John Calipari
National Champion & Head Coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats
Head Coach of the University of Kentucky and 2012 NCAA National Champion, John Calipari has added an 8th Championship banner to the rafters by leading his team to a victory over the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Following a Final Four appearance in 2011, he has become only the second coach in NCAA history to bring…
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Full Bio
Head Coach of the University of Kentucky and 2012 NCAA National Champion, John Calipari has added an 8th Championship banner to the rafters by leading his team to a victory over the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Following a Final Four appearance in 2011, he has become only the second coach in NCAA history to bring three different teams to the Final Four.
Calipari has led the Wildcats to four Final Fours in the last five years, making him the winningest coach since then. The 2014 – 2015 Wildcats went undefeated in their regular season, becoming the 19th team in NCAA history to enter the tournament without a loss.
Taking the reins at a prestigious program such as Kentucky is a first for Calipari who is known for turning once anonymous teams into national powerhouses. Calipari took over a 20-win team competing in the NIT in 2009 and brought them to the #1 ranking within one year. With a record 5 players drafted in the first round of the 2010 NBA draft and a 30 win season, he was named the 2010 Adolph Rupp National Coach of the Year, his third such honor.
Overall, he’s churned out 19 NBA draft picks, 15 first-rounders, two No. 1 overall selections, five top-five picks and nine lottery picks at Kentucky. Since the 2008 draft, 22 of Coach Cal’s players have been taken in the NBA Draft, including 15 first-rounders.
Before coaching at Kentucky, Calipari was the Head Coach at the University of Memphis for nine seasons. Joining the program in 2000, Calipari quickly made his mark with an NIT championship in 2002. In 2008, Calipari had the team on the cusp of a national title after an overtime defeat in the 2008 NCAA Championship game to the University of Kansas.
Calipari’s college coaching career began at the University of Massachusetts in 1988. He took over a 10 win team and brought the team to the schools’ first ever Final Four appearance in 1996 with a 31-1 record, the best in the nation.
With his history of quickly turning around programs, Calipari is a master of communication and reengineering programs. He excels at recruiting and motivating; he has, year after year, turned great individual talents into great team players. His trademark style and charisma are carried into his presentations where he describes how he helps others succeed in life on and off the court and what it takes to build championship teams. Calipari shares his secrets of success in the bestseller, Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life, published in 2010. He released his second bestseller, Players First: Coaching From the Inside Out in 2014.
Calipari’s foundation, The Calipari Foundation, has raised millions of dollars to help the lives of those in need in the Commonwealth and across the country. The foundation has donated over $2 million to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti and Hurricane Sandy.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!
LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!
MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!
SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!
SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!
CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!
PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
Refuse to Lose
In this presentation, John Calipari shares the keys to success. Sharing stories from his legendary career as a leading NCAA men’s basketball coach, he reveals what it takes to create an atmosphere conducive to winning at the highest level.
Bouncing Back
Based on his popular book, John Calipari discusses how setbacks can make an organization stronger, and create a culture of success. Providing an empowering action plan for not if, but when hard times hit, he shows audiences that they can get through the pain and emerge better than ever.
Success is the Only Option
Coach John Calipari distills his team-building methods in ways that apply to CEOs, business owners, coaches, teachers and leaders of all kinds—lessons for anyone seeking to inspire talented individuals to reach for their best selves and contribute to a greater good.
A basketball team is an intimate workplace, in which blend is everything and character matters. Calipari views each new team like a startup business—one composed of new players, new relationships, and new challenges. Each season is a series of discoveries as he learns how to unleash the extreme talent in each of his players and mold them into championship material as college basketball comes to a crescendo every spring. While he can’t control everything, he is responsible for everything—just like a CEO.
Videos
John Calipari: Creating a Championship Environment
John Calipari: I chose ESPN over apartment furniture
News
Testimonials
Coach did an awesome job and really connected with our team and delivered exactly what we were looking for about leadership.
Davis H. Elliot Company, Inc.
Coach was amazing. He was engaging, personal, took his time, motivation, and effective. I’d be happy to give a recommendation to anyone thinking about bringing him in as a speaker.
Power Home Remodeling Group
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