that boot onthat compression boot.
And I asked him one day and Iwon't call by names here, but I
asked him.
I said why does when so-and-soputs it on, it feels magnificent
, and why, when the other personputs it on, it hurts like heck?
Right, and he goes why can someof your players make free
(21:24):
throws and others can't?
Hey, he says it's called talent.
Dr. Hardin (21:27):
There you go.
That's exactly right, man.
Coach Craig Roden (21:33):
No, I get
that.
And then the third phase ofthat is so you've got your skill
development, you've got yourphysical development, and then
you've got to have the mentaldevelopment.
You've got to understand whereall of this is going Sure and
where it takes you and you have.
Dr. Hardin (21:53):
well, when you
coached, we didn't have all this
NIL junk we have today.
But when you coached, you hadfour years to develop that
player.
Yes, junk we have today.
But when you coached you hadfour years to develop that
player.
Yes, you know, now you may haveone year, maybe, maybe, maybe
not even that, before they'relike oh, you know, I'm out of
here and I think that is 100changing the way one athletes
(22:14):
perceive the game, but twocoaches perceive the game.
You know, I, I don't know what.
What is your?
What are your feels about nil?
How do you think that wouldhave been 45 years ago like it
is today?
Coach Craig Roden (22:24):
It wouldn't
have been under the same
guidelines they would have 45years ago.
You had coaches, youradministrators were coaches.
Dr. Hardin (22:34):
Yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (22:35):
And they
would have never let it get to
the point that it is now.
I agree have never let it gotto the point that it is now.
I agree it's um.
Dr. Hardin (22:48):
Basically it's
glorified travel ball.
Coach Craig Roden (22:49):
Now I mean,
let's face it right too but I
mean, I've I've said that all mycoaching career.
You know, yeah, and and don'tget me wrong there's some good
travel ball coaches out there,sure, but I'm gonna say over,
well over 50% are in it fortheir self.
Yeah, they're not in it for thekids, and so you know, they
(23:12):
play here.
They didn't get to play as manytimes they can get a shoot as
many times, so they go over hereand play for this other team.
There's no, it's taken the thatand then the nil has taken the
uh, uh, oh, what's the word youuse?
(23:32):
Uh, when you're committed, it'staken the commitment out of it
sure you know.
Dr. Hardin (23:39):
Yeah, I had, yeah, I
had.
Last week I had a retiredplayer from the San Francisco
49ers and he said some of thesame things you're saying to me
now.
You know NIL has 100% changedthe game, Right.
Coach Craig Roden (23:53):
It has
changed the game.
I didn't have to deal with thatI retired before that but I did
coach through COVID and covidwas a game changer too.
Trying times huh, it was.
That was tough.
It was tough, yeah yeah weshould have.
as coaches, we all wanted toplay, but we actually should
have just shut it down, notplayed, let the kids have a year
(24:18):
to go to school, practice andbe done with it and then started
back over.
But we fought through it.
And then COVID you know all theCOVID regulations, the extra
years of play because of COVID,this and that.
Right, I think it gave the NILits impetus to.
Dr. Hardin (24:43):
Fueled it.
Coach Craig Roden (24:43):
Yeah.
Dr. Hardin (24:44):
Yeah, yeah,
absolutely, which it did a lot
of things right.
So what about your legacy,coach?
What do you hope that yourlegacy is in the world of
basketball?
I know you couldn't believethat you were a Hall of Fame
basketball coach and you're ahumble guy.
What do you want to leave foreverybody here who listens to
this and beyond?
Coach Craig Roden (25:05):
You know I
don't know about a legacy.
I don't think I did anythingthat was legacy worthy.
You know, I always felt like itwas about the kids, sure, and
we wanted to take care of thekids.
I think that's a legacy rightthere man and most of the
(25:27):
players that have played for me,especially the ones that
finished their career.
We still keep in touch and that, to me, is worth more, you know
.
Dr. Hardin (25:42):
Well, that's your.
Is worth more.
Well, that's your legacy.
Right there, absolutely.
Coach Craig Roden (25:45):
If that's a
legacy, sure, they're going to
tell their kids about you, theirgrandkids about you.
We had a great graduation rateat some places.
I remember at West Georgia.
I was there 14 years.
These coaches go up and say,well, all of my kids have
graduated?
No, they haven't.
You know, like I had two kids,I can tell you this.
(26:12):
At West Georgia we had kids thatwere.
We only counted the ones thatstayed the full four years with
us, or two years or whateverthey were.
We only counted the ones thatstayed the full four years with
us, or two years or whateverthey were.
Yeah, we had 38 kids comethrough Mm-hmm.
32 of them graduated Mm-hmm.
(26:34):
And we went one step further 17of those 32 were first-time
college grads in their family.
That's impressive.
That is impressive.
So, and people say, what did youdo?
We didn't do anything.
We just tried to treat themright.
You coached them, make surethat they understood Right, and
(26:55):
you know so.
We had two players that went onoverseas and didn't finish
their degree.
We had I mean so, and it's beenthat way pretty much everywhere
I mean we've had a biggraduation rate.
You know we weren't high onpromoting that because I told
(27:24):
the kids it's what you'resupposed to do, it's what you
come to college for and I wasalways big on you know you don't
pat yourself on the back.
You don't pat people on theback for doing what they're
supposed to do.
It's when they go that extra.
You know that's right milethat's right, that's exactly
(27:48):
right that you're really proudof.
But anyhow, that's, if that's alegacy, that's a legacy, sure it
is.
As far as being a game changer,no, there was no game changing,
because everything we did westole from somebody else over
the years.
Well, because what works worksright.
(28:12):
I've got a notebook.
I've got a notebook that's beenkept for 45 years yeah yeah,
and stuff would be in there.
And you know, later on in mycareer there would be times
where you'd say, okay, this teamis doing this Now.
Years ago we played againstthat and hold on, hold on, I'll
(28:36):
bring it in tomorrow.
We're not going to.
You know, I tell the assistantcoaches we're not going to talk
about it right now.
I know I got it.
So I'd go home and I'd lookthrough it and I'd say, okay,
here's what we're going to do,right, right, yeah, you know
because it worked.
Dr. Hardin (28:49):
I think we'd be
remiss if we didn't think that.
You know the late, great,amazing coach nick saving?
You know he's now a commentator.
Do we think that other peoplehave stolen some of his plays?
Absolutely, man, you do whatworks right.
Yeah, and then you may changeit up a little bit.
Coach Craig Roden (29:07):
Yeah.
Dr. Hardin (29:09):
There's playbooks
for everything.
We know that, you know.
Coach Craig Roden (29:12):
Ain't, no
doubt Ain't no doubt it's you
know, and I always felt, Ialways approached it that you
know and I told I used to tellthe kids this and I've had
coaches disagree with me.
I used to tell the kids, oncewe tip that ball up, as a head
coach I do not make thedifference in maybe two or three
(29:35):
games a year.
Where I make a difference ishaving you prepared going into
that game.
If I've got you prepared, youreally don't even need me on the
sideline.
Sure, because you know whatyou're going to do, you know
what they're going to do.
You can make your ownadjustments.
Now that's influential,absolutely.
(29:56):
Things like that, but I neverreally felt like you know that I
had a lot.
Dr. Hardin (30:04):
That's what practice
is for.
That's what player developmentis for.
That's why you hire assistantcoaches.
It's team effort, right?
Yeah, absolutely no, I lovethat.
So let's talk about life aftercoaching man.
So life beyond the game right,that's what we're here, right?
Current endeavors let's justtalk about that.
What has life looked like foryou since retiring from coaching
(30:25):
, and what new passions have youpursued or are you pursuing?
Coach Craig Roden (30:29):
Well, let's
just start with this.
I came out and really I had noplan.
Yeah, I just retired.
Yeah, I just walked away.
We moved to the coast.
We moved to the coast, I justwalked away, and the first three
(30:52):
or four months it was awesome,Because see the last 20 years,
what people don't realize.
The last 20 years we practicedat 5.30 every morning before
school.
That was a selling point forparents sending their daughters
there.
They weren't going to be outrunning those roads at night.
Dr. Hardin (31:13):
Right, 5.30 comes
early, right, yeah, absolutely.
Coach Craig Roden (31:17):
And so we did
that, and so I don't know, it's
just, it's really odd.
So it felt so good to get upwhen I wanted to, but I'm still.
I still can't if I sleep till6.30, I'm sleeping in Creature
(31:39):
habit, I'm sleeping in.
I felt like boy.
I must have been tired.
I slept till 6.30 this morning,right, so I'm getting better at
that, but that was great.
And then I became bored.
(32:04):
I became bored, um, my body,you know, started felt like it
was falling apart.
Uh, that's when I met you yeah,my knees, my knees.
You know, I can't say enoughthanks to you, because I came to
you thinking I was gonna haveto have knee replacement surgery
.
Yeah, my knees hurt so bad,yeah, and you looked at them and
said well, there's nothingstructurally wrong with it, but
(32:29):
your quads are extremely tight.
Yeah, and people, let me tellyou this, especially you older
people out there if you thinkyou've got some problem that
you're saying with old age, youthink it's because of old age.
Go see Dr Harden, there's yourplug right there.
(32:52):
Because he, you know, oh, man,when you first got on my knees I
was going to, you know, I couldhave screamed out, cursed me in
your head oh, if he hadn't beenon both knees, I could have
kicked him with one leg.
That's how bad they are.
(33:14):
We get in there and we get itdone, don't we?
But they that went away, um,you know.
And so what have I done?
I mean, I've, uh, I'm trying tofind stuff to fill my time.
You know sure I worked for thebluxy shuckers the last two
summers I'm doing that againgives me, just gives me
something to do sure, yeah,absolutely.
(33:35):
I refereed volleyball this year.
Uh, my experience and knowledgeof volleyball was I've been to
a few volleyball matches, sure,there you go and then you can do
it.
That's good so I had some reallygood tutors in that this year.
That's helped.
I plan on doing that again.
(33:56):
And then a good friend of mine,kylie Hill.
I coached against him 18 or 19years when I was at West Georgia
and he was at Valdosta.
He just became the head coachat Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas
and I'm doing some consultingwork.
(34:19):
I don't know if it's consulting, I think he just felt sorry for
me and felt like I was sittingaround here and he gave me a
little bit of stuff to do.
All right, and you know it'sall breaking down film and stuff
sure so it keeps my mind goingsure so I'm really, I'm really
(34:39):
feeling good now.
But uh, the first, after thefirst four or five months, it
was bad, it was bad and then uh.
So now I've got a plan yeah,you have to have a plan, right I
didn't have a coaching, Ididn't have a plan, I just quit,
yeah walked away.
Dr. Hardin (34:56):
Said 5, 30 in the
mornings were enough.
Coach Craig Roden (34:58):
Yes, yes, so
there we go so okay.
Dr. Hardin (35:04):
So what about future
aspirations?
You have any future aspirations, projects, goals.
I know you said you're going towork for the shuckers.
What else have you been doing?
Coach Craig Roden (35:12):
I'm on
referee volleyball again next
year.
Dr. Hardin (35:15):
Yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (35:15):
And you know,
if Coach Hill wants me to
continue, I probably will.
Dr. Hardin (35:26):
He may tell me it's
passed you up, son, that's all
right right.
Coach Craig Roden (35:35):
Yeah, but so
that's my plan and just live a
good life and hope that.
You know, at one time, really,on this retirement thing, I was
sitting there one day, rightbefore I retired and I was
thinking, you know, if a guylives I was 65 then and I was
like you know, if a guy lives tobe 80 and he lives pretty much
(36:02):
he's been lucky.
You know he's 80, he's had verylittle physical ailments or
health issues he's lived a danggood life, absolutely A dang
good life.
You bet.
And then the next thing was wow, you just got 15 years left.
Dr. Hardin (36:24):
Well, you know, it's
realism, right?
We all age.
Coach Craig Roden (36:30):
But that
really put the wheels in motion,
about sure.
Why do you want to do this toyour 70 or 72?
Why not get out and enjoy it?
Yeah, sure you know, my, mywife is great uh she, she is
great.
Dr. Hardin (36:47):
I have to attest to
that.
Yeah, we love her yeah, she'suh.
Coach Craig Roden (36:51):
Well, what
she, what she did all those
years is ran everything well,sure, but she's team mom man,
but she likes that yeah, not,not, not so much a team mom, she
just likes running everythingtype a personality, there you go
yeah and so, uh, but I mean,she took care of the house, she
(37:11):
took care of the house, she tookcare of everything On top of
that.
Her dad lived with us for eightyears, so she was a caregiver,
sure, but I didn't have to worryabout paying bills, I didn't
have to worry about getting aplumber, I didn't have to worry
about any of that stuff, I justcoached.
Yeah, yeah, and it's because ofher yeah, absolutely so.
Dr. Hardin (37:35):
See, and that's
another thing you know about,
about teamwork, it's it starts,it's ground level.
Yeah, it's ground level.
You know, I have to telleverybody, you know, coach
roden's wife, she is anincredible person.
Uh, if you ever want to catchher, she's on the golf course
every single day, y'all.
And if she's not, she's eithersick or she has something better
(37:56):
to do.
And I guarantee you thatsomething better to do has to do
with her family, because I'mtelling you she's the most
active person I know.
But anyway, coach, well, let'sleave everybody with some final
thoughts.
If you could share one messagewith young athletes today, what
would that be If you could share?
Coach Craig Roden (38:13):
one message
with young athletes today.
What would that be?
Pay attention to the peoplethat's been there before you.
Absolutely, I love that Payattention to the people that's
been there before you, Becauseright now, right now we're in a
time where a lot of the 18, 19,20-year-olds they've got all the
(38:37):
answers.
Dr. Hardin (38:38):
Yeah yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (38:40):
You're right,
and they really don't, but they
think they do.
And you know, just payattention, pay attention to your
coaches.
You know one thing I used totell the team every year in the
fall is the new ones.
I'd say you know, there's ahundred ways to play the game.
(39:02):
You can play it fast, you canplay it slow, you can play it
inside, you can play it outside.
Whatever, there's a thousandways to play it.
Yeah, what's the best way toplay it?
Sure, and some of them would gowell, you need to press, or you
need to play it fast, or youneed to do this.
I said, the best way you canplay it is the way your coach
wants it played right now.
Dr. Hardin (39:22):
Yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (39:24):
Be coachable.
If you move to the next leveland it's a completely different
system do it the way the nextcoach wants it, as long as
everybody is doing it, or aslong as everybody's pulling that
wagon down the road, you mayrun in the ditch, but you'll get
(39:45):
it out of the ditch and you'llkeep going.
It's when people are pulling itdown the road.
People are trying to pull it tothe side.
Dr. Hardin (39:52):
Uphill and downhill
right.
Coach Craig Roden (39:54):
You just get
stagnant, that's right and you
can't be.
And if I had anything to tellthe young coaches, I would tell
them take advantage of yourolder coaches, the older coaches
out there.
Right, right, yeah, absolutely.
Go talk to them about how theydid this or how they did that.
(40:16):
Sure, you know, and that wasone thing in COVID, nobody had
ever been through anything likethat.
So there was nobody you couldtalk to, no structure there To
say, hey, what did y'all do whenthat hit 20 years ago, right, I
mean?
I mean, who would have thoughtright?
So I mean it's all about.
(40:36):
You know, I was taught at anearly age to give your older
coaches respect that their yearsin time have earned.
Dr. Hardin (40:49):
Yeah, absolutely,
and.
Coach Craig Roden (40:52):
I'll tell you
, I'll give you a quote, leaving
here.
I'll give you a quote that mydad told me when he found out I
was going to coach, right afterwe talked about Harry Douglas.
You know, I told him.
I said I want to coach, sure.
And he said well, son, it's agood profession.
You know you won't ever getrich, but it's a good, solid
(41:13):
profession.
And you know, on and on, and hegoes.
Let me tell you something.
I said what's that?
He said as long as you treatthose kids like a coon dog,
you'll be okay.
And this is a guy with nocollege education, right, and
(41:37):
coon dog, you know.
You know I'm going where isthis going?
Right, and he goes.
You know you can coach themhard, you can coach them tough.
That's what you should do, you.
You should train them hard.
I mean, that's what you have todo with a coon dog.
You have to train that coon doghard.
But if you ever break theirspirit, they won't ever tree for
(41:58):
you.
That's right, man.
Dr. Hardin (42:00):
That's right, that's
exactly right.
That stuck with me for probably55 years in my head and that
goes with anything and anybodyright.
Yes, it's trust, it's a trust.
Yeah, be coachable.
Trust your surroundings.
(42:20):
Don't get too comfortable right, because if you become
complacent you can't grow Rightand have fun.
It's all about have fun anddrive that passion forward.
Coach Craig Roden (42:32):
I've told
some of our former players, a
couple of our real good formerplayers, that the one thing I
wish I had done when they playedwas smell the roses.
Dr. Hardin (42:48):
Yeah.
Coach Craig Roden (42:49):
And sit back
and enjoy having them there,
because I didn't.
Dr. Hardin (42:53):
Yeah.
And now you realize, Becauseback then you would think this
is work yes.
Coach Craig Roden (42:59):
Yes, yes,
absolutely.
Dr. Hardin (43:01):
Yeah, no, I totally
understand that.
Coach Craig Roden (43:04):
It's like my
oldest son says and both of my
sons have become successful.
Dr. Hardin (43:10):
Yeah, we're going to
have your youngest son here on
the podcast.
Guys, I have to tell you he'sgot a son who's a USA Olympic
athlete.
He's incredible named AndrewRoden.
He's actually brought sumo tothe state of Alabama and I have
to tell you, guys, it's anincredible guy.
I was once on the police force.
He's in the police force.
We have that in common.
(43:30):
When I met Andrew, he signedthis picture and sent it to me
and I thought Sumo and the stateof Alabama Now what in the hell
?
And he's one of the coolestguys I know.
He's working on his PhD rightnow and, coach, I'd say that's
another legacy you leave.
Right, there is your children.
(43:51):
You have such an incrediblefamily man and I know everybody
around you, as humble as you are, sees the great man that you
are and sees what kind of legacyyou leave today.
And I have to say you've done areally fine job for yourself
sir.
Coach Craig Roden (44:08):
Well, both of
them, and our daughter too,
have done well for themselves.
They're gainfully employed,they're good citizens.
I'll say that, yeah, yeah.
But my oldest one, you know,he's general manager of an
excavation firm and you knowwe've had this conversation
(44:32):
because he's got a nine year oldson and I will say well, come
here to big Papa, which is whatthey call me, and let me, let me
say this.
And he goes oh Jesus, dad, Inever got that, I never got that
talk.
I go well, I liked him better.
Right, Right yeah.
Dr. Hardin (44:49):
It's like my dad.
You know it's funny wheneverybody says, oh, he's pulled
one of your brothers aside and Ihave a lot of brothers and they
can attest listening to thisright now my dad would go and
you just see his mouth movingand everybody would go oh,
braden's getting a lecture, herewe go, you're next Watch out.
You know that's funny, yeah,and you know now the grandkids
(45:14):
get it.
So, yeah, it's, it's funny.
But, um, hey, guys, I want to.
I want to thank everybody forlistening and tuning in.
We really appreciate coachcraig rodent here on the show
today.
Um, I want to say, hey, whetheryou're an athlete looking to
stay in peak condition, parentwanting to support your child's
endeavors or, you know, justsomeone who loves the game, I
invite you to join us on thisexciting journey with Beyond the
Game podcast.
Make sure to subscribe, shareand stay tuned for our next
(45:37):
episode, whom we will have?
A very honorable guest, theHonorable Judge Jennifer
Schloegel, who is running forthe Court of Appeals here in the
state of Mississippi.
She's a dear friend of mine.
So let's take this journeybeyond the game together and
remember, as I always leave us,in sports, the journey never
truly ends.
So keep pushing your limits andwe'll see you next time.
(46:00):
Thanks, guys.