William Freeman

After a highly successful 42 years of coaching and teaching sport psychology and sport sociology at Grinnell College, Will Freeman has retired from coaching to teach exclusively in the American studies department at Grinnell. His innovative and successful athlete-centered model of coaching is now the model for his student-centered classroom. He is respected nationally and internationally as a teacher and mentor of coaches and athletes. He speaks regularly around the U.S. and beyond.

Working at the intersection of pedagogy, wellness, and psychology, his outside-the-box ideas have resulted in his writing or co-writing six books, multiple articles, and 19 videos for teachers and coaches. As well, his teams have won 33 Midwest Conference team championships during his tenure.

Freeman attended the University of Florida where he was a successful All-America pole vaulter, competed at two Olympic Trials and as a member of the U.S. national team. After his undergraduate work at Florida, he studied Biomechanics/Kinesiology at Indiana University and Sport Psychology at the University of Iowa. A lifelong learner, Freeman continues to learn, teach, and add to the body of knowledge in education.