How Rocky Larson Rebuilt Mayville State From the Ground Up | Ep. 74

When Rocky Larson took over at Mayville State, the football program needed more than a few tweaks. The roster had just 28 players, the team GPA sat at 2.11, players weren’t lifting together, class attendance was an issue, and the program had posted just one winning season since 1990.Seven years later, the picture looks completely different.On this episode of The Left Hash Call, Seth Howard sits down with Mayville State Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Rocky Larson to talk about what it actually takes to rebuild a college football program.Rocky shares how his coaching career unexpectedly began at UW–River Falls as an 18-year-old student assistant, what he learned working under Matt Walker and during his time at Minnesota, and why relationships have remained at the center of his coaching philosophy.They also dive into:Taking over a program that needed a completely new identityWhy Mayville State moved toward the triple optionBuilding a roster from 28 players to nearly 140Creating a culture where players actually stayBalancing life as a head coach, athletic director, play caller and fatherThe importance of having people around you who will tell you the truthWhy young coaches shouldn’t try to skip the difficult stages of the professionWhat Rocky learned from rebuilding UW–River Falls before doing it himself at Mayville StateWith 18 starters returning and expectations around the program rising, Mayville State enters the next stage of a rebuild that has taken years to construct. As Rocky puts it, expectations are a privilege — because seven years ago, the expectation was simply to survive.At the end of the conversation, Rocky delivers one of the strongest pieces of advice we’ve heard for young coaches: don’t skip the hard parts, find people who will tell you the truth, and build your career alongside the right people.@thelefthashcallTwitter/X: https://x.com/thelefthashcallInstagram: /thelefthashcallFacebook: /thelefthashcallTik Tok: /thelefthashcall#Coaching #CFB #LHC