Brian Anderson: K-State Football Running-back Coach, The Exponential Power of Teamwork

🎙 Thrilled to have Brian Anderson on this week's episode of The Burn Podcast. Join us for an in-depth conversation with the seasoned coach as we delve into his 28-year coaching journey and his role as K-State’s running backs coach, his thoughts on hard work, and of course his BURN🔥 

As the Big 12 horizon expands, we share the excitement for the upcoming season and the new challenges it brings. Brian's insights serve as a pregame huddle for all of us, reminding that whether we're calling plays or navigating life's chaotic playbook, it's the 'why' and 'purpose' that call the shots. So, buckle up for this episode – it's more than just football; it's a masterclass in forging champions in sports and life.

Full episode available on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. Don't miss out! The Burn Podcast 🎧

https://www.bennewmancoaching.com

************************************

Learn about our Upcoming events and programs:
https://www.workwithbnc.com

Let’s work TOGETHER https://www.bennewmancoaching.com

Let's work together to write YOUR next book- BNC Publishing
Send us a message

Order my latest book The STANDARD: Winning at YOUR Highest Level: https://amzn.to/3DE1clY

1st Phorm | The Foundation of High Performance Nutrition
1stPhorm.com/bnewman

Connect with me everywhere else:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/continuedfight

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Continuedfight/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ContinuedFight

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-newman-b0b693

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

It's all about that work. That's who we are, that's who we're going to be. That's not going to change. We don't talk about numbers, we talk about hey, there's only really one color, and it's that one on the left, you know. Yeah, there's one on the right too. So when we lose games, man, it just don't go away right away. I mean, it stings for a while and but the one thing I guys do, they go back to work on Monday and they're ready to roll.

Speaker 2: 0:36

Welcome back to another episode of the Burn. I am Ben Newman and you know how we do this every single week, we're going to bring you a story of an athlete, an entertainer, a celebrity, a coach, an author, somebody who is recognized, on their journey to success. That why and purpose is not enough. There's this underlying burn that ignites your why and purpose and causes you to be disciplined on the days that you don't want to do it, and especially after you win.

Speaker 2: 1:05

Today's an incredibly special, special episode for me, because you're going to have the opportunity to spend time with one of my dear, dear friends from my journey in coaching, brian Anderson, who is the running backs coach at Kansas State University. And when I talk about a history and commitment, not only for the burn within oneself but establishing and finding the burn in others and committing your life to it, I think you are going to enjoy this time that we spend together with Brian Anderson. You're going to realize, because we're probably going to have to cut up a little bit because it's what he and I like to do together, but you're going to see why he and I have a great relationship but why young men, for all these years, through the game of football, have been attracted to not just learning about the X's and O's and dominating and running the ball, but why they have learned to attack life with Brian Anderson. So, my dear friend, my brother on this journey, brian Anderson, welcome to the burn.

Speaker 1: 2:05

Man. Thanks a lot, Ben, for being here. I appreciate that it's good to be on this show. I watch many of them and listen to many guys talk about their burn and what it means to them, and I'm excited to tell my story.

Speaker 2: 2:18

Well, when I, when I think about you, I think about the word selfless, and I could take that so many different directions, just from how you approach situations, to where a player might be frustrating at a time, or to you giving your all when somebody's at the highest possible level of success, which we will address. Where does that come from? Where does the burn come from you? Where does this passion to give and to serve come from for you? Where did it all start?

Speaker 1: 2:47

Be a it all started when I was a player and I got fortunate to play with some really, really good players, but I wasn't I was not on their same level. My job was to get those guys prepared for games and I had a passion about the game, about playing the game, and I would do everything I could to be a good teammate to help those guys be successful on Saturday. And I learned a lot of that from a guy named Brian Cox who played 12 years in National Football League. He got on me one day in practice and said I need you to do these things for me to help me prepare. I took that in and ran with it. That's been my passion to make sure I can continue to help kids learn the game, become better players, become better teammates. All those things I learned from him and I give him a lot of credit for that.

Speaker 2: 3:33

Is there anything that that from taking us back even further? Right so? That that's the selfless answer I would have expected. Right so you didn't have the same level of talent, but I'm going to prepare you. Where did the burn come from? That's underlying that level of burn. Was it? Was it mom, dad, family? Where did the work ethic and the burn and the desire come from?

Speaker 1: 3:55

Well, a lot of it came from my older brother, older brother Kevin, who played with Coach Climbett at Northern Iowa. We didn't come from a big family, but not a lot. Not a lot of people in our family played sports and so I saw my brother's passion to play the game and and I kind of learned from him what it's going to take to be successful. He was kind of my rock, you know, and he kind of showed me the way, as good a player as he was growing up, everything he did, man, I'd be like that's my big brother, that's my big brother. And so I wanted to try to be like him. And as I got older and in my passion became more and more and more and more and more and more. And when he got a chance to go to college, man, that man that lit a fire in me that I want to be successful like him. And so he became my burn, because I wanted, I want to be like him, even though I didn't have the same culture that he had, but he still instilled in me you got to have passion for this game, you know, and you got to have a burn to be successful in this game.

Speaker 1: 4:57

I'd learned that all that from him and that's and that's why I still do to this day. So I always want to please him. You know he's always told me he yells to my career. So I said I'm not having this career without you and the reason I do what I do is because of what you taught me, you know, growing up in the game of football, and so I give him so much credit also To help me understand what it is to to have a burn, to have passion about something, and and I gave him a lot of credit for that I Love it, I love hearing that and I love, here all these years later, that that's still Motivating you to honor the lessons that you learned from him.

Speaker 2: 5:34

Yes, you've also had the blessing of learning some amazing lessons from some incredible coaches, whether it be Jerry Killett, minnesota, now coach Climon, who I think you and I both know it He'd probably be mad at us for saying it, but since he's not on here, he can't stop us from saying it. Coach Climon's gonna be a Hall of Fame coach. I mean what he's done at all levels of the game of football and the consistency and it's just incredible. So you've been around some great coaches. How important has culture been at your different stops on your coaching journey?

Speaker 1: 6:07

Very, very, very important. You know, when I went to, even in the in the junior college ranks, when I first started coaching, the culture of Having a bunch of kids from a lot of different areas, different backgrounds, and trying to mold them to be a team, and the most important part is getting guys on the same page. But it all starts from the top. There to be Randy ball at Western Illinois, or Marty Allen at Highland Community College, or skip foster at coffee community college, and then on with Jerry kill at Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois University, minnesota, our Tracy Clays, our Brock's back at Illinois State, you know, and so I've been very fortunate to be around guys who help build programs up, and that's one thing that I take a lot of pride in on some of the places I've been. They, you know they were programs that were on the bottom at the bottom but had to work their way up to become successful. And it's all about the kind of coaches you have and then all the kind of players you have to make sure they understand what we're trying to get accomplished. And so very, very fortunate to be around some really good coaches. And then topping off because climbing who's I've learned so much football under him.

Speaker 1: 7:13

It's. It's amazing that a hay coach like him, how much time he spends with the offense, how much time he spends with the defense, how much time he spends with special teams I mean he is a football coach more than a head coach and I look up to him when it comes to those kind of things because it's so important those kids see that he had passion, not just as a head coach but had passion for all the other offense, defense, the special team areas of our football team and also being a good leader leading from the front. I mean it's been awesome. It's been awesome run so far a.

Speaker 3: 7:45

Major part of reaching your peak performance is having the right people in your life or organization, and to help with that, we are proud to introduce our strategic partner, spark companies. No matter the industry or workforce needs, spark companies provide extremely effective solutions for leadership, recruitment, staffing and other workforce solutions. For our listeners, spark is offering a no-cost Consultative session to help identify your specific needs and how they might be able to help. To schedule your free consultation, head over to ben newman net forward, slash spark. That's ben newman net forward, slash SPARK. Now let's get back into the show.

Speaker 2: 8:28

You know, I think back to one of the greatest lessons I learned from him when I started with him now ten years ago at North Dakota State, and and I remember and I highlighted it in the book on common leadership when I dedicated the chapter to him find your edge in the details. And you nailed it. There's so many coaches that get to his level and they focus more on leverage than the details of how they can still contribute, and he gets into every single nook and cranny, every single detail. And now the time it can't state. I think to myself. We're getting ready to start year six and in reality, year six started the day after we won the pop tarts bowl. Like For guys like you and I, people don't understand, like it's immediate, there's, there's really no time off, because you can't turn this switch off, and so I want to take you back six years. We're gonna, we're gonna have some fun with this and I'm gonna catch you and we're gonna get your real emotion on this. So, coach, climb in an eye Sat in his office and many people have heard this story, but it was from years ago when I told it, when he was on the burn and he and I sat in his office at North Dakota State the week that we're going down to go win this final national championship Before we all unite in Manhattan, kansas and Little Apple, do what we're now doing and we're talking. He says, well, what's the theme for this team gonna be?

Speaker 2: 9:43

And I remember this conversation. We're going back forth and, michael coach, like we can't do or say things we said here at North Dakota State, like we got to come up With something new, we got to come up with something fresh. And at the time I was reading a book by my friend, joshua Medcalf, called pound the stone. And so I start telling him the premise of. He's like that's it, it's pound the stone.

Speaker 2: 10:01

And I'm sure you remember that first talk I come in and now the real ones at Kansas State. But this is the one I keep in my office at home. I come, I come in with that sledgehammer for the first talk at Kansas State. I want to hear from you what the hell were you thinking? Were you thinking this dude's got some screws loose? We're gonna see how this goes, because here's the wild thing about culture. Coach Climbett and I took a risk because, as many young athletes and teams you've been around, those kids could have very easily or coaches could have resisted. The hell's wrong with this guy Like you got to get him out of here. But we all bought into that pound the stone. But what was your initial thought when you saw me come in with that sledgehammer?

Speaker 1: 10:43

Well, I knew we had a lot of work to do, but I Was a sledgehammer it was. I mean, it was moving for me because I've never been a part of anything like that, I've never had as many stops as I've we've had, I've never had a performance coach and and so it was enlightening for me to kind of learn about it and learn what you did at North Dakota State and learn how those guys at North Dakota State bought into all the things you guys did there and helped them continue on their winning success. And so I was at all to be honest with you. I didn't. I didn't know what to expect Once I start digging the money, when you explain what pound of stone man and it's an everyday thing, it's an everyday thing. You got to keep going to work every single day. I Enjoyed the opportunity to learn what that meant. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn from you what you do. Not being on the field coach, you know all those things that you did.

Speaker 1: 11:42

In that first meeting man, I was like why died? Because it's like in, I've never been a part of anyone like that before, anything like that before. So I was just like, okay, that's what we do now, this is what we're gonna do, that's how we're gonna win. And so I bought in from day one because I didn't know anything else, you know. So I was in there learning for the first time, going okay, and we all get sledgehammers, are we going out pound of payment or what are we doing? But it all makes sense now. It all makes it five years later of what we've done and and a lot of that credit goes to you In those kids believing in what you talk about, you know and, and they jumped on that right away and I'll see it's proven, it's helped us in a big way.

Speaker 2: 12:24

Well, you know I have the blessing of God putting words through me that I get to share, but the work is done by you coaches, and you know the work is done by the, by the players. I appreciate the words, but you know I get to be on that sideline. It's the biggest blessing for me 10 years being on the sideline with all of you guys. I mean it's something that I never take for granted. I enjoy every moment. I enjoy the car rides when you know you and I are riding after the game together, having having real conversations. But through all of it whether it's our real, raw conversations where it's not surfaced stuff we're getting real with each other because guys like us that perform at this level we need it. We need each other because this is this is not easy. So, whether it's phone calls You've made to me or phone calls I've made to you, it's one of the things I cherish about our relationship. But I want to speak to some of the results that the players and this staff have had at Kansas State, because a lot of people don't realize this when, when we came in and this really speaks to culture and those that are listening, that are coaching others, finding that message that resonates and being consistent with it. Because that that's all we've done. We're just, we've continued to say pound the stone doesn't change.

Speaker 2: 13:31

We may share different elements, but when you look over the last three years, knowing that when we showed up to Manhattan Kansas, people are like you can't win football games in Manhattan Kansas, you, you can't recruit to Manhattan Kansas. Like, yes, it's amazing what Bill Snyder did, but like what can possibly happen? Now, that's what we walked into and we all leaned into belief. And Other than us in that building, who would have thought that these last three years we'd be one of 11 teams in all of power, five football, that have won eight or more games? One of 11 teams, a Big 12 championship, two bowl championships it just came out. We finished 18th in the country this year, 14th in the country.

Speaker 2: 14:24

How important is culture? And one thing I'd love for you to speak to we really don't talk about results much. We really talk about the work and what we've realized is, when we talk about the work and then, most importantly, we do the work, the byproduct is the success that we've, that we've been having. How important do you think that is? That, that that daily work and that messaging.

Speaker 1: 14:49

Well, and that's one thing that we say every day as a running back group at the end of practice just work. And I think guys have bought into that part of it, because work is part what coach climbing talks about the details. You have to work to get the details. You have to work at practice on an everyday basis To make sure your body's right. When we talk about the catapult numbers, you have to work in the weight room to make sure you're healthy enough to perform on Saturdays. I mean so everything we do, it's all about that. Work and Working is a part of us. It's that's who we are, that's who we're gonna be. That's not gonna change. We're not based results, because the results take care of itself. You put in good work. We don't talk about numbers, we talk about hey, there's only really one column and it's that one on the left, you know. Yeah, there's one on the right to when we lose games around there.

Speaker 1: 15:41

It hurts. It hurts bad and Because I know how much time we put in, our players put in to be successful on Saturdays. So when we lose games, man, it just don't go away right away. I mean it stings for a while and but the one thing I guys do, they go back to work on Monday and they're ready to roll and so they ready to get that nasty taste on their mouth Because they I know one thing they like to do they love celebrating in a locker with those hammers and it's a joy, man. It's a joy all about their work that our guys put in every day.

Speaker 1: 16:12

And and the guy setting the tone, like I, you know, do's Vaughan and I. Everybody knows that he and I have a really close relationship. He sent me a message last week that he was gonna be active two weeks ago and he was so fired up for the opportunity and he said, coach, I'm just gonna run with it when I get it. So that's what you should do. But I said I would have thanked you for setting the tone in our room.

Speaker 1: 16:34

I what you did and how you handled yourself and how you put in that work, not just on the practice field, but in the weight room, how you took care of your body, all those things that are in our room in a big way. The guys are trying to do what you did because they saw how it worked and the success you had. So you putting in that extra work on an everyday basis has helped our room in a big way. You know what I mean and the last thing he said to me in that text coach, that's all you ever talked about was putting in work, you know, and everything to take care of itself. So that part of it for us is number one state is put that work in and we'll live the results afterwards.

Speaker 2: 17:12

I want to honor you in a big way because you deserve it, similar to Coach Climb, and he's not here, so I could say he's going to become a Hall of Famer. He can't stop me and you're on a Zoom screen at a conference for the coaches across the country, so you can't jump through and stop me either, because I know you don't like this kind of stuff. So I get to say what I want to say. You've been helping and coaching players to the NFL for a long, long time and you know there's times I've sat in the room where you've called an NFL player to provide a message for the current guys that are in your room. I own I know your history getting guys to the lead, so you've had a long history of success coaching, running backs and helping them elevate.

Speaker 2: 17:55

But I did see something with Deuce Vaughn that changed and as much as it was Deuce Vaughn, I watched you change as a coach from the first couple of years that we had together to then watching Deuce, and it was amazing for me because, as you know, we can't give everybody all the secrets. People think I give like a three minute speech in the locker room. They have no idea what I actually do and we're going to keep it that way. But when I come into your room first to spend time with the running backs the day before a game to start prepping, I get to watch your messaging, I get to watch your consistency, I get to watch how you pull videos and find the right message for the right time for the right week and how much you love these kids. But the thing that I saw where you elevated with Deuce which is now I see it in DJ Giddens, I see it with all the young running backs in the room, all of these kids you're going to continue this tradition of getting players into the league.

Speaker 2: 18:48

With Deuce, you empowered him because he was willing to do the work, to take ownership, and I remember watching you guys on the sideline. I remember where you'd be asking him Deuce, what do you think, what do you want? And that's not normal for coaching. The normal coaching is I know I'm the coach. I put guys in the league. This is what we're going to do. What was it with Deuce and did you feel like you elevated as a coach? Because I feel like I saw that in you through that relationship to make you better and stronger, because it wasn't just him. I saw the elevation in you.

Speaker 1: 19:27

One of the things that he and I did during the week. We would spend time together and watch film together, and so we would watch certain run schemes and how teams attack those run schemes. And so by the time we got to the game, I gave him the freedom to say what do you like against these guys? And he was like I like counter, I like power, I like inside zone, I really love duo versus these. So we would get in the game.

Speaker 1: 19:54

He may not have a couple runs early, but he's like hey, don't worry, stay with it, it's going to pop. And next thing, you know, here he goes 62 yards later and he come to sign. He goes, I told you. And so what did you see? Well, coaches, I saw him film, saw the linebacker, he got out of the gap. I took advantage of it.

Speaker 1: 20:15

So him wanting to be a better player, him wanting to be taking this football IQ to another level, those are things that he wanted to do, and I was just there to help him in part of that journey, to help him be successful in that journey. So he gets a lot of the credit, because he came to me and put hey, coach, this is what I want, this is what I want to get better at. And now it's rubbed off on DJ because DJ's doing the same thing. He said hey, coach, this is what I need to get better at During spitting and all is kind of cool. So during special teams at practice, I might look over across the field and DJ's doing something on his own that no one's telling them to do in a working game.

Speaker 1: 20:56

He's taking ownership in his ability and that's what I try to tell is you've got to take ownership in your ability to get better. You always got to do things that sometimes you don't want to do. That's going to help you. And so when I saw him doing things that practice by himself for a five-minute period or two-minute period, or telling the quarterback say, I want to throw with you extra on some route, stuff, everything that, like I said, that do's did, is rubbing off on those guys and that's what makes me more proud or anything, because he set that tone in that room for those things.

Speaker 2: 21:32

So you bring up two different names, two different players, and we can go on a long list of individuals that you've impacted or performed at a high, high level. I'd love for you to address how important is it to know that all players are different, because you just shared both of those players took ownership, but both of those players are different human beings and one of the things that I've noticed that you do, that I've always believed in, is you can't treat everybody the same and you have to get to understand somebody's heart, their fire, their passion, where they come from. Like DJ, we both know I mean, he and I were messaging about it the other day he was back fishing. I'm like, I know you're happy and he's like man, I needed this day to go cut loose and fish, and so we know he likes to fish. They're different people. How important is it to really get to know your players?

Speaker 1: 22:23

Oh, it's everything. It's everything. Knowing their backgrounds is so important to get an understanding of what they like and what they don't like. What makes them ticked. How can you push them? I've been very fortunate the other night. This is unbelievable. So what night was that?

Speaker 1: 22:40

Sunday night I'm out to dinner and at this dinner table I get eight former players that are now coaching and they're all different. They're all different from different areas of the country. Different. I mean mom, dad, one dad, one mom. I mean unbelievable. But we're all sitting around this dinner table having a good time laughing and this guy's not from the same school. God, I coach at other schools but there are other friends with the guys I coach at the other school because of me and they're calling each other now about you know the coaching profession and but me, getting to know those kids inside and out and what can I do to continue to help them, is that's everything you got? To get to know your players you have. I mean that's so important for their success. Yeah, if you don't know your players, how can you get on a player? If you don't know your players, how you know you can't trust the player player you know, it's all about the trust factor and they have to be able to trust you also.

Speaker 1: 23:44

And so me talking to my guys, not just about football, but life, school, family. You know, whatever it may be I mean sometimes been during during spring ball I may not talk about Any football. I'm gonna have a 30 minute mini. I may talk about football for five minutes. We may talk about other things. I like guys tell their story to their, their teammates. I want their teammates to get to know them, you know. So I think all those things are so important, but the biggest thing is you. You got to get to know your players outside the game. If that's all you talk about is just football, those guys, they will tune you out. They will tune you out in the heartbeat, and I never want that, because I want all those guys to be successful, because they want to be successful. They wouldn't be in the room if they didn't want to be successful. So how can I help them on their journey? And part of that Journey is me getting to know those guys to help them become successful final question what's the greatest lesson that you Learned from a coach?

Speaker 1: 24:43

you know what it's, coach climbing and I've been around some really good coaches, but not knowing that one word details when. When I heard him talk about that and I heard how many times he said that in our meetings, man, that just that struck me in a big way and that helped me become a better coach. Because now I'm sitting there going, man, I thought I knew the game, I thought I knew what the coach my guys on. But there are so many little things About that word details about some of the things you talked about, about the boxing, my new things, that that you may see In a detail of a play that's going to help you. You might need that one second. That's gonna be like, oh, I got it, I see it. That's gonna help me on Saturday, you know. So I've learned. That's the biggest lesson I've learned and my all my years of coaching is that word, because I never heard that word before in the game and as long as I've been coaching and I was like that makes a lot of sense I would say that's the biggest lesson I have learned and, like I said, you know been coaching for a long time, but hearing that word in 2019, that changed my life on how I coach the game and how I approach the game. I'm really the details of how can I get my players to get better and how can I give those guys the right tools in their toolbox to help them be successful. Continue talking about the details, details, the details. So that would be the biggest lesson I've learned, and I just learned, in 2019.

Speaker 1: 26:21

My first coaching job was 1996. So you never stop learning, man. You never do, and that's one thing that I'm always gonna be. I'm always gonna pick guys, your brain. You know. I'm always gonna try to find ways to become a better coach. You know, if I don't know something, I'm gonna call somebody till I get the answer that I'm looking for. I think those things are so important it to To continue to try to get better as a coach by talking to other coaches, you know, and, and so that's what I try to take away, that's what I try to give to my young guys that.

Speaker 1: 26:54

I met with the other night. You're like, you know some of it. How do I continue to grow? Well, you got to meet people and you get asked questions and if you do that, you, you're gonna be, you will be successful in this game. So, and the word detail, man, that's, that's a, that's a powerful word in the game of football and in life. It is also in life, you know. So I would say that, by, the biggest lesson I've learned and in my coaching profession, is Understanding what that meant. And how do, how do I teach my guys with that man?

Speaker 2: 27:24

B A. Thank you for being you, thank you for your continued commitment to learning, thank you for pouring into these players, thank you for pouring into our relationship together and I love you, brother, and I appreciate you coming on the burn yeah.

Speaker 1: 27:37

I love you too, man, and again thank you for having me on here. Awesome time. Love seeing your head, just like mine. I appreciate it, hey see I elevated to.

Speaker 2: 27:46

I had to go to you for my console when I went straight bald like B A, like how are we gonna do this? Like I got to get rid of this hair, so like what? And you've coached me through the whole thing and it's a whole different level of elevation level baby.

Speaker 2: 27:58

Well to each and every single one of you who tune into the burn every single week. I hope you realize something from watching this episode life is about relationships and, yes, b A and I have had the opportunity to win a lot of football games together and there's a lot more winning to come, but at the end of the day, it's the relationship we're gonna have 10 years and 20 years from now as a result of doing some fun things and pouring into guys. But it's the lifelong relationships that matter and everything that you do. So I have an ask of all of our listeners I want you to share this episode with somebody, for these two reasons number one, they need to focus on relationships on their journey and how they lead and coach others. And number two, for you, how can you focus more on the details? Here's Brian Anderson, who's one of the best running backs coaches in America, consistently putting players into the NFL. He's been doing it since 1996 and he just shared with you the best lesson he ever learned?

Speaker 2: 29:00

he learned in 2019, 23 years after he got started. So how important are the details to you? Were you moving too fast in 2023? You need to slow down and live in those details in 2024. And then now I got a third thing to ask Make sure you cheer on our cats this year, because the big 12 is growing. We're going to Colorado to play against prime. We got the Arizona Wildcats coming to our place. There's so many new beginnings and excitement in college football, but we got some exciting things that we know that are going on from behind the scenes in that little affluent Manhattan, kansas. So, ba, I will see you in a couple of weeks. I cannot wait to kick off this year six. Once again, I love you and it's a blessing to be able to pound the stone together.

Speaker 1: 29:45

Love you, man, take care again. Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2: 29:48

Thank you. Thank you for coming on. And the last thing make sure you continue to tune in, share this episode this has been the burn and don't forget why in purpose is not enough. You have to identify that burn, just like BA has done with his brother, kevin, to fight that much harder, to ignite your why and purpose and to be Disciplined on the days that you don't want to do it and especially after you win you.