Book Review: What Leadership in Football Can Learn From ‘The Right Thing to Do’.

The Right Thing to Do: Kit Saunders-Nordeen and the Rise of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Wisconsin and Beyond. A book written by Doug Moe.

Many of you are most likely asking, what can the world of football genuinely learn from a book about the rise of women's sports in college athletics? I would say, "A lot".

Wisconsin Athletics has a complex but beautiful history. Being hired as the first female football coach in the Big Ten and NCAA FBS in 2020 was historic. I did it as a student assistant coach. It was very new, very uncertain, and completely uneventful to many important members of the football program. And I was grateful for that.

Wisconsin handled it well. I mean that truly. It was a very quiet hire. That was the best thing about it: they hired me to contribute to the team, not to be used in the media. They allowed me to learn how to coach, not field interviews all day long, and take photo ops. There was some vocal dissent from within, but nothing that I could not shake, nor anything that people could not help guide me through.

Wisconsin has never been perfect. This can easily be seen in The Right Thing to Do. But there is one thing that is consistent with Wisconsin, in particular, Wisconsin Athletics. What Wisconsin has always had are a few leaders who have chosen to do the right thing, even in the face of rebuke, amid hostile environments, and amid tumultuous circumstances and consequences.

Wisconsin has two mottos. One is “Always Onward,” which represents the university’s mission always to seek progress and innovation. The second motto is on the university’s seal, “Numen Lumen,” which translates to “God, our light.” Religious ties and a commitment to creating a culture of excellence within the university community are the inspiration for this phrase.

Being in a culture that held those values was awesome for who I am and for my mindset. These values helped people like Kita Saunders-Nordeen create positive change, especially at a university that seeks progress but sometimes cannot create it organically as an institution. Sometimes, places such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison need a spark to help out.

Kit Saunders-Nordeen was a pioneer in women’s college sports and a strong advocate for equality in athletics. She served as the first Director of Women’s Athletics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1974 and later became an associate athletic director. Throughout her career, she worked to expand opportunities for women in sports, especially after the passage of Title IX. Her leadership helped transform women’s athletic programs from small recreational activities into fully recognized intercollegiate sports programs, opening the door for thousands of female student-athletes.

As I watched Laila Edwards and other notable Badgers secure a gold medal for Team USA at this year's Olympics, I often wondered how Saunders-Norden would feel about how far UW and the broader world of sports have come.

Laila Edwards skates for the Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, helping lead one of the top programs in college hockey.

Players from the United States women's national ice hockey team celebrate their gold-medal victory after the Olympic women’s hockey final at the Winter Olympics, defeating rivals Canada women's national ice hockey team.

What stands out most in Doug Moe’s book is not simply that change happened, but how it happened. Saunders-Nordeen and the people around her pushed for fairness and opportunity during a time when women’s athletics were often underfunded, overlooked, and treated as secondary. The progress described did not come easily. It required persistence, leadership, and people within the institution who were willing to stand up and advocate for something better for the women they served.

That is where the lesson for football comes in. Football, especially at the highest levels of college athletics, is one of the most powerful forces within athletic departments. It drives revenue and culture. Because of that influence, football programs often shape how the rest of an athletic department operates. The story of Saunders-Nordeen reminds us that sports programs are not just about wins and losses. This is lost in today's society, which is why college athletics are suffering.

today's

College athletics are about culture, opportunity, and leadership within the broader community and world.

Takeaways for Leadership in Football:

First, progress often begins with individuals who are willing to challenge the status quo. True leadership, including football leadership, can change culture for the better. Saunders-Nordeen did not inherit a fully developed system for women’s athletics. She helped build one. Her leadership changed a culture that said women should not play competitively and assisted in putting women on the path to grow sports and create opportunities.

In football, it can be easy to rely on tradition and the way things have always been done. But the best programs are the ones willing to adapt and improve. In all facets and avenues.

Whether it is expanding opportunities in coaching, supporting athletes academically, or improving player welfare, meaningful progress usually begins with a few people willing to lead. I love to tell people that I can only work for bold people. My existence alone in this industry is bold. So my brothers and sisters with whom I go to 'war' must be bold too.

Now, in the face of danger and turmoil for college athletics, meaningful change and athletes' welfare demand leadership from individuals who possess the same trait at Saunders-Nordeen: being bold.

Second, real leadership sometimes happens quietly. One of the themes in both my experience and the story told in the book is that change does not always need to be loud or performative. Often, the most meaningful decisions happen behind the scenes when administrators and coaches simply decide to do the right thing. Saunders-Nordeen’s work was about building opportunities that previously did not exist. Football programs can learn from that approach by focusing less on optics and more on substance—creating environments where people can genuinely develop and contribute.

Strong institutions are defined by the opportunities they create for others. The growth of women’s athletics at Wisconsin showed how an institution can expand who gets to participate, lead, and succeed. Football programs today have the ability to do the same thing within their own structures—by developing young coaches, mentoring staff, supporting athletes beyond their playing careers, and opening doors for people who may not traditionally have had access to those roles.

Wisconsin did this for me in 2019 when they hired me, and in 2020 when they allowed me to transition into coaching. They gave me tools to create a path. We had no idea where it would go; we just knew it was long overdue.

Coach Ashley Cornwell coaching on the Wisconsin Football sidelines (2022).

Lastly, hard work and persistence can make all the difference. The story of Saunders-Nordeen shows how determination and dedication helped build women’s athletic opportunities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, even when support and resources were limited. Her example demonstrates that meaningful change often comes from people who are willing to work hard in the face of seemingly unmovable obstacles.

In the broader world of football, athletes can learn that consistent effort, discipline, and determination are what lead to success. It's about the day-to-day, keep your eyes on the prize, and let your work speak for itself. Talent may open doors, but it is hard work that keeps you there.

Coaches can also take a lesson from this. Honor this trait. Integrate this into your expectations, culture, and methods of accountability. Instead of focusing only on star recruits or well-known players, coaches should encourage every athlete to earn their place through dedication and effort. That was what I loved about Wisconsin under Coach Alvarez and Coach Chryst.

To the institutions of football and the hiring powers that be: you should value hard work over reputation or last names. Too often, coaching hires and star players receive attention or opportunities because of family connections, past recognition, or status rather than their effort and proven work. If football programs truly want to grow and improve, hire and recruit the best for the job. Value character and the blue-collar mindset.

That's how this wonderful sport can be more competitive, supportive, and begin to steer society to less bias and discrimination.

In the end, The Right Thing to Do is about more than the rise of women’s athletics. This story demonstrates how boldness, ethical leadership, and persistence can make a difference.

It is about the moments when individuals decide that progress matters more than comfort and that the right thing matters more than tradition.

That how change begins.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9