Kevin Turco made a promise to himself that someday he would work for Lou Holtz and become a successful head coach.

While serving as a high school freshman coach, he decided he was done being “average.”

Turco made a 15-hour drive from Boston to the University of South Carolina for the chance to speak with Lou Holtz, whom he had never met.

“After a long night in Boston, I decided I didn’t want to be average anymore, drove straight down to South Carolina. [I] had never met Coach Holtz; [he] didn’t even know I was existed. At that time [I] was only coaching freshmen high school football,” Turco said.

When he got to South Carolina, he put on his Marine Corps uniform and found Holtz’s office. His efforts paid off, as he got the opportunity to speak with Holtz for 20 minutes.

He told Holtz he wanted to work for him, learn from the best and not be average anymore. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a spot for him at the time.

But those 20 minutes changed the course of Turco’s life forever.

After five years, several job changes and plenty of persistence, Turco eventually got the opportunity to work as a graduate assistant for Lou Holtz at South Carolina.

“It was special and humbling. You asked how I got there… A whole lot of support from my friends and family. A whole lot of waiting around and working toward that moment,” he said.

After his time at South Carolina, he continued to pursue his dream of becoming a head coach.

More than a decade later, on Jan. 17, 2017, Turco was named the Head Coach at Lindenwood University (Belleville, Ill.).

To this day, Turco acknowledges the enormous impact that Holtz had on his life and coaching career.

Based on comments Holtz made when Turco was hired, it seems that Turco made quite an impact on him as well.

"When Kevin Turco came into my office at the University of South Carolina in his military uniform, it didn't take me long to realize that this was a special person,” he told lindenwoodlynx.com in January. “The reason I hired him was because I thought he had great leadership qualities and would help the athletes make good choices in the classroom, on the field, and in life.”

Listen to Turco’s full interview on the USA Football Coach and Coordinator podcast here.