Today’s Coach and Coordinator podcast continues its “Home Team” series with guest host Joel Nellis, and today’s guest, South Dakota State offensive line coach and running game coordinator Jason Eck.

Eck helped SDSU set single-season records for scoring, total offense and total offense per game last season. The team also had a program-best 11 wins and reached the FCS semifinals for the first time.

Eck also had previous stops at Montana State, Minnesota State, Western Illinois, Hampton, Ball State, Winona State and Idaho. After graduating from Wisconsin in 1999, he remained with the Badgers as a graduate assistant, then moved on to the same position at Colorado.

On today’s show, Eck discusses the importance of making decisions as a family, and how his commitment to his family inspires his players.

Show Notes

• 3:34   Eck gives the story of how he met his wife
• 7:54     Invaluable character traits that makes his wife special
• 9:21     Being married to a coach
• 10:27   Introducing his children
• 12:43   Unique characteristics of his sons
• 14:59   Being a parent, not a coach, to his kids
• 17:13   Making youth football fun
• 19:48   Deciding on the right time to have children
• 22:41   Making a job decision with the family
• 27:20   Living in different locations
• 29:37   Changing jobs with the family
• 33:47   Carving out time in-season for his wife
• 36:34   Bringing kids to team practices and office
• 41:22   How he learned from being around his dad
• 42:29   Overcoming challenges in work/family balance
• 47:38   Players seeing commitment to family
• 50:12   Leaving a lasting legacy with his family in coaching

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