Ep. 203: ‘Undefeated’ with Coach Bill Courtney

Bill Courtney is an American football coach, entrepreneur,
author, and the subject of the academy award winning 2011
documentary “Undefeated,” which tells the story of Courtney
leading a high school football team in an economically depressed
area of Memphis, Tenn. to the playoffs.



Courtney is the host of the An Army of Normal Folks podcast, in
which he shares stories of “ordinary people doing extraordinary
things in and around their communities.” His book “Against the
Grain: A Coach's Wisdom on Character, Faith, Family, and Love”
was released in 2014.



In this episode, we discuss coaching, the surprise success of
“Undefeated,” and how talking across lines of difference can heal
a polarized America.


 


Chapters:


0:00 Introduction


2:25 Courtney’s background


5:41 The influence of coaches


16:50 How Courtney ended up at Manassas High School


18:50 Coaching in difficult environments


24:30 Bridging divides


30:12 Forgiveness and grace


35:57 Daryl Davis


42:45 The “death spiral” of division and polarization


53:15 What happened to Manassas after Courtney left?


54:00 How did the filmmakers find Manassas?


59:21 Was the documentary good for the school and the kids?


Show Transcript