| Norman Kozak was born in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a BSJ (Bachelor of Science of Journalism) degree from the University of Illinois. He and Nate Yellen are coauthors of the book "The Coach and Us": The True Story of the Birth of Holistic Basketball; a thought-provoking story of the 1983-4 basketball season at DePaul University, when the beloved, legendary, Ray Meyer, was the men's head basketball coach. He served De Paul for 55 years, 42 as head coach. In 1979, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Although The Coach and Us is a basketball story, at the core of the book is an effort to link holistic thought and theory with sport and life in general. This heartwarming story is for anyone interested in the potential of the human spirit. The Chicago Tribune, on December 27, 2007, reported that Mark Murphy, who was an outstanding safety for the Washington Redskins professional football team "took over as president of the Green Bay Packers." For four and a half years, Mark served admirably as athletic director at Northwestern University. Referring to The Coach and Us, Mark had this to say: "Norman just a quick note to thank you for sending me The Coach and Us. I really enjoyed the book. It gave me an appreciation for the kind of person Ray Meyer was" (October 2, 2007). Also, the following comments on October 24, 2007). "Thanks so much for your kind letter and the material on the "holistic approach" to athletics. It was really helpful and gave me a much better idea of the benefits of this approach." Mr. Kozak's poem, A Bit of Wisdom," appeared in two publications by the National Library of Poetry: A Painted Garden and Winds of Freedom. On November 17, 2007, Mr. Kozak spoke on "on Kindness," at the Lake View Learning Center in Chicago, a Satellite of Truman College. Response has been overwhelmingly favorable. |
