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Contents
About the BookTestimonials
About the Author, Jon Unger
About the Book
I was already a struggling young varsity head coach when the bottom dropped out on me and my team. My best returning player was injured in the summer. Out for the year, we both were devastated. Having read H. Jackson Brown's "Life's Little Instruction Book," I decided to write a similar list in honor of my fallen player, only this list was written from the standpoint of helping a young athlete do everything he could towards becoming a champion...on and off the field. Presenting the CHAMPION ATHLETE'S HANDBOOK to my star player (after the expected dismal season) was among my most gratifying experiences as a coach.
The following year my player returned...better than ever. More than his actual ability, it was his leadership and model as a teammate that raised our squad to levels we had never come close to approaching. On a daily basis, I would hear him quoting from the book to his teammates. And seemingly out of nowhere, our team -- which had been a perennial early round loser -- suddenly found itself in the state semifinals. Jon Unger - Champion Athlete's Handbook
From that time forward, I made a point of giving the CHAMPION ATHLETE'S HANDBOOK to all my players. The results have been astonishing. Since the 2000 season, our team has won more games (both in the regular season and in the tournament) than any other boys soccer team in Ohio. In 2002 and 2003, we did what no other high school soccer team in our state has ever accomplished in going undefeated for 46 consecutive games...and winning back-to-back State Championships. But more than all the wins and all the titles, it is impossible to describe the pride I feel in seeing the boys try to live the book. To see the boys doing everything they can to help themselves play as hard as they possibly could every second on the field. To see the boys doing everything they could to keep their team as together as possible...in good times and under the harshest of adversity. To see the boys making every effort to act with class, even in situations where anything less than the highest character might have seen them going the other way. There is no higher high for a coach than watching his or her team raise a State Championship trophy to the sky, but years removed from those fleeting moments of glory, I take more satisfaction in seeing what type of adults every one of my players has become. They lived the book when they played for me. From what I see, they continue to live the book today.
It is my hope that you might know a young athlete who wants to do what it takes to be a champion, both inside and outside the athletic arena. It is my hope that you will give him or her the opportunity to live the CHAMPION ATHLETE'S HANDBOOK.
Back to TopWhat People are Saying...
"The CHAMPION ATHLETE'S HANDBOOK, I absolutely love it. I truly feel it appeals to all players, parents, coaches, administrators, and referees... I've used Jon's quotes in speeches around the country, and they often elicit a knowing nod from the crowd."
-April Heinrichs, Former Member and later Head Coach of the World Champion U.S. Women's National Soccer Team.
Back to TopAbout the Book's Author, Jon Unger
Jon Unger graduated from Harvard College in 1992. While at Harvard Law School and after a summer stint at a law firm, he quickly realized that he had no interest in a legal career. Upon graduating from HLS in 1995, Unger followed his passion for sports and education in becoming a teacher and coach at Madeira High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. As head boys varsity soccer coach, Unger's soccer program has been among Ohio's best over the past decade, culminating with State Championships in 2002 and 2003...Ohio's only back-to-back undefeated seasons in its history of boys soccer. As proud as he is of his team's success,Unger takes greater pride in how his players have conducted themselves on the field and have developed as all-around citizens.
He is married to Melissa, also a teacher, and they have recently had the blessing of a son, William. Unger has hopes that some day William will model the lessons of this book.
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