Three years ago, I was looking back on my career and it hit me that I had so many experiences to share. While on vacation with my family, they brought up the idea of writing a book about my life.
My sons said, “Dad, we are going to be more successful than you,”
I replied, “Successful people do not know your Dad.”
It was then that my wife said, “Then you should tell them.”
It was in that moment that I decided that I would write a book and share my experiences. Over the course of 3 years, all of my stories became intertwined and I realized that the audience could grow from coaches and players to children, parents, leaders, Generation Zer’s, Millennials, and more.
The book, a memoir, began to unfold as I reflected on the events of my past and pondered on the relationships that I built with players and how I navigated politics, race relations, athletics, family dynamics, friends, and faith throughout my life.
I decided that telling my story could help somebody connect with the ideas of success, human growth, and how to adapt to good and bad situations. The idea of “growing up great” originated from the concept of conquering goals and learning that finding the greatness within comes with a dedication to faith, family, and people. This greatness also deals with picking your path and using your talent to help others.
I also believe that any CEO, community leader, salesman, teacher, doctor, or lawyer could benefit from reading my book. At first, my book was titled The Greatest Assistant Coach that Never was a Head Coach and this titled slowly morphed into Growing Up Great: Life Lessons and Coaching. My philosophy, 10 Steps to Success and Finding Balance in Your Life, and Work is Key to Reaching Greatness, are two guides that I believe lead to success both on and off the court.
My commitment to athletes was not limited to athletic success but extended to character development, coordinating academic programs, fostering academic growth, and preparing them for the real world. This book is about more than just athletics. It talks about relationships, mentorship, faith, God, overcoming adversity, and the journey of life. As a reader, you will see this journey of being great as not easy, but hopefully, my book will inspire you to make this world great.
My stories and lessons throughout my book are based on real, everyday life situations. These are my stories about my life and my adventures. Overtime, the story just flowed like a given from the man above. I hope that you enjoy, love it, and that it gives you what you are looking for on your path to finding greatness.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Butch Pierre is a true veteran of college basketball. After completing his playing career at Mississippi State in 1984 he stayed at his alma mater for two seasons as an assistant. He then went on to have assistant coaching stints over a span of 30+ years at Kentucky State, Southwestern Louisiana, UNC Charlotte, LSU, Oklahoma State, NC State and Memphis. In 2008, Coach Pierre served as the interim head coach at LSU for 10 games and led the Tigers 5 SEC wins. You can follow Coach Pierre on social media on twitter/instagram at @ButchPierre and visit him online at www.butchpierre.com. Growing Up Great is also available at Amazon.com.
