College of Education and Human Development - George Mason University

NFL Executive Casserly Teaches Leadership Skills in Summer Course

July 2, 2015

When Charley Casserly looks back at the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, he not only sees the gold-medal squad that bested the mighty Soviets in Lake Placid, N.Y., but a teachable moment.

“It’s not necessarily the best players, it’s the best team [that wins],” Casserly said. “So in picking a group, you pick a group that fits the system, not just a bunch of all-stars. Then you take your system and adapt it to what’s going on to be successful.”

Spotlighting what some believe is the greatest upset in sports history is just one way Casserly, the former general manager of the NFL’s Washington Redskins and Houston Texans, makes leadership issues come alive during his nine-day summer graduate course—SRST 598 Professional Sports Leadership—offered through George Mason University’s School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism.

But don’t be fooled by the course name. Casserly is as likely to have a personal trainer in his classroom as those who aspire to management positions in professional or college athletics.

 

Charley Casserly, Executive in Residence for Sports Management, teaches a professional sports leadership course at the Fairfax Campus. He also teaches an undergraduate sport management and professional development seminar during the spring semester. Photo by Alexis Glenn.

 

“All the people who come in there are training to be leaders, managers,” said Casserly, who also teaches an undergraduate sport management and professional development seminar during the spring semester. “I adapt the concepts to the people in the room.”

The concepts include developing teamwork, handling the media, interviewing for jobs, evaluating and hiring people, managing crises and dealing with success and failure—all day-to-day functions of Casserly’s time as an NFL executive.

There are no textbooks, per se, but there is a reading list of chapters in books written by notable sports figures such as Pat Riley, the iconic president of the NBA’s Miami Heat; Mike Krzyzewski, coach of the five-time national champion Duke University men’s basketball team; and Bill Walsh, who won three Super Bowls as coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

There also is Casserly, in his way, paying homage to George McElwreath, his Pee Wee Football coach in River Edge, N.J. Casserly, now a television analyst for the NFL Network, considered McElwreath a mentor.

 

The nine-day leadership course includes lessons, assignments, and one-on-one time with Charley Casserly to maximize the academic and career benefis for students. Photo by Alexis Glenn.

 

“He was always a guy trying to learn and get better,” Casserly said. “He studied. He read books. He had a great passion for what he did.”

He also had a message.

“‘If you think I helped you, then your job is to go help other people,’” Casserly said McElwreath once told him.

With that in mind, Casserly meets individually with students to get the best sense of their motivations and expectations for the course.

“I give them assignments based on what they want to do,” Casserly said. “When they write papers, they adapt concepts in class to jobs they have. In a sense, it is individual career counseling.”

“His experience and amazing knowledge base is great,” said Bob Baker, director of the Center for Sport Management and professor in the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism, part of Mason's College of Education and Human Development. “He can identify real-life situations he has been through that are recognizable for every student, and that’s very important. He’s a perfect model for our students.”

 

This article was written by Damian Cristodero and originally appeared on Mason News.

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To learn about majoring, minoring, or taking courses in Sport Management ― as well as study, internship, and career opportunities  please review the information at rht.gmu.edu/spmt or make an appointment to speak with an academic advisor at rht.gmu.edu/advise. 

 

 


About CEHD

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the most comprehensive education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a full range of courses, certificates, and degree programs on campus, online, and on site to more than 4,000 students each year. CEHD is fully accredited by NCATE and all licensure programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education. George Mason University, located just outside of Washington, DC, is Virginia's largest public research university.

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