College Football Coaches Playing Pickleball

UPDATE, June, 2021

Here are Russell Wilson and the quarterbacks of the Seattle Seahawks battling it out on the pickleball court after mini-camp wrapped up!!!

While college football fans are devouring Top 25 rankings in any-and-every publication they can get their hands on, the month of July marks the final month of a relatively quiet time for college coaches and staff.

With the exception of spring practice — and perhaps an instructional skill summer camp — coaches are basically enjoying a much needed respite from the demands of college football until training camp begins in August.

It’s in August that the stress of wins and losses on the gridiron builds. So how can football coaches manage the occupational stress that comes with being an NCAA football coach? Why, by playing pickleball, of course!

Les Miles — Kansas Head Football Coach at Chicken-N-Pickle

Kansas football coach, Les Miles, and KU Athletic Director, Jeff Long, recently traveled to Wichita as part of their Hawks and Highways tour stop and played a bit of pickleball for the very first time at Chicken-N-Pickle.

Kansas Head Coach @CoachLesMiles and @jefflongKU made a pit stop in Wichita tonight as part of the Hawks and Highways tour. They decided to try their luck at pickleball while they were here. I explain how it all went down below. #RockChalkPickleballhttps://t.co/pstaG3enHS pic.twitter.com/qqXP2iI9U7

— Scott Braswell KAKE News (@ScottBSports) June 26, 2019

Weber State Football Coaching Staff

And if that’s not enough, in a video posted in May, 2017, the Weber State football coaching staff plays pickleball every week to clear their minds, be outside, and stay fit as they prepare for upcoming opponents.

So next time you’re trying to decide who to root for — and you’re tired of picking a team simply because of the color of their jersey or team mascot — root for those teams (such as Kansas and Weber State) that incorporate pickleball into their stress-management strategies.  If that still doesn’t work for you, pick the Spartans to root for this season!  Go Green!!!  See you on the courts.