Anchor Up: Competitive Greatness the Grand Valley Way

Anchor Up: Competitive Greatness the Grand Valley Way chronicles Tim Selgo’s thirty-plus years in college athletics, twenty as the athletics director at Grand Valley State University. Selgo, who spurred Grand Valley’s rise to prominence in NCAA Division II athletics, provides an informative and entertaining how-to guide all athletics administrators—from the aspiring novice to the experienced veteran—can use to help their student-athletes and their athletics departments achieve competitive greatness.Selgo defines “competitive greatness” as the great John Wooden did: coming through with your best performance when it is most needed. That doesn’t mean winning every championship and being an All-American every year, but it does mean committing to excellence and aligning an athletics vision within the university mission to achieve goals.From his days as a coach’s son and his eventual success as a basketball player in high school and at the University of Toledo, to his experiences as a head coach, associate athletics director at Toledo, and AD at GVSU, Selgo relays what it takes to lead and nurture groups of young men and women to success both in athletics competition and life after college. Selgo’s three fundamentals for success—creating the best learning environment possible, challenging teams to competitive greatness, and committing the energy necessary for success—will prove instructive for people who seek leadership positions in college athletics, and refreshing for those who have already spent years in the enterprise.In short, Selgo’s message will resonate with everyone, even those outside of athletics. Anchor Up is about leadership as much as it reflects Selgo’s often poignant and sometimes humorous journey to the top.