The 4th Down Foundation

Shout out to the Nc state wolfpack and their head coach, Dave Doeren! The team is off to a great start! We wish you much success this year. Go pack! NC State Football

Role Model Series - Episode 7 (with Head Coach Dave Doeren) North Carolina State Wolfpack Head Coach, Dave Doeren, embodies the mentality, “We play hard. We play tough. And we play together.” As a coach, Doeren now ha...

We are all capable of achieving enormous goals, but in order to get there we must be able to lead through pain.

Leading Through Pain - The 4TH Down Foundation The inexperienced leader can acquire a book and learn a lot about leadership from the careful guidance of an author, influencer, military leader, or a college professor. I know this, because I was that inexperienced leader. But what puzzled me is the question, what specific communication does the le...

Thanks to our hardworking friends with the United States Marine Corps, we were able to deliver a leadership reaction course to the boys lacrosse team at South Garner High School. It was great to see some of the Captains we worked over the winter show off their leadership skills.

Check out our latest Role Model Series interview with NC State football head coach, Dave Doeren.

Role Model Series - Episode 7 (with Head Coach Dave Doeren) North Carolina State Wolfpack Head Coach, Dave Doeren, embodies the mentality, “We play hard. We play tough. And we play together.” As a coach, Doeren now ha...

Check out our latest interview with Gunnery Sergeant Cody Morris for a long overdue, Episode 6 of the Role Model Series. Gunny Morris is the ideal example of character. He does a fantastic job speaking on his beliefs of effective leadership while reflecting on his combat experiences in Afghanistan. This is a rather lengthy episode, but it's well worth every second.

Role Models Series - Episode 6 (with Gunnery Sergeant Cody Morris)

How does your team reward hard work? Today, we presented the South Garner High School Men’s Soccer Team with custom, “Earned the Jersey” t-shirts as a reward for their hard work in the weight room and on the road during the summer and pre-season. The team is off to a great start this year thanks to these young leaders. Hard work should be rewarded so it can spread. Every day, this team approaches the classroom and the field with the goal to Earn the Jersey.

Don't be overly consumed with your to-do-list. Leaders make time to build relationships with their teammates, which then strengthens the culture.

We are proud to present the 2021 4th Down Leadership Award to Harley Lainez of South Garner High School. Harley has made tremendous strides since joining the SGHS Men's soccer leadership team back in November of 2020. He hit the ground running and it was hard to even notice that he was one of the newest members on the team (everybody else has been on the team for at least 6-12 months). Harley served as a vital liaison between the coaching staff and the team during the season. He would talk to the team before and after practice, organizing off-field activities, and support his teammates when they were facing tough situations both on and off the field. He also helped the leadership team with establishing a Team Ethos (the team values) and helped communicate/implement the Team Ethos with the rest of the players throughout the season. He exemplifies "Team Before Me." Harley played in multiple positions during the season and he never complained about it. His peers have said that Harley kept them motivated throughout the season even when they weren't playing much. During the COVID lockdown he invited his teammates to participate in team gatherings off the field. Amazing job, Harley!

We hosted our first ATHLEAD event at South Garner High School this past week with help from the Marine Corps. ATHLEAD is a physical and mental toughness competition for high school sports teams designed and facilitated by The 4th Down Foundation and the United States Marine Corps in order to facilitate the growth and development of team leadership. We are excited to expand on this cutting edge approach teaching high school student athletes about leadership!