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Ed Cooley understood why he was ready to leave the literal comforts of home. The easy choice, the obvious choice, was to stay at Providence, in the town where he was raised and amid a community in which he was beloved. He had done the hard part, got the program rolling into an established Big East contender and NCAA Tournament regular, and, on top of that, established an identifiable culture and brand. The Friars, like their coach, had heart, grit, toughness, and an insatiable desire to prove people wrong. Stay, and you have what most people crave - status, stability, and success.

Chad Brown spent ten years on the football sidelines chasing the same ideal that haunts every coach - the perfect culture. Now, as the CEO of Profile, Brown has come to realize how impossible that pursuit was.

Why? Because the very culture of football is broken.

The sport has chugged along for decades without changing, clinging to the same clichés - ‘next man up,’ ‘first one in the office,’ ‘last to leave,’ - and ways of doing things.

Matt McMahon likes order. Predictability and precision give him comfort. Then, Ja Morant walked into his life. The LSU head coach, McMahon, was in his third year at Murray State when Morant arrived on campus. In two years’ time, Morant would turn McMahon’s preferred order into delightful and successful chaos. Together, they’d lead the Racers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, with his success at Murray ultimately catapulting McMahon into the bigger job at LSU.

Alan Bratton rattles off the numbers almost mindlessly, running through the Oklahoma State golf history from memory. He explains that the program began in 1947, and if you take away the season canceled by COVID, the Cowboys have been eligible for 75 championships. “We’ve been to 73 of those,’’ Bratton says. “And out of those 73, we’ve finished in the top five 57 times.’’ He says this matter of factly, as if the absurd numbers are somehow normal.

Thirty-odd years ago, John Gray penned a book entitled Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. In it, the relationship counselor argued that relationships between the two sexes would always be challenging because, at their core, men and women are so diabolically opposed they might as well be from different planets.

Between jobs and trying to understand his path going forward, Dan Leibovitz took a Myers-Briggs assessment. The results suggested that he liked the instant gratifi cation of a task completed and was comfortable working in silence. Leibovitz reflected on this, considering the details of his day-to-day life. He loved the feeling of a nicely mowed lawn or a neatly shoveled driveway, so the gratification of a task-completed part made sense. In college, Leibovitz often tucked himself into the furthest reaches of the library to study, and even as an adult, he’s never had a hard time losing himself in his work. So yes, he would agree that he was a man who had no trouble with quiet and solitude.

Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski essentially threw down a challenge: how can we get better across the board? Sitting in a room surrounded by his co-workers, Tim House remembers his wheels starting to spin. Tim House, Purdue’s executive senior associate athletic director and associate director for development, is a champion of college athletics. A lifelong administrator and former athlete, he staunchly believes that the uniquely American world of college sports can be, and is, a life changer for individuals and, by extension, a community.

At Profile, we’re always inspired by innovation and the pursuit of excellence. Today, we’re thrilled to spotlight a milestone in our journey: the "Forging Ahead" campaign launched in partnership with Purdue Athletics and the John Purdue Club. This initiative, with a fundraising target reminiscent of Purdue’s founding year at $18.69 million, promises not just a near-term launch but a long-term vision. Its aim? To revolutionize the recruiting, retention, and development of championship teams across Purdue's 18 sport programs, all driven by the power of data.

Heading into the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys figured they needed to start looking for a quarterback. By that point, Tony Romo had been wildly successful but was nearing the end of his career, and the front office thought perhaps it was time to land an heir apparent.

During a recent telecast, Big Ten basketball analyst Andy Katz looked directly into the camera and declared, “This Purdue basketball team is better than last year’s.” Which, OK, Katz declared while the Boilermakers stood undefeated, with wins against both Gonzaga and Duke on their resume, so maybe that doesn’t sound too bold. Except, really, it shouldn’t be possible.

Dave Harper recently sat in a meeting between one of his coaches and a student-athlete. The conversation ostensibly centered around an eligibility question but clarifying that issue took only a few minutes. Rather than end the meeting early, the coach instead extended the conversation, pivoting to a more personal chat about the athlete’s future.

Worried about one of his freshmen acclimating to college life, Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski called her up and asked if the two could talk. She naturally worried that something was amiss, and to diffuse any concern, Gajewski suggested they meet for coffee.

Home in Louisville, Kentucky, for a visit with her parents, Shoshanna Engel decided it was time to tell them about her new relationship. She didn’t worry that her folks would like her boyfriend. They’d already met him, albeit in a completely different context.

Jerod Haase needed a win. A top 100 recruit had trimmed his list to three schools, including Haase’s Stanford men’s basketball program. Except the Cardinal coaching staff couldn’t quite get the recruit to commit. With a final home visit looming, Haase knew he had to swing for the fences on his final pitch.

As a college volleyball player at the University of Central Florida, DeLaina (Sarden) Jordan starred. She helped her team to its first American Athletic Conference championship and was named both the league’s player of the year and female scholar-athlete of the year.