EP 100: Jeff Dugdale- Building Leaders for Life, the Queens Dynasty & the Secret Sauce of Culture

100 episodes. One Century of Swim Bros!

For Episode 100, Kyle and I sit down with someone who has had an enormous impact on both of us personally and professionally: Jeff Dugdale.

Jeff helped build Queens Swimming from a Division II startup into one of the greatest dynasties in collegiate swimming winning 14 NCAA Division II National Championships between the men’s and women’s programs before helping lead Queens through its elevation to Division I.

But we didn’t bring Jeff on just to talk about championships.

We wanted to understand the people, leadership, relationships, and culture behind them.

We talk about Jeff’s journey from athlete to coach, the evolution of Queens from DII startup → DII dynasty → Division I, and then ask him three burning questions from three different perspectives:

As an athlete: How can I reach my full potential?

As a parent: How can I best support my college athlete?

As a coach: What is the secret sauce? How do you build a culture that is both incredibly positive and incredibly successful?

We also talk about how Jeff’s perspective has evolved now that he’s experienced college athletics as a parent himself, how his responsibilities have changed as he’s grown as a coach and leader, and what he believes actually matters when you’re trying to build something that lasts.

And, of course, we finish with You Like That?

Jeff’s résumé is remarkable:

• 14 DII National Championships
• 16 DII Conference Championships
• Multiple Division I conference
• Multi national-level titles
• Several Athletes recognized among the very best student-athletes in the NCAA as academic finalist and Walter Byers finalists

“We Exist to Build Leaders for Life, With Royals Pride!”

After 100 episodes, I can’t think of many people I’d rather celebrate this milestone with.

We love you, Jeff. Thanks for everything you’ve done for us and for joining us for # 100