#340: Richard Anderson – Vestavia Hills HS | From Fired Football Coach to National Track/Field Coach of the Year

#340: Richard Anderson – Vestavia Hills HS | From Fired Football Coach to National Track/Field Coach of the Year

🏆 From small-town Alabama to the USTFCCCA Boys National Coach of the Year, Richard Anderson’s journey is anything but ordinary.

In this episode, Coach Anderson shares:

🏃 His unlikely path into track & field after years as a football and baseball coach

🏗️ Starting a program from scratch with no facilities—just painted lines, dug holes, and pure determination

🤝 Building culture at a 265-athlete program where distance runners, throwers, jumpers, and sprinters learn to support each other

🥈 The sting of four straight runner-up finishes—and the joy of finally breaking through to a state championship in 2025

📚 How coaching education and mentorship shaped his evolution from “football coach who did track” to “track coach, period”


💬 “If you don’t have joy in what you’re doing, don’t do it. That’s what I tell my staff, that’s what I tell my kids, and that’s what I remind myself every single season.” – Richard Anderson


🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.


🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.


📲 Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍



Avsnitt(829)

#116: Gill1918 presents Zontavious Johnson "Coaching the Short and Long Hurdles Part 2"

#116: Gill1918 presents Zontavious Johnson "Coaching the Short and Long Hurdles Part 2"

Back in the fall of 2025, Coach Marques Lowe (Gill podcast alum!) and the Vipers Track Club hosted a Central Illinois Pre-Season Coaches Clinic. To increase the value to other coaches, he has allowed ...

19 Feb 25min

#115: Gill1918 presents Zontavious Johnson "Coaching the Short and Long Hurdles Part 1"

#115: Gill1918 presents Zontavious Johnson "Coaching the Short and Long Hurdles Part 1"

Back in the fall of 2025, Coach Marques Lowe (Gill podcast alum!) and the Vipers Track Club hosted a Central Illinois Pre-Season Coaches Clinic. To increase the value to other coaches, he has allowed ...

18 Feb 23min

#114: Gill1918 Presents Coach Evander Wells “How I Use AI as a Coach” Powered by Coach O

#114: Gill1918 Presents Coach Evander Wells “How I Use AI as a Coach” Powered by Coach O

Evander is the Men's and Women's Associate Head T&F Coach at the University of North Florida primarily coaching sprints, jumps, and hurdles, but also juggling all of the other duties of an NCAA coach....

17 Feb 12min

#350: Fireside chat with HoF Coach Randy Huntington Part 1 | World Records, China & the Cost of the Craft

#350: Fireside chat with HoF Coach Randy Huntington Part 1 | World Records, China & the Cost of the Craft

🎉 Episode 350! That number deserves something special — and this conversation absolutely delivers.For this milestone episode, Mike sits down with Randy Huntington, one of the most influential and unc...

16 Feb 2h 11min

#113: Gill1918 presents Mike Erb "How to be a Great Assistant Coach Part 2"

#113: Gill1918 presents Mike Erb "How to be a Great Assistant Coach Part 2"

Back in the fall of 2025, Coach Marques Lowe (Gill podcast alum!) and the Vipers Track Club hosted a Central Illinois Pre-Season Coaches Clinic. To increase the value to other coaches, he has allowed ...

12 Feb 20min

#112: Gill1918 presents Mike Erb "How to be a Great Assistant Coach Part 1"

#112: Gill1918 presents Mike Erb "How to be a Great Assistant Coach Part 1"

Back in the fall of 2025, Coach Marques Lowe (Gill podcast alum!) and the Vipers Track Club hosted a Central Illinois Pre-Season Coaches Clinic. To increase the value to other coaches, he has allowed ...

11 Feb 21min

#111: Gill1918 Presents Coach/Author Dave Emeott “Growing Pains” Powered by Coach O

#111: Gill1918 Presents Coach/Author Dave Emeott “Growing Pains” Powered by Coach O

Dave is the head boys' coach at East Kentwood HS in MI where he has had great success in building a huge program and winning multiple championships. In this episode he shares how to achieve even more ...

10 Feb 9min

#349: Francesca Green-UTEP | From Hustling Neighborhood Races to Leading with Purpose

#349: Francesca Green-UTEP | From Hustling Neighborhood Races to Leading with Purpose

From hustling neighborhood races at age eight to standing on the Olympic Trials runway — and now leading one of the most historic programs in the country — Francesca Green’s journey is one built on be...

9 Feb 2h 19min

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