This week of The Coaches Collective, Episode 4, we caught up with Coach Randy Bates, Defensive Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh.

2019 Spring camp was set to begin, and again, Randy Bates didn’t have time for a yearly physical. This policy was put in place by Coach Pat Narduzzi, to include his entire staff. He was a little more worried about practice prep for the following day. 

Bates now credits Narduzzi with saving his life. 

Coach gives us a glimpse of what it was like leading a defense while battling cancer during the 2019 season. His story is another prime example of how, most of the time, Football is much bigger than Football.

“They’ll throw rings on my grave, but the relationships are what last forever.”

At 60 years old, the 2020 AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year is still learning and fine-tuning his defensive scheme. Learning the aggressive Narduzzi defense, is what brought him to Pitt in the first place. 

If you’ve watched the Pitt defense this year, without question, they play aggressive. His key to getting his guys to play that way? Simple. Don’t track missed tackles.

Get your pen and paper ready for another episode of The Coaches Collective.