10 - Colby Tillman

From the Squad Car to the Sidelines — Colby Tillman | Prescott Local School District (AR)

Before he ever ran a game-day operation, Colby Tillman was making split-second calls on the street. Patrol officer. School resource officer. Criminal investigations. Drug task force. He even helped stand up a school district's own police department — and served as its chief. Now he's heading into year two as athletic director at Prescott Local School District in Prescott, Arkansas, and and, if that isn't enough to be proud of, he's the first African American AD in his district's history.

In this one, Colby and I get into how a law enforcement background sharpens you for the AD chair — quick decisions, sound decisions, made in the heat of the moment and scrutinized later. We talk building a coach's handbook that actually gets used, the real weight of compliance, and everything hiding inside "game-day operations" that the crowd never sees. He opens up about the backlash he faced coming home to take this job, why he stood firm anyway, and what he hopes it opens up for the next person. And he closes with education-first advice every young AD should hear — start with small, reachable goals, and watch what happens. (His department GPA number might surprise you.)

In this episode:

• Law enforcement lessons that transfer straight to athletic administration
• What makes a coach's handbook a tool coaches actually reach for
• Game-day operations, start to finish — the part nobody sees
• Being the first: leading through backlash and standing on your "why"
• Why the AD community shares freely — and how to lean on it
• Colby's playbook for new ADs: fit the program to your kids, start small, lead with the classroom

Got a question you want answered on the show? Send it in — you might hear it in the mailbag.

LEAD · TEACH · GROW · betteryouthcoaching.com

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Better Youth Coaching
Mission is to improve amateur sports through education of parents, coaches, and athletes

Better Youth Coaching
Mission is to improve amateur sports through education of parents, coaches, and athletes