Penn State's Athletic Director Pat Kraft On Building a Culture of Champions

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Penn State's Athletic Director Pat Kraft On Building a Culture of Champions
Release Date: June 25, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, host David Rutherford welcomes Dr. Pat Kraft, the esteemed Athletic Director of Penn State University. Dr. Kraft shares his insights on transforming Penn State's athletic programs into powerhouses through the cultivation of a champion's culture.

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Transforming Penn State’s Athletic Department

David Rutherford opens the conversation by highlighting Dr. Kraft's remarkable achievements:

“National championship wrestling, national championship volleyball, Final Four football, Final Four for the first time... 636 students achieving a 3.0 or higher” ([05:02]).

Dr. Pat Kraft attributes this success to a holistic approach focused on both athletic and academic excellence:

“Our student athletes are the people who we serve every day. That's who I serve every day.” ([06:08]).

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Cultivating a Holistic Athlete Experience

Dr. Kraft emphasizes the balance between competitive success and academic performance. Under his leadership, Penn State boasts impressive academic achievements alongside athletic prowess:

“The overall average was a 3.32. 636 students achieving a 3.0 or higher.” ([05:02]).

He highlights the importance of sleep, diet, and mental health in shaping elite athletes:

“They understand, you know, hey, your diet does impact how you approach a day... they are much more in tune to their body.” ([08:40]).

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Building a Strong Organizational Culture

A central theme of the discussion is the significance of organizational culture. Dr. Kraft describes Penn State's culture as one of grit, determination, and continuous improvement:

“Culture is what drives everything. Grittiness, toughness... we have to out tough everybody in this world.” ([27:22]).

He shares his philosophy of leading by example and fostering an environment where every athlete feels valued:

“We have to keep the mindset that, yeah, we had a great year this year, but as I told the athletes, this summer is going to be the most important summer in the history of Penn State...” ([26:02]).

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Engaging and Motivating Coaching Staff

Dr. Kraft discusses his approach to supporting and motivating the coaching staff:

“When I come around practice, I'm not coming around just to like, hey, are you doing something. No, I'm coming around just to be around the energy, being around the athletes is the one treasure that in the job that is priceless to me.” ([12:24]).

He underscores the importance of authentic engagement and shared enthusiasm in driving team success.

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Enhancing Facilities and Infrastructure

Addressing administrative challenges, Dr. Kraft talks about the ongoing efforts to upgrade Penn State's athletic facilities:

“One of my favorite things that you've done is the upgrades to Jeffrey Field...”

He explains how improved infrastructure supports both athlete performance and fan experience, reinforcing the department's commitment to excellence.

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The Role of Fan Support

The passionate support of Penn State's fans plays a crucial role in the department's success. Dr. Kraft reflects on the immense fan loyalty and its impact:

“It fuels you, number one, you. I take great pride in being able to deliver... We have 94,000 season ticket holders.” ([33:44]).

He emphasizes that the fans’ dedication inspires the athletes and the administration to strive for greater heights.

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Future Goals and Vision

Looking ahead, Dr. Kraft outlines his aspirations for Penn State's athletic programs:

“We can absolutely match and surpass our national title mark this year... We haven't even scratched the surface... next year will just be another phase of that.” ([41:25]).

His vision includes continuous competitive progress, enhanced facilities, and maintaining the robust support system that propels Penn State to the forefront of collegiate athletics.

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Closing Remarks

David Rutherford wraps up the interview by expressing deep appreciation for Dr. Kraft's contributions:

“If you love this show, please like, add a comment, give us a five-star rating... share it with somebody that you know in the athletic world.” ([43:52]).

Dr. Kraft reciprocates the gratitude, highlighting the mutual respect and shared commitment to fostering a culture of excellence.

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Key Takeaways

• Holistic Development: Emphasis on balancing athletic excellence with academic achievement and personal well-being.
• Strong Organizational Culture: Building a culture of grit, determination, and continuous improvement is pivotal to success.
• Fan Engagement: Dedicated fan support is a driving force behind the department's achievements.
• Future Aspirations: Ongoing efforts to enhance facilities and maintain competitive momentum ensure sustained excellence.

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Notable Quotes

• Dr. Pat Kraft on Culture:
  “Culture is what drives everything. Grittiness, toughness... we have to out tough everybody in this world.” ([27:22])

• Dr. Pat Kraft on Fan Support:
  “It fuels you, number one, you. I take great pride in being able to deliver... We have 94,000 season ticket holders.” ([33:44])

• Dr. Pat Kraft on Future Goals:
  “We can absolutely match and surpass our national title mark this year... next year will just be another phase of that.” ([41:25])

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Conclusion

This episode offers an in-depth look into the leadership and vision of Dr. Pat Kraft, showcasing how strategic culture-building and unwavering support systems can elevate an athletic department to national prominence. Listeners gain valuable insights into the integral role of resilience, community engagement, and continuous striving for excellence in shaping successful sports programs.

Transcript

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[David Rutherford]

In the crazy world that we have going right now, the one thing that can always get you motivated is athletics. Well, stand by as we welcome the number one athletic director in all of NCAA Division 1 sports, Dr. Pat Kraft at Penn State University. This is the David Rutherford show. One of the most important things that, that I think all people can ever participate in is athletics. We learn so much about ourselves, about working with teams, about working in a mission oriented focus and really pushing ourselves to be the best version of ourselves. Well, in this country right now, in my opinion, the number one athletic director by far is Dr. Pat Kraft at Penn State. And this year alone, he has transformed this storied institution into one of the most successful athletic departments around. And the reason he does it is because he teaches these young people how to win. So, ladies and gentlemen, I'm so privileged to welcome one of my favorite people of all time, Dr. Pat Kraft, to the show. Doc. Hey, how are you doing?

[Walton Goggins]

I appreciate that, Rod. I was squirming in my seat a little bit because as you know, I don't have that much to do with what we're, what we're doing right now, but I appreciate that. From an alarm, I will say. Do you know who was our, I forget who was our guest speaker at our first all staff meeting this year before we went embarked on one of the best years in the history of this story program. Who was that? Do you remember who that was?

[David Rutherford]

I don't know. He looks a little bit like me.

[Walton Goggins]

Yeah, that's right. That's right. It did coincide with you doing that. So I give you as much credit as anybody else to get enough off.

[David Rutherford]

On the right foot now, man, I. Listen, I, I've, I've been a part of this institution for a long time in a bunch of different ways. And the, the energy that you have brought. I mean, just looking at this year alone. National championship wrestling, national championship volleyball, Final Four football, Final Four for the first time, men's hockey, Final Four lacrosse, and winning seasons across the 31 different sports. But the one that really is highlighted for me, and this is the thing that I thought was incredible, is that, you know, for the student athletes who excelled academically this year, the. The overall average was a 3.32. Right. 636 students achieving a 3.0 or higher. So, you know, that type of excellence is indicative of the culture that you're bringing. Can you describe what. When you got to the university, what was your main focus and what.

[Walton Goggins]

Have.

[David Rutherford]

What is what. What's now percolating across all the teams?

[Walton Goggins]

No, I. Yeah, I appreciate you referencing the academic side of it, too, because here you. That part gets lost in our world right now with all the revenue talk and, or, you know, the house case and paying money and it. It is a big business. I'm not dismissing that. But at the end of the day, we're. Our student athletes are the people who we serve every day. That's who I serve every day. I. I happen to have 833 different schools have different amount of athletes, but I have 833 students. And as I tell them, they're my children, I have my two kids at home, and then I have 833 kids here. But I think when I got here three years ago, if I'm being really honest with you, Bud, I think there was a siloed approach. The way we communicated, the way that we looked at competition and the way we looked at everything we were attacking as an organization. And it's just different than the way I approach it. My philosophy is always just giving your best to the best you possibly can classroom, socially, competitively. And if you do that, good things will happen. And then you have to really surround yourself with really great people. And I think three years in and we've been very blessed to have success along the journey. I think this year kind of was the acceleration of that, and I think we still left a lot of meat on the bone. And I think none of us are satisfied within these walls. I think we. We see it as a lot more for us to accomplish next. Next season. But I. I think it is coming around to everybody feeling that they're. They're holding onto the rope. And no matter what you are or what role you play or where you. What sport you play, you're important. And our student athletes are really special young men and women who, who get it, and they want. They want to be the best. They want to be elite, and we just got to fuel that fire.

[David Rutherford]

You know, one of the hardest things, I think for most kids, you Know, they come out of wherever they're coming out of any all. And you guys recruit from all over the country, all over the world, really. I mean, it's incredible. And, you know, they, they show up and a lot of people don't realize just the arduousness of being a student athlete at an elite level program. Can you describe some of the impact or the commitments that you see from these student athletes, whether it's football or volleyball or whatever it might be?

[Walton Goggins]

Yeah, I think you're 100% right. People don't really understand the commitment that they're making to being successful. It's why I tell them all the time they're going to be really successful and they leave our, our little world here because they're being trained to understand the time commitment it takes to being elite. They understand. We think it's silly, but sleep, why that's important. They understand, you know, hey, your diet does impact how you approach a day. All these things that, you know, we see as adults and we look back, especially if you're in a competitor, like, oh, man, why didn't I listen to that a little bit more? Right? Like right now when I'm trying to lose weight, I'm like, and it hurts to run or walk on a treadmill. I think they see all these things. They're much more in tune to their body. They're much more in tune to their surroundings that they're involved in. And I think from academics, remember now we're not just telling them to be great at, like, one thing. We're laying out a list of things that's a lot of pressure. And, and one of the things that we try to, to deal with is, hey, you also got to be a, like a student. You just got to be you. And that is really hard in this world now because of so many people can come at you. And so as much as I talk to them about, hey, we're going to go win and we're going to go 100, you know, 100% into everything. There is also the talk of taking care of yourself, understanding your body needs rest, understanding your mind needs rest, understanding that the care that you give yourself and your teammates actually is as valuable as doing the extra lift, doing the extra run, doing the extra study. And so it's a very holistic approach. I've had that. It really stems from my time at, you know, Loyola Chicago and in the Jesuit tradition of mind, body and spirit. And it correlates no matter where you are. It's not a religious thing. It's about, can we make the mind right, can we make the spirit right? And your body will follow. And, you know, it's just about being healthy and holistic in everything you do. And so that's the approach. And the pressure is tough. It's. It's a lot. And my job is to try to make that as easy as humanly possible on the individual, provide everything they need, and then keep it as simple as I can throughout their day.

[David Rutherford]

I love that. You know, one of the things that. I think I was just watching a podcast with a bunch of former Penn State football players, and they, they were saying, listen, you know, prior to Dr. Kraft coming in, there was kind of a different mentality. But when he came in, the way he spoke to us, the way he was so invigorated about winning, like, one D was like, man, I was ready to run through a wall after he spoke to you. And then we see you on the mats watching the wrestling team, you know, win year after year, and you're screaming or, or at the volleyball championships when they came back, you know, down two sets and you're screaming or whatever sport it is. You know, I think that connectivity to the administration, to the athletic, to program, you've. You've personalized it in a. In such a.

[Walton Goggins]

A.

[David Rutherford]

A palpable way that the kids are feeling that. Do you find that. That in. It really helps support your coaching staff as well, too, that, that they feel that connection as well?

[Walton Goggins]

I would hope so. I think it's one of those thing I. I've learned. I remember when I became an AD for the first time at Temple, and I sat in the proverbial chair. It was a chair in my office. It was the AD office. And my dad had just recently passed and he had run a business, and he, his office was in the back where the, the shop was. You know, he was, you know, servant leadership. Right. Let's. Let's lead by example. There's nothing too small, nothing, you know, we're going to do it together. And so I sat down, I thought about my dad, and I said, okay, I'm just going to be who I am, because I can't be anybody different now. You know, 10 plus years ago in your. That moment, you're still young and raw and, And. But I have learned over time, like, this is just who I am. I'm a competitor. I want to win. I mean, I was playing in the parent daughter soccer game this past week. Yeah, I'm not gonna let Annie score on me. I'm not gonna Let my, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna be that guy. And if I gotta be happy broken ribs after diving, after a ball, I'm going to do it. And that's probably not the right thing to do. But hey, we're in it. You're 12 years old, we got it. You got to compete. But like, it's just kind of how I'm wired and a lot of people bring up, you know, my sign, but like I'm all in. And my wife will tell you that, like I truly do. I tell my athletes like, I love them and I want them to succeed, but if I'm not there through good and bad, then who is?

[David Rutherford]

Yeah.

[Walton Goggins]

So like I have to, I, I hope my coaches, I know it was hard for our coaches. I'm not, I'm not the normal, but like when I come around, like the normal stereotypical ad but when I come around practice, I'm not coming around just to like, hey, are you doing. No, I'm coming around just to be around the energy, being around the athletes is the one treasure that in the job that is like, is priceless to me. And so I don't get to do that. But I think our coaches now understand, oh wait, this just isn't, you know, the first week or the first month, it's everything. And I hope they understand now. I'm doing this to help them. I'm doing everything I can. I feel invested in fencing, track and field, soccer, gymnastics, football, volleyball, wrestling, swimming, dieting, it doesn't matter because I want to win and I want to compete. And I think that is resonating, you know, now they don't think I'm a total lunatic. They're like, but, but like for me on the sidelines when people bring that up, like, how could you not get excited? Like, how could you be a red footed American and not jump through the roof when our volleyball team comes back down 10 against the brat? Like, I'm just so proud of, of them. Like, I see them so differently than most people see our athletes. Yeah. And to see them succeed, you're like, I get emotional doing that. And the same when we lose. You want to hold them and you know, so I'm glad I, I want it to be something organic and real and it is just what it is.

[David Rutherford]

Well, I think that's the, that's the genuine thing to always do. But it's so difficult because of the pressure, the stressors. Right. I mean you showed up at that institution and you know, the facilities there were the worst facilities in the Big ten. Right. The stadium hadn't been redone. You know, my, my. One of my favorite things that you've done is the upgrades to Jeffrey Field. I mean, where I played back in the day. And you know, we've got one of the greatest female soccer programs in the entire country. One of the best coaches I just saw recently, one of our recent graduates scored our first winning goal in the female professional league. And it's like, and now all of a sudden this, with the momentum, are you finding it more, less complicated to fix all of those kind of hardcore administrative problems to bring the money in to, to bring all this? I saw a recent article that, you know, they said, you know, you were going to go work with private funding and all this stuff and you're like, hey, no, we are the funding. Penn State, the alumni. So can you talk a little bit about, you know, now that you have the momentum, supporting the athletes, supporting the programs with all these new renovations and additions.

[Walton Goggins]

Yeah, I think foreign.

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[Walton Goggins]

So.

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[Walton Goggins]

Thank you. You know, women's soccer is a great example. We have. Our soccer programs are tradition like historic soccer programs. We didn't have a bathroom. They didn't have a real locker room. Gorgeous grass. But there literally was like my first summer, I put two double wide trailers in there and you would have thought we had built on the Taj Mahal. They were just happy to have a place to go when it rains. You know, I'm sitting there against, you know, we're number. We're top five in North Carolina, I think was one or two. First game of the year a couple of years ago. And it's downpouring. We had nowhere to go. So I look at it as like, no, I'm just doing what I should be doing. You deserve better than that. That's not what you. You deserve a better experience. And so we've done a lot of projects to focus on what I told you. Food recovery for soccer, it was make their life easier. Locker room, weight room, buyer facility, you know, a better environment for our fans. But they deserve that. I would love to say it's gotten easier. It's not easier, but, but that's a product of who I am. I probably, I think you, you have to continue to push yourself and push the people in the organization to not get complacent, to not take your foot off the gas. I think that's too easy for people to do. You got to get uncomfortable. And I'm not saying we, you know, we're overworking people, but you have to keep the mindset that, yeah, we had a great year this year, but as I told the athletes, this summer is going to be the most important summer in the history of Penn State because we can do things that no one's ever done in college sports. So I, yeah, I'm so happy and so proud of what we accomplished, but we should be able to do that again and again and again. And so I. A little sadistic, I guess, in my mind, but, like, I keep. I keep the. We gotta keep the energy going. Cause if you don't and if I back off, it gives everyone the opportunity to back off. And I just am not wired that way. Like I have. You know, I have to be able to continue to be creative and find new ways. And, yeah, you put certain things to bed, but it just creates a whole nother thing. They're like, okay, well, we got to get 1% better. How can we get 1% better? You know, Erica with Eric and I had a great conversation this offseason. Our women's soccer coach said, okay, how do we, like, the ball can go one way or the other, but how do we get ourselves just a little better? And I think she's the best coach, but we all need that. They challenge me, I challenge them. And so, yeah, it's. Well, look, we have a historic wrestling program. You know that Kel's, I think, the greatest coach in the history of coaches. Not college anything. What he does and what our athletes do there is truly remarkable. And they're incredible human beings. But I do think sometimes people take them for granted. For them to reprocess and take that winning and how hard it is to do what they do and to watch it, because those. There's two weeks where I really am embedded with them. We go big tens DNCAs. And for me to watch what they do at that moment and. And do it so graciously, so incredibly successful, and you're like, well, you don't ever want to get to a place like, yeah, we're going to win the national. No. Every year we're like, okay, how do we get better? How could you get better? Well, we could get better. We can keep getting better. And so that's just kind of the way I'm built, and I think the way we're built here, and I'm blessed because. And Rhett, you know, a lot of our coaches, you had guy on. I have great coaches who think the same way.

[David Rutherford]

Yes.

[Walton Goggins]

And so when you can give them the ability to even push further, then. Then they'll do it. And. And so we just keep. You know, it's not easier. It's not.

[David Rutherford]

It's. No, it's. And that's.

[Walton Goggins]

It's fun. Well, that, that.

[David Rutherford]

Well, that's. That's where you are sadistic, right? It is like the pain of winning. And, and I think, you know, Kale and his program are the perfect examples of that, right? I mean, to win four national champions in a row and to become the. The greatest wrestling program in history. And I agree with you wholeheartedly. He is the best coach to ever have coached. And trust me, I'm not old enough or young enough not to put John Wooden in there for sure, or some of the other great legends, Bear Bryant or whoever. But I'll never forget a couple years ago, the last time Penn State went to the Final Four. I was working with the captains that year, and the first thing I did at the beginning of the year, I said, go talk to the captains of the wrestling team and ask them what their culture is about. Ask them what they do, how do they cultivate it, how do they embody it, what do they do every day? And so can you explain kind of your philosophy of culture to be at Penn State, not only as a coach, as a supporter of coaching or the administration, and then also as an athlete, what is. And if you could define the culture of being a Penn State athlete, what is it?

[Walton Goggins]

Well, I'm glad you bring up culture, because I think culture, I'm a firm believer, culture is what drives everything. If I'd sum it up, you know, grittiness, toughness, like we have to out tough everybody in this world, this new world with the house case and everything. Tougher teams will win. And I taught, we talk about hockey team, tougher team on the ice this year, they didn't flinch. You can't flinch. Volleyball don't flinch. They didn't flinch in so many instances where they could have bowed down. That's toughness. Toughness, as I tell them all the time, that's not getting in a bar fight. That's actually a sign of weakness. Toughness is going to class, doing the extra work, being a good teammate. So when I, when I look at who we are and going all the way back to when you were here and everybody, like, there is a level of grittiness and toughness to what we do. And, yeah, we're not going to be flamboyant. We're not going to be. That's not. And there's something wrong with that. But here it is, right? It's the simple uniforms. If you look at our new facilities, they're very. I mean, they give the needs that we. What we have to have, but they're not, you know, hologram pictures. And no, it's. It's a place to go get work, go get rehab, go get it done and, and, and, and come together as a group. So I think that culture is what is driving us to succeed. And then it's this, let's not back down. We are Penn State. So have a chip on your shoulder and go take it. Don't. It is never going to be given to you. I don't care who you are. But if you don't go and take it, then you're never going to get it. And so we're trying to get everybody to say, I don't care if you're a fencer, a swimmer, a football player, go get that thing that you want. Go 110 to that. And if we're all doing that, coaches, equipment, staff, it, boy, you become really difficult to beat and, but we all need to be going in the same direction, everybody. And so I think, I really believe culturally we are closer to that than I think probably most people really realize to who we are as this thing is building. And that toughness is hard when you're this big. That toughness piece is really hard to get ingrained. But you've seen, you saw so many examples this year. Yes, football at sc, you know, wrestling in the third round where everyone thought the sky was fun. We're still up 30 points and we lost a couple matches. And then the next morning we go 14 and 1 and set it all up. Right? Well that's, that's Penn State. Katie, our volleyball coach, dude, battles freaking cancer and is the first female to win a national championship as a head coach. Like, that's what it, it takes. So, so being all in, being together and doing it with heart and passion and toughness, it's hard to beat us.

[David Rutherford]

I, I, I agree and I, I think that grittiness is, and, and you and I have talked about this, that that grittiness is the essential thing within sport itself, right? It's, it's doing the thousands and thousands of reps, it's doing what you're not what you're doing and off it's taking care of each other on the team. Like that's the essence of that grit and thing. But there is also this other phenomenon that I believe exists at Happy Valley and that is the fans. Can you talk about what it's like going from Boston College or Temple and coming into Penn State and, and participating in your first white out or going, you know, the frozen four this year in Altoona or being in one of, you know, the, you know, one of the arena, whatever it is, on whatever field. What's that embody to you. And how does that, that, that force of our, our fan dedication drive you?

[Walton Goggins]

It fuels your fire, it fuels you, number one, you. I, you take great pride in being able to deliver. You want, like, we're in the memories business. So I need to like to be able to give memories to whether it's the students or families, alums and supporters, is, is a treasure gift that we have in this business. And it's not lost on me. It's not lost on me to have this role that is something that is, is so important to so many and I respect that and I don't want to mess that up. That's the pressure that I put on myself. But at the same time, it's so powerful. It's like I, you know, when I recruit coaches or I recruit staff or even athletes, I try to put it into words what it means to either represent us, be a part of this. And that's never, I can never do it in a way that shows it in real life. I mean, my first game, I get off the bus of Purdue for football. It's my first year, and there's 1700-2000 people waiting for us for the opener at Purdue. I'm like, you would think another game. Nothing here is another game.

[David Rutherford]

No.

[Walton Goggins]

And whether it's you hit on like lacrosse, gymnastics, it doesn't matter. The fandom and the support is, is, it's, it's inspirational, it's motivate. It helps motivate us. It, it separates us in every category and it's not normal. And I mean that in a really special way. And so if we don't have that, we don't do the things we can't, we can't do what we are doing. The fans are such a critical aspect to the whole order. You know, we have 94,000 season ticket holders. That number is insane.

[David Rutherford]

That's crazy.

[Walton Goggins]

It's insane that like in football that like, it's insane. People announce 60 and they're proud. We got them by 30 plus. You know, you can't get a ticket to wrestling. And our hockey sells out like. And so the impact lacrosse, the impact and the passion of our fans is so powerful. What I do think I've learned in three years here is we all as Penn State nation need to stand up and stick our chest out and say, yeah, we're Penn State. And not just talk to each other, but talk to everybody and say, no, we are elite. We are the best. We are the best base in the country. We are the strongest institution in the country. We are the best athletic department. That's okay to say. That's not cocky. That's. That's just confident. And as we say, that's juice.

[David Rutherford]

That's the juice.

[Walton Goggins]

And we, as we Penn State, I think we can, I think we're helping to fuel that fire in athletics. But r, you know, it's, it's, it's a, it, it's a powerful, powerful thing. Our 800,000 alumni. And no matter where you go in the world, you're hearing a. We are chanting and everybody can say they're powerful. They're not as powerful as us.

[David Rutherford]

No, no. I love that coach. I mean, that just makes me. It's overwhelming one to see all over the country. And I travel the country every year. You know, I'm giving 100, 120 speeches a year. You know, last year, 30 different states. Everywhere I go, I see, I see that panther head on someone's chest, you know, and I'm screwed. Screaming out the window. I forget where I was, you know, some state. And I see this woman and she's got it on. I go, we are. You know, and she looks at me and she's like, penn State, you know, and it's, it's that energy, man. It's that thing that comes with the grit and the determination. So, you know, last question for you. Let you go.

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[Walton Goggins]

Well, I think you just hit on, I think you have to continue to grow. You can't settle. You know, we have a huge Beaver stadium project. So we're, you know, that, that is, it takes time and then obviously the chaos of what our world is in college athletics, right? So stabilizing it and we're in a good spot once again being a Penn State, you know, we have that, the ability to do what we need to do to be successful because of the support we have, because of the infrastructure we've built and the support from Neely down, our president to all of us. So that's extremely helpful. I think from look at, I believe if we all do our jobs in the summer and get Ourselves ready. We can absolutely match and surpass our national title mark this year. I think our teams, believe it or not, are positioned better than we were last year. But with that, we've got to be able to do the work to get there. So I think continuing to progress competitively and build off of what we. That's what I'm kind of looking for. A lot of my work right now is to make sure we don't miss a beat over the summer, take our eye off the ball. But I'm really. I don't want to wish summer away, but I am really excited to get our fall off and running because we are very well positioned competitively. Obviously, you see, you mentioned what we do academically, but as a unit and as an organization, I'm very excited about. We haven't even scratched the surface, right? Like, we haven't even gotten to what we can do. I think we can be a transcendent department to where people are like, what is going on in Happy Valley. I believe that in all my heart. So I think next year will just be another phase of that.

[David Rutherford]

Well, Doc, I just want to just. You know, I have so much gratitude for you being at the school, but for being a friend, but more importantly, for the impact and what you're doing for those young student athletes, because there's no place like Penn State. It's transformative, and you are a huge piece of that. So I wish you all the best. God bless you. Good luck. And if there's anything I can ever do to help you or that institution, don't ever hesitate.

[Walton Goggins]

You know, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you how much your support has helped me through this these three years. You know. You know how much I love you and what you said to our teams and all jokes aside, set us up to rethink how we attack every day to be great. And so, you know, and your texts and notes mean a lot, brother, but I appreciate it. I'm so happy for you, too, man. Not. Don't get too big time that you don't come back. That's the problem.

[David Rutherford]

Ah, dude, you're gonna have to pull me out of that place. God bless you. Yep. Thank you. Thank you for joining us in our interview with Dr. Pat Kraft from Penn State as the. The. The. The athletic director for what most consider was the most significant athletic program of the year in NCAA Division 1 sports. What I hope you got and what you pulled away from this man was not only his passion and his dedication to those athletes and his coaching staff. But more important, his idea behind what enables young people and coaches to grow, which is that sense of grit and determination, the, the building of great culture to be all in. And that's an important part that I think we need to really begin to emphasize in our society at a higher level. I've been in sports since, organized sports, since I was 4 years old and, and I learned more about who I was and who I potentially could become through athletics. And I think with the, you know, with the advancement in technology, what's ultimately happening is, is, is, you know, our kids are moving more away towards that competition or the desire to compete in athletics. You know, and then I also think that there's a negative component of, of the travel leagues and what they've done, overwhelming kids and overwhelming parents, quite frankly, and coaches. I mean, there's a lot of people I know that have wanted to be into coaching or gotten into coaching and travel and then ended up quitting because of the madness of the parents, the intensity of the leagues and just, you know, this. All of the negative aspects that seem to be, you know, fusing their way or infecting the beauty of what sport can be. And what I want to emphasize is that if, if you're struggling, if your children are struggling, if your high school or your college is struggling, lean in. Like Dr. Kraft said, lean in and support them. Volunteer to go coach your high school football team. I've been working with art, my, like, you know, the high school I went to, my kids go to this. I've been working with their athletic department and specifically the football for years now. And, and in the reward that I get for having some small influence on these people is overwhelming. And it also contributes. Obviously, you know, many schools around the country don't have the financial opportunities as Penn State does, but what they do have is they do have the ability to influence your children or to influence you if you're out there competing yourself still in that capacity. So what I just ask of you is contribute, get involved. If you're going to be a coach, be a guest coach for one season a year or just show up for one practice a week. And if you're a player, listen to what he was saying. Contribute to the advancement of the culture. Really get in and understand the long term positive impacts of what sport will do for you. Listen, you know, we're a country that seems to be pulling apart at the seams a little bit. And the one thing that always kind of keeps us together is our fascination and our desire to want to be a part of athletics. It's the thing that really exemplifies what's best in each of us and what's best in us as a society. So don't be afraid to volunteer. Thank you so much for joining me. If you love this show, please like add a comment give us a five star rating rating. But more importantly, share it with somebody that you knows in the athletic world. Share it with a young person that's thinking about involving in sports or leaving sports. But share it around so we can inspire other people to feel the benefits of what athletics can do. Thank you so much. I'm your host. I the David Rutherford Show.

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