The Dawgfather

Synopsis

The Dawgfather: The Legacy of Don James tells the story of a humble man from a small town in Ohio whose impact as a coach and mentor not only changed the landscape of college football but also created lasting change through the men he coached and the people he worked with during his 22-year career.

This film is a human interest story in a football wrapper. It examines the values James learned as a child and how he was able to apply them to his coaching philosophy and how he was able to pass his processes and perspectives on life to the coaches and players who looked up to him. The most impactful of these lessons was the belief that “Your legacy is not what you do, but rather what you empower others to do.”

Coach James challenged his teams to look beyond the game, to embrace what it meant to be a person of integrity and character, to give back to their communities in meaningful and impactful ways, and to teach others what being part of a family can accomplish. These men and women have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs and business people, community leaders, and Hall of Fame coaches and players. Lifelong “James Gang” members like Nick Saban, Gary Pinkel, Joe Kelly, and Lincoln Kennedy credit the life lessons they learned from their coach in getting them where they are in life today…

Don James truly is “The Dawgfather”