Available to purchase on December 2, 2024
Coaching today is more challenging than ever. From tight budgets, long hours, and overzealous parents to the NCAA transfer portal, NIL deals, and social media, today’s coaches are faced with high expectations and little thanks.
Too many coaches find themselves burned out, worn down, and wondering if all the stress and pressure is worth it. What if there was another way to stay in the game? What if coaches had a game plan to help them build their program, develop stronger players, and withstand the storms?
After 28 years of coaching on the field, including 25 seasons as head coach for the University of Kentucky, and 20 years mentoring coaches both one-on-one and through his work at SCORE International and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Coach Keith Madison has a plan to help you be successful.
In Coaching with Purpose, Coach Madison will inspire and equip you to build a winning culture and develop players who will not only lead on the field, but in their future family, workplace, and community. Through personal stories from his years as a player and a coach, Madison shares insights to help you persevere through the challenges and live a life of impact even bigger than the game.
About the Author:
Keith Madison is a baseball lifer. Signed by the Montreal Expos at age 17 and hired to lead the University of Kentucky baseball program at 26, he continues to stay in the game and support coaches through his work at SCORE International, serving on the board of the American Baseball Coaches Association, and as publisher of Inside Pitch magazine.
Praise for Coaching With Purpose:
“Keith Madison’s Coaching with Purpose is a profound guide on leading and developing young people through baseball. As one of the highest-character individuals I have had the pleasure to know, Keith embodies integrity, wisdom, and respect, qualities that shine through in this book. With Hall of Fame coaching credentials and a lifetime dedicated to serving others, Keith’s love for baseball and his passion for mentoring others are evident in every chapter. This book will inspire coaches to connect with their players in a more impactful and meaningful way, while also providing invaluable insights on creating a vision, building a culture of character, and fostering resilience. A must-read for anyone looking to lead with purpose, both on and off the field.”
CRAIG KEILITZ, Executive Director of the American Baseball Coaches Association
“This book is perfect for coaches at any stage in their career. Keith Madison is a Hall of Fame coach, in part, because Coach Madison is just as good at Coaching baseball as he is Coaching the person.”
NICK MINGIONE, Head Baseball Coach, University of Kentucky
“I have evaluated and viewed Coach Keith Madison from several different lenses. Being a SEC head coach a generation before me, he provided an amazing example of how to run a program and more importantly to love your players and lead a life that is bigger than ball. I have so appreciated the friendship, help along the way and even speaking at our banquet. COACHING WITH PURPOSE is a blueprint and legacy piece for one of the best difference makers SEC baseball has ever known.
BUTCH THOMPSON, Head Baseball Coach, Auburn University
“I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of great mentors and coaches in my journey through baseball. Coach Madison’s impact on coaches, players, and families has stood out as much as any of them. The game of baseball (or any sport) is a platform God has given us to impact people for His glory. The sooner we can understand and maximize that, the sooner we realize our greater purpose in this industry. Coach Madison’s experience and example has touched an incredible amount of lives across the world. I’m excited that, through this book, coaches can get a glimpse of how the joy and peace of Christ being the center of our job can drive us each day to a mission far greater than the game played on the field.”
CASEY DYKES, Hitting Coach, New York Yankees
“Actually couldn’t put it down… what an insightful description of the importance of what we do. The coaching profession is a life work about connecting with people. Keith outlines this and how we can impact players through this plan …will definitely refer to it again and again… we are all under construction in this business, Keith creates a thoughtful foundation for us to build on!
PAT MURPHY, Manager, Milwaukee Brewers
“I had the opportunity to watch Keith Madison go from one of my Graduate Assistant’s to battling for wins in the best league in America. While he was at Mississippi State, I quickly moved him into the role of Pitching Coach. Then at Kentucky, as the head coach, Keith always had his teams prepared and competitive, but you could also see how much he cared for his players. You don’t get the number of wins he has without pouring into the person as well. After Keith and I both retired, I traveled to the Dominican Republic with him at least ten times to help conduct free baseball clinics for thousands of young Dominican baseball players. It was rewarding to serve alongside my former Graduate Assistant and friend, Keith Madison. This book is packed with helpful ways to coach, guide and lead each player on your team. I recommend it without hesitation.”
RON POLK, former Head Baseball Coach at Georgia Southern, Georgia and Mississippi State.
“After reading Coach Madison’s new book “Coach with Purpose” I felt like I had literally taken a trip around the bases….and scored.
Keith shares his life experiences in engaging narrative and challenges us to dig in to our own coaching purpose. He covers the wonderful game of baseball as well as the people he has coached and learned from with grace and humility.
Book it! Pun intended.”
CLINT HURDLE, former MLB player and manager for the Rockies and Pirates
“As a Division 1 Coach for 30 years it’s easy to read this book and wish I would of read it before I put on my first coaching hat. But fortunately, it’s still not too late. Coach Madison has been pouring into hundreds and even thousands of coaches on a daily basis for many years. And I’m blessed to be one of them receiving daily text messages as well as offering his time to speak at a team chapel from time to time. But he changed my life when he encouraged me to attend a baseball mission trip to the Dominican Republic with Score International. Inspiring me to take my first of 3 different teams (15’, 19’, 23’) to the DR to share the Love of Jesus with others, what Coach Madison has been doing for a long time. I challenge you to read this book and let a flame get lit in you so you can truly make the impact on others that God has called you to do…”
DAN MCDONNELL, Head Baseball Coach University of Louisville
“Coach Madison changed the trajectory of my life, and I’m a better husband, coach, executive, and dad because of his mentorship. For thirty years, I’ve sought him out at every difficult crossroads, and the wisdom and direction he’s given has sustained and guided me through every twist and turn. Within these pages you’ll find the timeless wisdom he’s shared with me and so many others throughout baseball. I’d encourage you to invest the time in the book and enjoy the growth and clarity that comes from spending time alongside Coach.”
ANDY GREEN, Senior Vice President, New York Mets