Coffee With E
Welcome to Coffee with E—where great conversations meet inspiration! ☕✨
This podcast is for dreamers, go-getters, and those on a journey of self-growth. Whether you’re building a business, navigating relationships, or working on your mindset, you’ll find motivation, wisdom, and real-life stories to help you level up.
Each week, we dive into topics like self-worth, mental well-being, wealth-building, leadership, and entrepreneurship—always with a mix of honesty, luxury, and a little fun. If you love deep conversations, personal growth, and a good cup of coffee, this is the podcast for you!
Join me, Erica Rawls, and my guests as we keep it real, inspire action, and remind you that anything is possible if you’re willing to do the work. Subscribe now and let’s dream big together! ☕✨
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Coffee With E
Winning Against All Odds: Lance Deane's Journey from Underestimated Coach to Unstoppable Champion Leader
Can a 29-year-old coach truly revolutionize a struggling football team and turn them into champions? Lance Deane, the youngest head coach in Pennsylvania, has done just that. Join us for an inspiring conversation with Lance, who leads the Central Dauphin East football team and is currently riding high on a 4-0 record. Lance shares his incredible journey from his Harrisburg roots, his time playing at McDevitt and Kutztown University, to becoming a head coach at the tender age of 25. Hear about his audacious decision to apply for the job, the unwavering support from his loved ones, and his philosophy of always expecting to win. Learn how Lance took over a team with a dismal 0-10 record and transformed them into a winning powerhouse, all through instilling a positive mentality and teaching invaluable life lessons through football.
This episode is more than just a tale of athletic success; it’s about the power of relationships, loyalty, and perseverance. Lance delves into the importance of understanding each player's unique aspirations, whether they aim to play college ball or serve in the military. Discover the challenges and rewards of finding assistant coaches who share his vision and the influence of early mentors on his coaching approach. Lance’s philosophy extends beyond the field; he believes in preparing his athletes not just for games, but for life. Learn how he handles skepticism about his age, focusing on results and building trust, and why perseverance and character-building outweigh quick success. This episode is packed with insights that will resonate with coaches, leaders, and anyone striving to make a positive impact.
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Hello friends, welcome to another episode of keeping it real, where we have real conversations with extraordinary people in beautiful multi-million dollar homes. I'm Erica Rawls and I am excited about today's episode because I can sit down with a, I want to say, a great leader in our area who is only at the mere age of 29 and he is doing his darn thing. He is the head coach at the CDE's football team and he is doing great things this year. They're already what? Four and O, yeah, four and O, and we're going to have a great conversation. You ready, set, let's get into it. Yeah, you're so welcome, you're so welcome. So I need for you to share your background because I think you're doing phenomenal. I was I know you're coaching with my son or my son's coach one of your coaching staff, and when I saw what you were doing and then I asked about your age, I was like, oh no.
Speaker 1:Yeah we definitely have to have him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I appreciate you having me on. So I was like you mentioned. I'm head coach at Central Dauphin East. I'm also the dean of students there as well. I grew up in the Harrisburg City area. I played locally at McDevitt. I went on to play college football at Kutztown University where I got my Legion of Sports degree, and after that I came back, had the opportunity to go back and coach at McDevitt. At the same time I went back to school and got my teacher's certification, Spent some time at McDevitt for a few years. Then I went to Stilton, was a defense coordinator there for a year. We won the state championship. Then I applied for the head coaching job at Central Duffies, where your husband gave me a chance to become at that time the youngest coach in all of Pennsylvania. I was 25 when I officially got hired. So right, definitely a neat experience and a good opportunity, to say the least that's awesome.
Speaker 1:What gave you? I don't know any other word but audacity yeah to what to apply for a head coaching position. At that time, what were you? 27 28 when you applied 24. You were 24 when you applied.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, 24, 25, 25, 25.
Speaker 1:You were 25? 25, yeah, seriously, lance, what were you thinking?
Speaker 2:I'm a big one like why not me? You know, I just felt as if I put the work in, I felt as if I genuinely cared enough. And I was a big one. I had multiple conversations with my mom and dad, both for my life, and they kind of gave me that courage. And you know some you know friends, heirs and a few others that kind of you know, supported me in that sense. So you know, I always thought why not me? You know, the least, excuse me, the worst that can happen is, you know, I've been told no, but I would regret it if I didn't prepare myself to actually have this opportunity. So it's one of those things where, you know, I walk in there confident and I was looking for opportunity and I was thankful to get one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing. And when you went into the role, if I remember correctly, right, they weren't doing the best, right, right. So you, I'm just blown away because you were able to go in there and have such a great impact in such a short period of time, because it's been less than five years.
Speaker 2:Right. So the year prior to me and our staff getting there, we went 0-10. Our first year as a staff, we went 7-3. We were top 10 in the state in 6A football at a point in time. We had 13 kids go to play college football that year. Um, so you know, we just everything was clicking at the right time. As far as just the kids buy it, I had a great staff. You know kids were, were anxious to learn and wanted to be great. So you know it was definitely a good initial starting year as far as these kids buying in and a great group of leaders that were setting the tone for these kids on and off the field.
Speaker 1:I mean, I get coming in and they were hungry, and yet there had to be some doubt For sure, right. So how did you motivate them to respond so quickly? 0 and 10, you said Right. And then 7 and 3? Right, right, right, yeah, okay, lance, put the secrets off.
Speaker 2:Just the mentality expecting, right? Yeah, okay, lance, put the secrets off Just the mentality expecting to win. I think that's just a life philosophy and a life perspective Expect to win in everything that you do, especially with kids. We're in this area, in this age, where you know social media, games and things of those distractions are always around, where it's easy for you to go through the motions with your day-to-day life. So you know, just expecting to win, expecting to compete in every avenue of life, and we try so much to try to tie in that life aspect.
Speaker 2:You know, you may be a kid that goes on to compete for a job with a kid that went to Princeton and you went to a small local state school, or whatever the case may be. You go in that interview. You expect to win the interview. With that same token, we try to tie it in of why you need to be on time, why you need to do the little things. If you're late for work, in two, three years you're not sitting out a quarter of a football game, you're not going to have a job. So you know, I think we try to tie in those things and we were able to do that and we're still doing it. Building a culture takes time, but you know you get trust and you get to buy in front of kids slowly but surely when you're doing things like that.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. So with your age, there has to come with a lot of skepticism For sure, and doubt.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:How do you work through that?
Speaker 2:I ignore it. I think that's the biggest thing. The biggest expectations come from the ones I set myself. So I'm not trying to meet the standard or expectations of anybody, because I quickly found out, the moment you know you exceed whatever magical expectations were set by them, here comes the next one. So, uh, you'll be chasing others, happiness and approval forever if that's what you're living for, um, and I know that's, that's not what I'm after. I know where I am, I know what my purpose is, so I try to, you know, block out the outside noise, obviously you hear, try to smile at it and kind of keep it in the back of my mind and more or less trying to prove myself right, opposed to prove others wrong.
Speaker 1:So when I hear you say that, I hear wisdom beyond your years. So for you to say that you truly know what your purpose is, sure, right, and you're able to block out the noise successfully, right, that's just something to be applauded. Because I know there's a lot of people, um, you know, in your age, your age, great group, millennial, right. They're just trying to figure it out. So I got to ask you who do you attribute that to?
Speaker 2:My parents. They always kept me grounded, they always kept me humble. But my parents also both my mom and dad did a great job allowing me to be coached and teached by other adults, because they were always imperative. Rather it was my aunts, my uncles or just their family friends. You know that it takes a village to raise a child. So I was just anxious enough to get to a point in my life where I was able to become a village, a part of the village for a lot of other kids.
Speaker 2:So you know, just being able to be coachable and teachable takes you a long way in life and I think I'm still at that point. I make it very clear to my students at school and to my players at the same time that I'm not perfect. I make the same mistakes a typical 29-year-old makes. I made the same silly mistakes a typical 16, 17-year-old makes. So nothing about my journey has been perfect, but even at this point I try to stay accountable. I try to stay coachable, teachable, rather as from significant other peers, fellow coaches, whatever that may be just to the best of my ability, things that I can work on.
Speaker 1:In that sense, yeah, so you not being so far away from their age, they have to admire you, yeah Right.
Speaker 2:Some days.
Speaker 1:Some days, okay, so give me a typical day. Give me a typical day.
Speaker 2:So normally starts with me waking up with my kids, depending on typical day. Give me a typical day so normally starts with me waking up with my kids, depending on the day. I obviously have two beautiful kids. I have a son and a daughter, so that calls for early day, then going into the school, spending a day as Dean of Students, normally dealing with you know there's disciplining, relationships, working with fellow teachers within the school. Then after school we have a study hall period where you know kids that don't have over 78 have mandatory study hall. So if you have any grade lower than a 78, you're to be in study hall, depending on the day, obviously that we practice.
Speaker 2:So it's a busy day, you know, committed to these students. Normally my kids will come up to practice, depending on the day, so that's always neat and cool as they're growing and they're getting older, like, for example, my son who's four the other day was like Daddy, we all have football practice. He didn't understand it was Sunday and he was like kind of in the mood a little bit. So he didn't understand it was Sunday and he is like kind of in the mood a little bit. So this kind of seeing the kids grow, my kids grow and myself grow all at once is a neat and humbling experience for sure.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Ok, so we want to circle back just a little bit to where, when you first came on board, there was a point I wanted to make, just because I think it's really important from you, coming from you know a culture where they were, I guess you could say expected to lose Is that hard, yes, but it's fair right To a culture where a winning culture, right, the kids have doubt, right, and some of the times, most of the times, with that doubt is self-esteem issues.
Speaker 2:Sure yes.
Speaker 1:So you said previously that you're dealing with. You know some stuff now.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So what were some of the things or tools or messages that you gave them to want them to be? You know, to work hard enough to start being, or seeing themselves as winners.
Speaker 2:For sure. Just more or less try to dig into the kids and build relationships. You can't teach a kid until you understand a kid. So, you know, you got to kind of break down that door, that wall, to see you know some of the things they are dealing with. Uh, some of the things they want to accomplish.
Speaker 2:You know we have some situations and times where kids want to go play college football or they want to go into the military but they're scared to actually admit that because you know they don't know what that looks like, they don't know what it takes, they have, second doubt about accomplishing those things. So just kind of taking that time to, you know, tear back a little bit and learn a student, learn a kid and build the relationships. Once you understand the relationship, you can kind of, you know, understand the approach and you know that's one thing that I'm still not struggling with. But you know, trying to find different, creative ways is, you know, different kids deserve, not deserve different kids need different approaches. You know, the same thing with teaching, different teaching methods. So just trying to understand a student or player enough to be able to meet them where they're at, tell them, get to where they need to go.
Speaker 1:And it helps. So your village, aka your coaching staff, they help with that. So you had to find people that bought into your vision and will be able to articulate it to the kids, because you can't be over here and over there and everywhere, all right.
Speaker 2:I talk about it all the time. One thing that I learned, one of the earliest things that I learned, becoming a head coach, especially at a young age, it is very hard to find good assistant coaches. One, especially when you're trying to do things the right way, because it's time consuming, Don't get paid a lot. Somewhere there is volunteers. So you got to find people that one trust your vision, Two people that are loyal to you. And three that genuinely care about the kids. And I think I've been blessed with enough and a lot of staff members throughout my three years there so far going into 44 years technically that believe in that same vision. And you know my coaches have said the players have said like they are an extension of me. You know it's their team just as much as my team. I'm not a big ego guy, so it ain't about what I say, it's about what we say. And they have that same sense of, you know, voice, sense of accountability. So just having those guys you know, like airs, uh, key mcgovern, uh, poller, um sinks, augie, hicks, that's just to name a few, sean jones I've had some guys that are no longer on the same way, that were loyal to me because everything's not a nice day.
Speaker 2:Everything is not a nice day, and I I went through some times where you I've seen loyalty go away as well, where it's people you respected, you know, that were supposed to be buying into your vision. And that's easy to do. We talk about this as a team. If you ever want to judge a man, you judge him in a time of adversity, when things are going well, everybody's smiling ear to ear. You know it's easy to do those things. Yeah, You're challenged a little bit. You know it's easy to do those things. Yeah, your challenge a little bit. You know you're coming off of two losses. Maybe it's cold out, Maybe you're dealing with personal things. What's your morals like then? What is your energy like then? What is your sense of loyalty? Looks like that. So you know I appreciate those that have been loyal to the vision of the program. I'm very thankful for that, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, you weren't born this way, right, so well. I mean for that for sure. Yeah well, you weren't born this way, right, so well. I mean you were innately born with a lot of leadership abilities, but you just had to be under the right people for sure. So who would you say? As far as football world, you talked about your parents. Who, would you say, had the most um effect on the way that you approach coaching?
Speaker 2:um, actually, I would say my midget league coaches really. Yeah, I played for the harrisville browns. Don't rate the midget league coaches Really. Yeah, I played for the Harrisburg Broncos. Don't underrate the midget league. Yes, no, you know, I played for the Harrisburg Broncos growing up.
Speaker 2:Man Coach, dj wrestling piece to Coach Brody, coach Smoke Coach, al Coach, app, you know those guys, coach TJ, the list can go on and on. It was just a way of like old school, old school tough love from the beginning. Same thing with my uncle Uncle Barr as well, who had a lot of input to my football at a young age, and my Uncle Larry as well. But you know, just, it was a sense of tough love in old school. You know it was, and my dad allowed that. My dad didn't come in.
Speaker 2:You know we're in a world now where sometimes parents are trying to live through kids, especially because they're becoming younger, younger with publicity and everything. And even to this day, when my dad supports, I always know where my dad's at because he's always in the corner, not by anybody else, just by himself. And that's how he was as a father when I was, when I was a player. I don't come to me complaining about a coach, or don't come to me complaining about playing time or favorites, um and I think that that has helped me so much, um. So, just being able to just, you know, allow me to jump off the porch, essentially from a sports perspective, uh, and get that tough culture. Um, you know, there were some tough days, uh, where, you know, I kind of had to find myself, um. So I think that character was built a lot just through my my journey as football player, starting with my mid-year, my youth league with the Harrisburg Broncos.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so finding yourself, what does that look like? Because, yeah, there aren't good days, aren't every?
Speaker 2:day For sure. It's a process I think you know as a father is probably the most when you're talking about finding yourself that I've ever been through, Because there's no manual and I had a great father, I have a great father, I have great parents, but there's no man you on how to be a father or be a parent. That's a trial by error type of thing where you have to kind of go through it and figure it out as you go, especially having them at a younger age, essentially. So I think it's a journey of consistency, just trying to stack it day by day, and with football we live by that motto win the day, Just trying to be where your feet is and just one day at a time. So I try to take that motto and, you know, attach that to every avenue of my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, be where your feet is. I like that a lot Because I think a lot of times it's hard to concentrate where you are and just be able to take in your surroundings. That way, absolutely, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:And life is short. So, you know, we start looking ahead too much. We're not embracing, you know, the good days and the bad days that are happening in front of us. That maybe creates tomorrow, but being where your feats allows you to embrace every part of that day.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I like when I was growing up, you were saying that your parents allowed you to be coached Right. I say that your, your parents allowed you to um be coached, right. I know my parents allowed my coach to to chew me up if necessary, right? We don't live in that that day and age anymore.
Speaker 2:No, we don't everything we. I think a lot of that is because everything we as parents or just in society, everything we want is fast yeah we want the fast gratitude of just.
Speaker 2:I want to win now, you know. Instead of you know, let me sit and compete a little bit. Let me, let me, let me have to earn this. Well, my son should be playing right now he may. My son should have this job right now he may. But If you stick with the process long enough, I think that builds much more character in the long run, opposed to this ducking and running going to go find the easiest journey. So I think a lot of that has to attest to wanting that immediate sense of success that I don't think does you much in the long run, opposed to, you know, the character chasing of just being through a lot, through your trials and tribulations.
Speaker 1:I think I love that about you because you're not just they're not just football player for you, right, you're teaching a life lesson.
Speaker 2:I tell them all the time and we tell them all the time as coaches. If I look back from now, four years from now and this was the peak of your life I didn't do enough. I mean, we didn't do enough as a coach. I'm like this needs to be a stepping stone to help you get to the next part of your life. We're not here to cheer, assist and let this be the peak of your life. We're here to create memories, hopefully win a lot of football games, build character. But this is just a stepping stone onto what's to come for you, whether it's the military, whether it's trade school, whether it's college football, whatever that may or may not be, but hopefully you're able to come into our program and lean with a lot more than you came in with, just overall, across the board, not just running routes or blocking or tackling, but just becoming a better version of yourself, knowing how to tie a tie, how to tuck in your shirt, knowing the difference between saying yes and yeah, no, thank you, those type of things.
Speaker 2:You know that I grew up on that. I try to, you know, and it was a process for me. Like I said, we embrace and work clear, not just meet other coaches as well. It's like we weren't perfect. Now I'm only 10 years, 12 years removed from you guys. So everything you guys have been through I struggle with as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how are you teaching them, these young men, that more than likely I'll say 90% of them have aspirations going to the NFL, right? I don't know what the statistics are, you probably know, right? So how are you preparing them going into college, even though their college coaches should be training them, stepping them up into, like, okay, if football don't work for you, right, there is life after football. It's just as you need to be thinking about that as well, right? Like, what does that? What is that? What is your part in it?
Speaker 2:oh, you know, you as a focus, absolutely for okay for us, um, because we always go back to more than football. So we always go back to what do you want to accomplish in life, and we keep that on the front.
Speaker 1:I want to play football.
Speaker 2:No, that's not enough. What else we can we're going to so, okay, I want to go play college football, I want to go to the NFL. Okay, we're going to keep this on this side and we're going to address that, because if that's what you want to do, we're not going to say, well, there's only a and chasing you doing it, Absolutely not. We're going to do, as a coaching staff, everything we can to help you accomplish that. And when I say everything we're going to make, by the end of this you're going to really realize if you actually want to do that.
Speaker 1:You like the idea of playing in the NFL, or do you just, you know, really want to play?
Speaker 2:Yep. So we're going to offer that and we're going to try to make it to the NFL. The average NFL span is not that long, so being able to prepare for yourself what is next regardless. So we dig deeper than the surface of, oh, I want to go play NFL or I want to go play college football. Okay, you may or may not be able to do that, but there's a lot of other things that go along with that.
Speaker 2:Or you know, hey, I want to major in business. Okay, that sounds good, but what do you want to do with that business degree? Um, those type of things. So when we're talking about that digging deeper, I'm just trying to find a foundation of their purpose, uh, which takes time, and I'm 29 and I'm just now finding out what I feel like my purpose is, and any difference between purpose and skill, or purpose and interest, um. So the earlier you're able to be introduced to that, I think you know, the better opportunity you have to be successful so you are so humble because I do know that you train a couple NFL players as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you could guide them, say this is the things you need to do as far as physically and mentally for sure right. So what's that experience like? It's been a blessing, yeah.
Speaker 2:You know it's put me in rooms and allowed me to see things. You know that I never kind of imagined as a kid that grew up on North 16th Street or Hatch River, pennsylvania in my whole life. But you know it's gave me the opportunity to train him and from there obviously due to his success, which is because of the things he done and not myself I've been able to get other opportunities to train other guys and different publicity and things of that sort. So it's definitely been humbly appreciative and it's neat to see humbly a pretty positive and it's been it's neat to see, especially with him being an Harrisburg guy. But it's something I definitely embrace, something I enjoy and I don't take for granted.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yeah, he gave you a hand up and I yeah, and now you're paying it forward.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure, absolutely. I love that.
Speaker 1:a question for you where do you see yourself in 10 years, because you're only 39 and 10 years, yeah, so, um, do you have aspirations to go on further, like college or nfl or? I get that's the main.
Speaker 2:No, no, no that's the question I get all the time. Um, I don't know. You're not sure, because I feel like titles may change, but my purpose will remain the same.
Speaker 2:So explain I feel like my purpose is to impact kids, uh, and just those that are in need in general maybe not just kids, um, and I feel like I'm already doing that now.
Speaker 2:Where I may be doing that or when or what may or may not change, and I'm okay with that, but I have learned to because that was pulling and killing me for a while.
Speaker 2:I was trying so hard to see what was next instead of allowing it to naturally happen, but for me, honestly, the biggest thing for me in two years very watching my kids grow and being a great father I feel like everything else will fall into place if I'm able to, you know, do the little things that I need to do and just focus on my foundation, building my foundation, growing my relationship with God, which I think has been a big challenge for me and something I've been trying to focus on this year more than ever and just trying to get to my foundation. I've been reading the book and one of the quotes that stuck with me is what's down in the well eventually comes up in the bucket, and that's something from my foundation and my purpose that I've been trying to get towards. So just trying to focus on the small things and the daily wins, and I think that big win will come in, whatever that may be. Yeah, so I know that doesn't technically answer your question.
Speaker 1:It does he played it safe? Yeah, so y'all, he played us real safe so we'll see. Yeah, well, put it this way, people are looking right. You know that. My, my um. Only only thing I would just say to you is just stay humble, right, and as long as you do, stay within your true purpose, you know the blessings are going to come Exactly.
Speaker 2:Sounds just like my mom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the blessings are going to come. Yeah, that's awesome. So you're making a great impact on the community. Yeah, no, thank you for caring so much. So is there any words that you can say to someone, because this is all about you doing great work in only 29 years of your life? Yeah, and there may be someone else out there that's struggling that at 24, they want to take a risk and apply because they feel as though they've done the work to get the job but afraid to. I need you to speak to that person. What do you say?
Speaker 2:It's cliche. In a simple way, just do it. Who cares? We live in a judgmental world where we care about who's dated, who, who works where, who does what. Do what makes you genuinely happy. Better with yourself, you will either get the opportunity or you will learn from it. I was 21, applied to be athletic director at a local high school. It was a small private school and I didn't get the job. Probably didn't have no business applying, but I wanted to see what that felt like I love, I love the I can't.
Speaker 1:I have no other word but audacity. I love the fact that you said I don't care.
Speaker 2:The competitiveness in me. When I didn't get it, knowing in the back of my head that I had no business even applying, I was extremely upset and I told myself I would never feel that feeling again, where I'm turned away because lack of experience or things of that nature. So take that same, whatever competitiveness you got, and just do it. You'll be fine in a long run. I try to live at this point, like I said, said this is all through reading and things that I've learned this year. So I'm not I've not figured it out, I'm figuring it out.
Speaker 2:Um try to live in purpose, legacy and relationship. That's, that's. Those are my three main focuses. I'll find your purpose live through and live with it. Um. Legacy one day you won't be here, um, so what are people gonna be able to say about you? Are you going to be missed? And then, last one, relationships, rather than with just an African other. God, your friends, you are what your relationships are. So if you're not loyal, if you're toxic, if you're inconsistent in those, those are going to pour into your everyday life. So just go get it, go after it and figure it out as you go.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. Thank you, that's where we'll end it. Thank you, because that was heavy right there. That was awesome. You know what? If you enjoyed this conversation, we need to hear from you. Please comment, share it and also reach out to us, because we're going to make sure that he gets the question that you may have Right, so that we can still continue to build community. Thank you so much, lynn. Coach Dean, you were awesome. You were amazing. You know what? Y'all, until next time, keep keeping it real.
