Hugh Freeze stages own funeral as motivational tactic

Ole Miss football head coach Hugh Freeze used a morbid tactic as a means to motivate his team and keep them grounded.

Football coaches need to be great motivators. Think of some of the greatest coaches of all-time in college and in the NFL and the one thing they have in common is the ability to motivate and relate to their players.

Some coaches inspire by yelling and screaming from the top of their lungs while others go with another approach. Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze falls in the latter category with this unorthodox approach.

Freeze was asked about the light coming on for wide receiver Damarkus Lodge and Freeze said it happened after the coach staged his own funeral.

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“I created a funeral scene for me and showed it to all our players, Freeze said on Monday. “The whole purpose is understanding whatever you believe drives your behaviors, and your behaviors drive your performance, and your performance will give you some result.”

This will certainly qualify as one of the darker and unusual motivational tactics a coach has ever thought of. If it works, then this dark message could result in the light coming on for his players.

The full quote is below, courtesy of Ben Garrett, and you’ll probably want to read this a few times over to let the oddity sink in.

If Ole Miss wins the SEC we could see more coaches doing this. Call me skeptical this sort of thing will catch on but the message is your beliefs drive your behavior which drives your performance.

What do you make of Freeze’s mock funeral? Too dark or a unique and fresh way to reach his roster?