Steve Alford

Coach Steve Alford has a great story to tell. When he was 10 years old, neighbors in his small town laughed at the kid shooting baskets in single-digit weather at a hoop perched on the edge of his driveway. Ten years later, neighbors stopped to ask for an autograph from the same kid, except now he had an Olympic Gold Medal hanging from his neck and a storied college basketball career underway. The Steve Alford story is a story about grit, determination, drive, character and winning and winning the right way.

Entering his 27th year as a college basketball coach, Steve launched his heralded career as four-time MVP of an Indiana University team that won a national championship in his senior year. He could not have known that 30 years later he would be pacing the same sidelines as the coach who hung more banners than anyone in NCAA basketball history. In his four seasons as the head coach of the celebrated UCLA basketball program, Steve has led the Bruins to three NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances. In his career, he has won over 550 games and has coached his teams to at least 28 wins in four of the last six seasons.

With all of his success on the court, Steve considers his most important wins to be in developing the lives of student athletes beyond the world of basketball. By focusing on character and academics, he has helped develop young men into successful community leaders, businessmen, entrepreneurs and fathers. Steve remains close and available to his former players and assistant coaches to aid them in any way he can. Throughout his career, Steve has captivated audiences with knowledge, poignancy, humor, insight and story-telling. Whether at a corporate conference, banquet, fundraising event, in a church or locker room, his ability to inspire and lead lifts every person in the room.

Whether your goal is to motivate your organization to perform at the highest level, instill confidence in team members to help them reach their full potential, empower people to maximize performance and/or share inspirational stories, Steve Alford is the speaker you want for your event. Steve connects with his audience in a way that few speakers do. His style and approach makes his audience very comfortable, and encourages engagement. You will not be disappointed if you book Steve for a talk.