What Coaching Football Taught Me About Leadership

Football has taught me more about leadership than any classroom or book ever could. I’ll never forget walking into the offensive line room at Wisconsin, 5-foot-4, ready to learn (got my ass handed to me several times in a day for over a year). That moment taught me everything about inclusive leadership and set the foundation for how I approach coaching, mentoring, and leading others.

Universal lessons from football apply across sports, careers, and life. Football is the ultimate team sport, and the values and traditions from the game are invaluable to our culture and society. I have had the opportunity to coach at two Division I programs and intern with four NFL teams. Within those stops, I led my own position rooms at the Division III, Division II, FCS, and high school levels. I have always viewed myself as a football coach who coaches football players. Their dreams are my dreams, and my purpose is to take them somewhere they cannot take themselves.

Football has shaped my understanding of true leadership. I have worked for great coaches with different personalities and been part of programs from day one of a new culture or been a contributing factor to a legacy laid before I was born.

Through my own failures and successes—and those of others—I have learned there is a significant gap in society when it comes to what great leadership actually looks like.

Inclusive Leadership in Football

Football brings together people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures to work toward a common goal. I felt inclusivity most strongly when I entered the offensive line room. In that space, team, brotherhood, and synergy operate at a different level. Every individual depends on the others to function as a unit—establishing the run game and protecting the quarterback.

I walked into that room ready to learn and help in any way I could. I never left. I committed myself fully, and they embraced me in return. No one blinked an eye. That environment was infectious, and it became something I could not imagine being without.

Why Vulnerability Builds Trust

Vulnerability is a leadership trait that is often overlooked. At Wisconsin, Paul Chryst led an exercise called Hero, Hardship, Highlight. He intentionally did not go first, allowing it to be player-led and player-specific. However, players were able to select coaches and staff to participate, and he was often called upon.

His vulnerability built trust. It created deeper connections between players, coaches, and support staff. It made players want to compete harder for one another and laid the foundation for success during difficult times. This is an exercise I now implement with every room I lead.

The Power of Intentional Leadership

Time is limited. Respect it. When leaders treat people like adults and communicate clearly, teams perform at a higher level. Being detailed and intentional about daily objectives—what needs to be accomplished and what is expected—allows everyone to execute with purpose.

Some programs operate in cultures where people guard their desks or show up late with a significant lack of structure. A current example of leadership that challenges this model is Indiana. Their coaches and players operate with mutual respect for time and structure, and the results speak for themselves.

When you are here, we work. We execute at a high level. Balance does not mean doing less—it means acting with intention.

Growth Through Trusted Leadership

The best leaders lead with trust. Assume the best in people. Give them opportunities. Throughout my career, I have always had to prove myself—and that is part of growth. Some of my biggest development moments came when someone trusted me with responsibility beyond what I had ever had. They gave me space to operate and obtain guidance when necessary.

Jim Leonhard gave me a project for the 2022 season. Pouring over film and TV copies for tendencies and indicators to share with staff and players. What you need to know about Coach is that I could never tell him something he did not already know. He also knew there was a huge chance I could be a walking dumpster fire for my first go around. But he gave it to me to help me "talk ball more" and to do it more confidently.

That trust accelerated my growth. It allowed me to adapt, learn, and meet a higher standard. When leaders challenge people through trust, development follows.

Ashley Cornwell, Tight Ends Coach, leading the Bucknell Tight Ends through individual drills (2024).

Leadership Through Service

Service is the foundation of great leadership. I learned this firsthand from Coach Gary Brown. He consistently put his players and the team’s mission above himself. He did it not for recognition, but because he genuinely loved his players and believed in what the team stood for.

That example reshaped the way I view leadership. My dreams are their dreams. My goals are the team’s goals. My mission is whatever is best for the team. Coaching is not about us—it is about them.

Service shows up in daily actions, not words. It is present in preparation, honesty, accountability, and consistency. When leaders serve their players and teams, trust is built, culture is strengthened, and development follows.

True leadership is not about position or power. It is about putting others first and committing to something bigger than yourself.

Ashley Cornwell with the 2025 Class of the National Football League's International Player Pathway Program.

Reflective Question:

What values do you prioritize as a leader, and how are you putting others first in your own team or workplace?