John Beilein and David Merritt bring their expertise from the court into the classroom
James Hawkins of The Detroit News and Andrew Kahn of MLive published articles announcing the SOE’s introduction of a course taught by former U-M basketball coach John Beilein and a former U-M basketball player and co-captain David Merritt. Beilein and Merritt are co-teaching a course titled “Coaching as Leading and Leading as Coaching” during the fall semester. The class focuses on “the best coaches, their philosophies, and why they work so well” and studies “what theories, policies, and practices are transferrable to the 'real world,' and which are not.”
The course had been taught in the past by local author John U. Bacon, a former Detroit News reporter. But after Bacon wasn't available to teach it this fall, SOE dean Elizabeth Birr Moje reached out to Beilein and Merritt due to their long-standing relationships with the SOE.
Beilein earned a master's degree in education from Niagara and taught social studies when his lengthy coaching career started at New York's Newfane High School in 1975. Merritt runs a program called FATE, which works with Detroit-area students and focuses on youth entrepreneurship. After graduating from Michigan with a degree in sports management, he founded a clothing line called Merit Goodness that uses 20% of all purchases to fund college scholarship for underserved youth.
“It made sense to pull the two together,” Moje told Hawkins. “It evolved as a result of our need to find a new person to teach the course and the past conversations that Coach (Beilein) and I have had over the years. Both David and John were enthusiastic about the idea and that deep commitment they both have to education is what drove them to say yes.”
Kahn reported that Beilein and Merritt will spend the early part of the semester teaching students how to lead themselves. Next will be the best ways to build a team.