Inspiration
Tory Lovullo’s new friend, Kenny Dillingham (ASU head football coach) spoke to the Diamondbacks in spring training. Beyond being authentic and special, two comments stood out.
“And what I saw is there is a lot of commonality between what he is doing there and what we are doing here. So that just reinforces some of the beliefs that we have that we are doing things right.” — Torey Lovullo
“There is a ton of recall. I think he pays attention and listens and learns. It stays with him. I think he takes
all the good that he wants to hear and sifts it to deliver his own message.” — Torey Lovullo
Another possible commonality (that I’m enthusiastic about) is that the two coaches look for unique ways to win.
“He just thinks outside the box.” — Brady Davis
Three Strengths
He is adaptable.
Kenny Dillingham said that there is no blueprint for success; instead, teams must adapt continuously. His teams adapted in at least two ways:
“It’s [his playmaker system at Oregon] adaptable to the people that we have on our team.” — Kenny Dillingham
“Offense stems from understanding what the defense is trying to take away, understanding why they’re trying to take it away and understanding the weakness of the defense.” — Kenny Dillingham
These two adaptabilities have corresponding adaptabilities with the Diamondbacks:
- The Diamondbacks put players in a position to succeed based on their skills.
- Roster flexibility is important to the Diamondbacks. That flexibility allows favorable matchups. This season, Torey Lovullo intends to take advantage of their roster flexibility.
He builds relationships.
He naturally builds relationships. He does it by being authentic, honest, transparent, and wearing his heart on his sleeve. And on a higher level, he does it by having a lot of expertise, by his energy, by his passion, and by his ability to create excitement.
He especially connects with players who have a chip on their shoulder (passionately want to be successful despite low perceptions of their abilities).
Mindset of his ideal players.
He knows what players will fit on his team. Their mindset follows from 3 pillars.
- “Have MORE fun working harder than anyone in the country.”
- “Make good decisions.”
- “Be a good person.”
In this context being a good person seems to mean show up smiling and excited to be here, and have personality (like cracking jokes and uplifting other players).
His best players were underdogs per this interview. They had less talent than others, but they worked all day with a great mindset.
They have what it takes to win close games.
“…These guys battled and were winning close games because they believe [they are going to win it], and they’re connected [with their teammates], and they believe in each other….” — Kenny Dillingham
They celebrate success enthusiastically.
[On the sidelines after a big play:] “Why aren’t we celebrating?” — Kenny Dillingham
Three Turning Points in his Life
Coached While Injured. He tore his ACL in his senior year at Chapparral High School. That prevented him from being a great player in his senior year. Instead, he began informally coaching other players. Then he went to college. While a student at Arizona State, he was varsity offensive coordinator at Chapparral High School (which might not have happened except for his injury as a High School senior). In 2013, they were the best offense in Arizona. That awesome result helped him get a job with the basketball team at Arizona State (albeit a non-coaching job).
Overcame A Demotion. Eventually he was promoted to the lowest level coaching job. The day before camp started, he was demoted. Instead of coaching, he would be doing support tasks. After doing almost “nothing”, he snapped out it. He doubled down. He decided to add incredible value and make himself so valuable that nobody had a choice other than letting him coach.
A Bold Lateral Move. He moved to where he would be excited to work every day. In a lateral move, to make less money, he left ASU to work where he believed in the people and the vision of a different program. That was a big decision because although family is one of his highest values, taking that job meant living apart from his wife. She was in med school in Phoenix, and could not leave with him. Despite the risk and hardship, he made it work. He developed his skills at Auburn (2019), Florida State (2020-2021), and Oregon (2022). The offensive explosion at Oregon got him his dream job (head coach) at Arizona State.
“I believe in the people. And I believe in the vision.” — Kenny Dillingham
Summary.
There are commonalities between Kenny Dillingham’s football program and Torey Lovullo’s baseball process.
- They look for unique ways to win.
- They are adaptable (to players and to opponents).
- They build relationships.
- Their players are connected and have what it takes to win close games.
Kenny Dillingham knows what players will fit on his team based on 3 Pillars.
- “Have MORE fun working harder than anyone in the country.”
- “Make good decisions.”
- “Be a good person.”
Kenny Dillingham had three turning points in his life that led to his dream job.
- He coached when he was injured his senior year in high school.
- He overcame a demotion by doubling down.
- He made a bold lateral move, at great personal cost, to work where he believed in the people and vision.
