#348: Lucky Huber-Univ of South Dakota | 40 Years, Olympic Journeys & Building a Championship Culture

Few coaches in America can tell a story like Lucky Huber — and even fewer can say they’ve spent 40 years at one university, coached an Olympic medalist, transitioned a program from DII to DI, and built a culture anchored in humility, service, and relationships.

In this heartfelt Season 7 conversation, Lucky opens up about his unlikely beginnings, the mentorship that shaped him, the rise of Derek Miles, and the inner workings of leadership that most coaches never get to hear.

🌟 In This Episode:

🏠 Growing up in small-town South Dakota — and how USD became home for four decades

📬 The wild story of how Derek Miles was recruited by Polaroid pictures

🪜 Derek’s rise: from not qualifying for the California state meet to becoming an Olympian

🥇 Coaching at three Olympic Games — and what it’s really like behind the scenes

🧂 How sharing licorice at the Olympics became Lucky’s unofficial “international greeting”

👨‍🏫 The emotional transition from coaching Derek as an athlete to working with him as a colleague

🧠 Leadership lessons: running a 110-athlete DI program, hiring staff, and “coaching the coaches”

💬 The brilliant end-of-season meeting strategy every coaching staff should steal

🏟️ USD’s future: a new indoor facility, major fundraising, and Lucky’s vision for the next generation

❤️ Why Lucky still wakes up each day excited to serve student-athletes

💬 Quote of the Episode

“Track and field isn’t going anywhere. You still line up, shoot the gun, run down a runway, and throw things. It’s the greatest sport ever.” — Lucky Huber

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into nearly 350 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 Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

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📲 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! 🎧👍