A Difference-Making Leader of Men

He’s a football-coaching fixture! Leslie Frazier’s reputation is the standard for leadership, revered for his success with defenses and respected for his heart of compassion. He stands elite as a Black College Football Hall of Famer, who has also won Super Bowls as both player and coach. After 34 straight years of football, he comes off a sabbatical as the Seattle Seahawks new assistant head coach.
 
Question: “Coach. I’ve got to ask the defensive genius in the current passing league, is it best to prioritize the front or the back end of that defense?”
 
Leslie Frazier: “Of course, I played in the secondary. (Yeah.) One of the greatest defenses ever­­­. But it starts with the front, Tom. We had a great front in Chicago, guys that are in the Hall of Fame now. And today's NFL is no different. If you can get your front right, it's going to improve your secondary, along with your linebacker. So I'm a firm believer, get the front right. Uh, it'll, it'll make you better.”
 
Question: “25 years of NFL coaching experience. What drew you specifically to the opportunity in Seattle?”
 
Leslie Frazier:  “Well it goes back from my relationship with Mike McDonald. Mike and I worked together with the Baltimore Ravens and we had a good relationship and we've kind of kept in communication over the years. And when he got the head-coaching job here in Seattle, he called me up and asked me, he said, ‘Leslie, will you come and help me’? I have such respect and love for Mike. I just sense that this was the right move at this stage of my life. And I'm so thankful, Tom, that I accepted this opportunity.”
 
Question: “35 years of consecutive years of coaching before the sabbatical, so what did life look like breaking that routine?”
 
Leslie Frazier:  “When you've been doing something, uh, for as long as I have every fall - it was definitely different and challenging in some ways. But I ended up doing some TV stuff with the NFL network that was great, that kept me around pro football and, kept those relationships going. But it also gave me a chance to get even closer, to the Lord during my time away from football. I was able to do some things family wise that I had not been able to do in the past, especially in the fall. I got a chance to see how other people live. You just think that the whole world revolves around football. That's not, not the case. So it was, it was good in a lot of ways.”
 
Question: “What does an assistant head coach bring specifically to that position?”
 
Leslie Frazier: “The fact that I've been a head coach before, been a defensive coordinator, been a position coach. More and more owners are, are hiring, first time head coaches and very young head coaches who need someone to walk alongside them, to maybe have a word to say here or there, but also build a relationship with the players, because in that head coach's role, I mean, you're the CEO you are, you can't really get into nuts and bolts of the everyday. And that's where one of the areas why I think can help Mike, is we're building relationships with our players”
 
Question: “Like a lot of professions. Coach. When one role has to take a backseat to a primary, how difficult is it to embrace a selflessness in a arena that rewards high success?”
 
Leslie Frazier:  “Yeah, that’s a great question, man. This role, Tom, is probably not for everyone, 'cause you are truly a servant in this role. When I was a coordinator, you're tied to that and everyone associates that side of the ball with you. Whereas now in this role, you're kind of in the background, you have to be okay with that. And I am, uh, thankful, uh, that God opened this door.”
 
Question: “How does the impact of fatherlessness literally reach a player, a coaching staff, on the field of performance?”
 
Leslie Frazier:  “A lot of times a coach becomes a father figure for those players. And I was one of those young athletes growing up without a father in a home. I could relate to a lot of our players who didn't have that male presence or that direction. My grandmother, who had a major influence on my life, in so many different areas, raised me. It puts a premium, Tom, on us as coaches to be the right type of leaders - understanding that it’s much more than X’s and O’s. We have a chance to impact, uh, some players, uh, for eternity”
 
Question: “What can society learn coach about a group of men that walk united in diversity going after the same goal?”
 
Leslie Frazier:  “Yeah!  This type of environment where you have so many people from so many different backgrounds, that don't necessarily look like you, but yet we have to be unified in our purpose. What I'm hoping Tom that here in Seattle, because of the spiritual leadership that's on our ball club, where it's not just about wins and losses, but it's also about developing people. Christ has put you in this position and in this place for a time such as this, to make a difference for the kingdom, be able to impact and influence people in a way, that is not ordinary. It's with a spiritual emphasis.  
 
Question: “How does biblical wisdom coach up this NFL coach to help coach up?”
 
Leslie Frazier:  “Everything's based on my belief in scripture. Which means I have to stay in the word on a daily basis. I have to be in prayer, I have to be in a mentor relationship, uh, where someone can hold accountable what I believe, but having that belief in the Bible - that's the driving point to what I do and what I say and how I act and how I interact with people. That's the foundation”
 
Question: “When scripture speaks of God giving you a refugee, what does that look like for you?”
 
Leslie Frazier:  “For me, what I’m doing now, allows me an opportunity to make a difference in so many lives to impact people for our savior - where people may not remember some of your deeds, but they remember how you made them feel on a daily basis. They may not remember some of the words that you had to say, but they remember the impact that you had. But doing it for this reason, Tom - to follow the gospel. And I think if you keep that in mind and realize what your purpose is, you have the chance to have a long-term impact.”