I have confession to make. I am the last person to subscribe to Netflix (at least it feels that way). I was getting ready for a family Spring Break trip. When traveling with our son, the question at night is always, “what are we going to do”. Not wanting to spend the exorbitant cost of pay-per-view movies at the hotel, I decided it was time to sign up for Netflix. So, I took advantage of the first month free offer and downloaded Netflix to my Amazon Fire TV Stick. Now, packing and preparing for our trip included adding some movies and shows to my watch list.

One of the Netflix shows I had heard so much about and the first I had to watch was Last Chance U. As you probably already know (it also feels like I’m the last person to watch it), Last Chance U is a Netflix docudrama about the football program at East Mississippi Community College. Located in Scooba, Mississippi, the East Mississippi Community College football program has been built around being a landing spot for many players who have been dismissed from Power Five programs, usually for academics or disciplinary reasons. The program has become a dominant junior college (JUCO) football powerhouse, winning four national championships in the last seven seasons.

While Last Chance U features the team’s lightening rod coach, Buddy Stephens, and his players, many who are on their “last chance”, another major personality of the show is Brittany Wagner, the then athletic academic counselor at East Mississippi. I knew right away I wanted to get Brittany on Beyond The Whistle. For me, Brittany represented so many of the unsung individuals who are non-coaches but also play prominent roles in the lives of athletes. I have seen first hand the positive impact a caring counselor, teacher or principal can have on a young athlete’s life. I knew her insight and experiences were something coaches and administrators listening to the podcast could find valuable.

In this candid conversation, Brittany and I discuss:

  • What she has been up to and working on since her (spoiler alert) teary departure from East Mississippi in season two of the show
  • Her personal career journey and how it, at times, mirrored those of the athletes she was working with
  • The advantages women have in working with male athletes
  • How past experiences African-American male athletes have with men in their lives often impacts how they view men in positions of authority
  • How coaches can strengthen their relationships with institution faculty and academic counselors
  • The questions college coaches asked most when recruiting players at East Mississippi
  • How JUCO programs can best prepare their athletes for success at four year schools
  • The advantages of recruiting JUCO players

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