Ep. 195 - Against The Grain | Coach Bill Courtney and Bryan Ward

Coach Bill Courtney is the founder of Classic American Hardwoods and he is the subject in the Oscar Award winning documentary Undefeated. In 2003, Bill began volunteering at Memphis’ inner city Manassas High School in an effort to turn its underperforming football team around. That same year, the team had 19 players with a dismal 4-95, 10-year record. In the 2008 & 2009 seasons, the team’s record improved to 18-2, with 75 players. The story inspired the Hollywood film—Undefeated—which won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary. In 2011, Bill was inducted into Bridge Builders for leadership in diversity, community, and justice. He was the 2012 recipient of the Liberty Bowl’s Harry Zinn Spirit of 1776 award for distinguished citizenship, recipient of the Carnival Memphis’ King’s award for outstanding achievement in Business and Industry, and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of fame Memphis chapter’s award winner for The distinguished American for Contribution to Amateur Athletics. In 2013, he was inducted into the prestigious Society of Entrepreneurs as a result of his success in business and community service. Today, Bill still operates as the President and CEO of Classic American Hardwoods. He speaks at a variety of events from the Para Olympics in Colorado Springs, with Nike, PepsiCo, FedEx, and other nationally recognized companies, to churches, schools, and hospitals. His first book, Against the Grain, was published in May 2014. So make sure you check out his website, book and documentary in the links. Dad Up! Dad Up YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/DadUpPodcast Dad Up Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dad-up-podcast/id1486764562 Dad Up Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daduppodcast/ Dad Up LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/Daduptribe Bill Courtney’s Website: Coach Bill Courtney Official Website | Books and Undefeated Film Undefeated Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/title/70177633?s=i&trkid=0 Bill Courtney’s Book: Against The Grain Book by Bill Courtney | Details and Buy Now Bill Courtney’s Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-army-of-normal-folks/id1689470062 Bill Courtney’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamcoachbill