There can be numerous reasons that someone decides to become a coach. It could be because they enjoy teaching about the sport they love while others want to be involved in helping young people. Todd Ledford says his reason to get into coaching was a little of both.
“The love of the sport and competition was my biggest reason to become a coach,” he said. “But also to help athletes develop life skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.”
Ledford is the head track and cross country coach at Duncan High School. He is in his twentieth year at the school and says that he enjoys seeing his athletes do more than they thought they could.
“One thing I like most about coaching is watching student athletes succeed beyond their personal expectations, regardless of their skill or ability levels,” he stated.
As a coach, there are a few coaches that have impacted his life and helped shape him into the coach he is today.
“Shannon Atkinson is the former sprint and hurdle coach at the University of Oklahoma,” he said. “She is now head coach at Mustang High School. We were also high school teammates. Shanon is the embodiment of the sport of track and field, by the way he coaches his athletes and assistants and how he leads with integrity. Some other coaches that influenced me were Joe Harper and Jim Beckham.”
As he reflects back on his coaching career so far, Todd’s favorite memory would have to be having four state runner up finishes in track.
