Hi, everyone.

Welcome to Knight Talks, the Uni of Florida College of Journalism and Communications talk show produced by students for student I'm Jordan Ramos, a senior studying journalism.

And our guest today is J.C. Deacon, a former professional golfer who served as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, before becoming the 1 coach of the University of Flori golf program.

And in his 9th season, he recent the team to a national champions Hi, J.C.

Thank you so much today for join Thanks for having me.

So you came from a golfing famil How early on did the sport become a part of your First probably couple of memorie was keys and cars and trucks.

And then I think it was my third or fourth birthday, my brother bought me a hockey stick to be able to play with hi He's a little bit older than me, but bought me a hockey stick.

And then, you know, sports has b an integral part of my life sinc Ok, so did you start out playing hockey and then transition to golf?

Yeah.

So hockey is definitely my first Probably the biggest Toronto Map fan that you'll ever meet.

So still love my hometown team and love the sport and watching But hockey transitioned into gol probably, you know, I played them about equally, starting at five or six years ol and golf was in the summer and hockey in the winter and just kind of went from there and when I was, I think, probabl or 15 had to make a decision.

You know, I was playing at a hig both and had to go one way or th And I always enjoyed the weather that surrounded golf a little bi more than hockey.

So chose golf and probably one o decisions I've ever made in my l Yeah, that's awesome.

Yeah.

So from 2001 to 2005, you played for the University of Nevada, La What led you to that school and that golf program?

That's a great question.

They were one of the best teams in the country at the time They had won the national championship in 199 So there was a lot of notoriety when it came to the program.

They had a lot of tour players that had played for them, and th it was the coach.

There was the big difference for I remember meeting him and feeli really comfortable and he just h a charm about him and a competit that I really admired.

And so I went out on my visit to and got to see Shadow Creek and Southern Highlands and the special things that that pro for them and spent, you know, a couple of days with Coach Knig But it was probably an hour into after meeting Coach Knight and having a good conversation with him.

I remember, you know, sending a message to m saying, this is where I need to Yeah, that's great.

So in 2000, to what were the cir that led to your win of the Moun West Title where you tied for se in the individual contest?

You guys have dug up the archive Yeah, that was probably the best colle tournament that maybe I ever had I know I didn't win.

Martin Laird, actually, who's played on the PGA Tour for a long time from Colora played a great final round and came back and beat me, I think, by one or two.

But I finished second individual But yeah, we won.

We hadn't won the conference cha I don't think, for a little whil So that was a big deal to Coach and it was special.

You know, winning with your frie and your roommates and, you know a team is is really, really spec And we were happy to win that for Coach Knight.

So it's still a great memory of Did that victory kind of give yo the confidence that you were rea to start coaching and competing at the highest levels of the spo Definitely not, because I never thought a day in about coaching until 2011, February of 2011.

Coach Knight, who I played for for three years we we had a very close relations We've always been good friends.

He's, you know, like kind of like a second dad t So we had stayed in touch and he out of the blue and said my curr assistant was going back to prac and the job was going to be open And he said, I think you should come and do i He said, I think you'd be a heck of a coa And I was 27 years old.

I'd only thought my whole life about being a player.

And he knew something I didn't know because I didn't know what coaching mean or what it was going to be.

But he saw something in me, and I'm forever grateful for it because it's given me so many great life experiences and a path that I never envision and I'm loving it.

And here at the University of Fl and living out a different dream but a pretty special one.

Yeah, that's great.

So I guess why did you accept th instead of maybe continuing like your professional career an Like why did you decide to go th I think it was just time.

I played professional golf for f and a half years, and as Coach K said, I think he he told me, you're not making enough money d You know, it's time to grow up.

And he had a consistent salary f which was attractive at the time But I just I had a lot of trust He was a really great man and a great leader.

And when he told me he thought I'd be great at it an something that Id really love, I trusted him and he was right.

Okay, so at UNLV, you earned your bachelors degree in communications.

Why did you decide to study this and has that knowledge kind of help you along in your c I was not the best in school.

Part of the deal I made with my mom going out to she wasn't sure about me going to school in Las Vegas all on my own at 18 years old.

So she just said, As long as you me you're going to get your degr I'll sign off on it.

So I probably picked one of the majors.

I don't know if it's an easy maj but I could write and talk a little bit so that seemed to fit well and, you know, I don't know how much you use exac what you learn in school, that the real world is just such a different animal.

But I mean, communication is a huge part of my job now.

So I'm sure some of the key thin that I learned back in the day are helping me now.

Okay.

So after college, you played professionally on the Gateway To from 2005 to 2006 and then on th tour from 2007 to 2010.

Yeah.

What were some of your biggest accomplishments during that time I had a couple of top five finishes on that PGA Tour C that were pretty good, I think my first year, finished in the top 30 on the mo which was really good.

Won a couple of many tour events down here in Florida.

But, you know, I think the memor are the relationships I made.

I got to travel around Canada with five or six of my best friends and play golf all over the count And it's funny, you know, you ge And for me, you know, I got to chase my dream, which is obviously really specia I'll owe everything to my mom an for giving me an opportunity to But you look back and it's the relationships that you devel all that I learned being on my o and having to figure out life on and what it's like to be a touri the travel, the budgeting, all t And that's really helped me become a better coach to these guys who are, you know, trying to follow in the same footsteps that I was trying to be a pro go So it's given me a wealth of kno to to hopefully help them navigate it better than I did.

Yeah.

Okay.

On the flip side, what were the parts of playing professionally Probably the financial part of i Just there's not a lot of money in professional golf until you get to the highest lev So scraping around trying to put together was probably the toughe that I remember.

But you don't really think of it at the time.

You know, you're just chasing yo trying to get better, waking up every day thinking of okay, what can I do different?

What can I do better today?

And just trying to win.

And unfortunately, I got close to a couple of times but never won a PGA Tour Canada But I look back on those days as some of the best of my life.

I really enjoyed it.

And, you know, and obviously some of my best friends in the w came from that.

Yeah.

In 2011, you returned to your al as assistant coach.

Did you already have an interest in coaching when the opportunity presented i Like I said before, I never thought a day in my life o until Coach Duane Knight called and offered the opportunity.

So I didn't even know what it en You know, I played for him and Andy Bishel was our assistan coach at the time when I played and he was great.

Still a really good friend of mi someone I talked to every once i So I knew kind of what it looked and what I needed to be.

But, you know, I was only 27 years old, so I was only five or six years older than the guys that were going to be on the tea So I knew I had to grow up reall and I knew what Coach Knight would expect, and I think that really helped having played I knew what the program looked l you know, knew what the job was going to entail.

And he put a lot of responsibili on my plate really quickly and said, Hey, you got to figure it out.

And that was recruiting.

That was the Rebel Golf Foundati There was a lot that went into i but he put a lot of trust in me and I was not going to let him d So I guess would you say that trust that he had in you kind of you get to where you are today a Yeah, no doubt that that's proba the greatest thing he's ever don is he kind of put the program in when I got there and said, you n to find players, you need to rai you need to develop our players.

He kind of asked me to do a little bit of everything I think that was doing that for three years, three and a hal was was probably a big reason of you know, I think the University of Florid maybe even gave me a chance to come and interview.

And then when I came and got the with Jeremy Foley and the rest of the team, I think that was probably a big of why I was prepared to do this And, you know, we've had a nice nine year run here and that just culminated in a national champio an SEC championship.

You know, but I look back nine y it's not even remotely the same or coach that I was.

So, you know, just as a coach, I think you're trying to get bet every day, every year.

It's a continuous journey.

And, you know, a lot of things c and people, a lot of new influen and stuff like that.

But, you know, I'm super grateful for the opportuni I've been given and excited for the future here at Florida.

Awesome.

Okay, so you helped the 2013 UNLV team to the NCAA championships where they tied for fifth place.

How did this and your previous e prepare you for eventually moving into the head coach role?

Yeah, that NCAA championship moment I'll never forget.

Kurt Kitayama, who's a professio on the PGA Tour now who I still, work with, he pulled out a seven on the 72nd hole for Eagle for u to make the match play that year It was one of the most incredibl that I've ever been a part of.

And I remember we had played in the morning tha and just hanging out with the guys on the range that afternoon, watching the scores fall and us moving up the leaderboard One of the greatest memories I have in all of college golf an we gave Georgia Tech, who is the hometown team, a real run the next day, and Oliver Sch Jones beat Kevin Penner on the first playof so it was really close.

We almost took them down and advanced in the match play.

But yeah, just an amazing experi and got a taste of what elite high level college golf was.

And I knew I wanted to get back and do it again.

So your first season as head coach of the Gators was 2014 to replacing Buddy Alexander, who coached UF to national title and 2001.

Where was the program when you t and what were your priorities co The program was in tough shape.

I think it was probably the the worst team that Buddy ever h He was just such an incredible, legendary, consistent, high leve You know, I don't even know how championships he's won, but it w And obviously they had won the national championship twice.

And, you know, he's arguably one of the best ever do it.

So but they were in some tough t I think that's maybe how the opp arose that, you know, we may hav ranked, I think, in the eighties the year before I got here.

And you know, it's just that was a great opportunit because I think, you know, maybe the pressure's a little bit less you know, there's only one way t You know, the University of Flor consistently be a top 10, top 20 And it wasn't at the time.

So we needed to get some fresh blood in here and we Got some new guys and some high and you know that all I tried to That's all I knew it at that age in my life was was hard work and high energy and a good And that's all I tried to bring every day.

And I had a lot to learn, obviou as a first time head coach.

But John Handrigan was the assis at the time and he helped me a t And that was probably one of the rewarding years that I've had at was that first year, because I t were ranked in the eighties, lik the year before.

And then we finished that season 27th at the national championshi and our guys got that great expe to play down in Bradenton at con And just an awesome season.

We grew so much and the guys got so much better and certainly very rewarding and it was a great jumpstart.

We were kind of off and running first year.

Awesome.

So I guess how did you kind of incorporate My question is, how did you kind instill those things into your p I think I've just always tried to be a m for my guys what I want them to and the attitude that I'd like them to have on a basis, the work ethic.

So I think if they're looking at coach and and they see him, you know, ther in the office early and staying and showing up and having a good every day, being happy to see ev being excited about the work we and the progress that we could m I think that was the biggest thi was just trying to to be an example for them.

I wasn't that much older than th probably only, you know, ten years or so at tha So I think they could probably relate to me.

And so we just tried to have as much as we could, too.

I think, you know, obviously the expectations and e here at the University of Florid are really high.

So it's kind of an art, we all understand that.

But you got to have a good time.

And so we we instilled some new things to they had a really good time and they were enjoying coming to the golf course every and let them use golf carts, maybe a little bit more than the previous coaches w And it worked.

They just they started playing a lot of golf and practicing har And we turned into a pretty good So what is the balance required in developing student a both in the team aspects and the individual aspects of th Oh, the balance is huge.

And that's kind of our motto at of Florida men's golf program is it's not for everyone because it takes a lot.

You know, it takes a really, rea young man at 17, 18 years old.

You're coming to a top five public university.

So the academic load is real and you're going to have to be a You don't get to, you know, just take days off and miss scho and miss assignments.

You've got to be a real student And I really like that.

So that kind of weeds out a lot of players and recruits fo But, you know, and then obviously, we're expect one of the best golf teams in th And there comes, you know, a pressure and an expectation ther So the work ethic is the biggest for us.

We're just trying to be one of t working teams in the country at the golf course, in the gym and certainly in the classroom.

So it takes a lot it takes a special young man to But, you know, we're really prou of the way we're developing our young men and the golfers and the students Our APR rate of graduation is gr It's really nice to see some guy being successful outside of golf You know, Conner Richardson comes to mind right n He just graduated from the UF La and he's taking the bar this sum you know, that's that's as cool as Ricky C who just finished his fourth yea and won on the Korn Ferry tour.

You know, he's living out his dream as a p So there's lots of great things happening in our program.

And that's, you know, from the h and effort that our kids have pu over the years and it's really f to watch the program blossom and put some very successful young men out into the real worl hopefully we got many more years to watch this program flourish.

Awesome, yeah.

It's great that so many of your have gone on and had those like careers and used what you have t for their careers.

Yeah, I'm not sure how much I've taught th Just like I said before, just tr an example and work my hardest and have a good attitude every day that I come to work and motivate them as much as I can to kind of push themselves and l to see how great they can become and whatever it ends up being.

So I love my job and I certainly being here at the University of because you have access to some of the most talented and el young players in the country and all around the world.

So, yeah, it's a really special plac So what kind of sacrifices do you and your family or did you and your family make for you to be a successful coach Well, that's a great question and one that's really special to I think there's just been so man in my life that have sacrificed along the w for me to get to this point.

You know, it started with my mom and all the things that they've for me along the way just to give me the opportunitie to become a professional golfer in the first place, to chase my dream as a hockey pl and then to be able to help me pay for school and play for coach Duane Knight in Las Vegas.

I learned so much from him.

Then, you know, helped me pay for my dream as a professional g I mean, my dad means everything He's the most important person in my whole life.

He's sacrificed everything to give me all these great oppor And then when I was 27 or 28 when I met my now wife, You know, now she does a lot of the sacrif There's a lot of time and effort into being a a Division one golf And there's a lot of travel and on the road and time with the te And she never complains ever.

She just we have three amazing kids, Dylan, Sidney and Rip and the most amazing family.

That's definitely the greatest t that's ever happened to me.

I'm so proud of them and I love every day and and being a dad.

But, you know, now my wife is yo she sacrifices a lot to to keep that the house up and you know, raise our three kids f And she barely ever gets a break and just the luckiest guy in the world to to have parents and now a wife like her.

So I'm very, very grateful.

So how did you I guess how do yo the mental side of golf?

While that's probably the most important part and Coach Dudley Hart, who's who's my assistant now, you know we spend a lot of time on that.

And it's just I think it's the consistency of There's not one secret to coachi I guess, the mental side of the It's it's just constantly the little habits, the daily hab that our guys have and getting t to believe in their method, beli our practice and committing.

You got to commit and golf.

You got to pick your shot or pick your line on a putt and you can't think there's anyt in the world That's that's right Other than that.

And we're doing a better job of And it's been, you know, like I said before, having Dudle here, who played on the PGA Tour for so long, I've learned a lot and what was important to him.

And maybe, you know, he spent all that time around the best players in the world for that long, you what he learned from them as wel So, yeah, I'm really proud of the development of our player and how ready they are for the professional world of golf r And I think the mental side is a huge part of that.

We definitely got our players prepared to play when they need Great.

So UF won its fifth national tit this season.

So what does the success feel li for both you, yourself and for everyone on the team?

Well it's monumental.

I don't think, you know, maybe anyone understands how hard that There's so many great programs i golf now, so many great coaches, so many great teams.

There's so much depth.

And for us to be able to come ou and play the way we did those last two months of is just a dream come true.

But there's a lot of hard work that went into that.

The core of our team had been here for four years.

We had four seniors on this team and they had put in the time and effort to be ready for the b and there was a lot of times this spring it looked like we we and we just never stopped fighti We were a really resilient team.

And looking back on that, I think that's probably what def we never quit, never gave up.

Even in the toughest moments when it looked like things were And yeah, you know, a lot of tal We had great players that's obviously you know I thin the centerpiece of it because you can't win at the hig without great players.

So just a testament to our guys and their work ethic and attitud you know, to win a national cham and an SEC championship in the s Fred Biondi wins the individual national champion You know, who knows, that may never happen again.

So we're trying to enjoy it as much as we can.

And I'm just really proud.

Jeremy Foley, who is the athleti here when I was hired, you know, gave me the opportunit of a lifetime to coach this golf and to be able to reward him wit with a national championship and make him look good on a cert level is really, really special So you were recently named the Division 1 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year by Golf Coaches Association of A What does an accolade like that mean to you?

That was probably the most surre part of this, to be honest, because the names on that trophy are all the guys that I've looke obviously, especially Dwaine Kni who got me into coaching and to be able to win.

I remember in his office when I was a player and as his assistant coach, he had the award up on the wall, and I seen it a million times in walking into his office and to win that award and be on the same list as him.

And, you know, John Fields and all these great coaches out there, Mike Holder, who kind of was one of the pioneers in golf that was a really neat moment.

And, you know, I do I owe it to so many people who have poured i And, you know, I think one of th underrated things about Florida is the coaching room that I get And you got Tim Walton and Rolan Thorn Quest and Mary Wise and Be Burley and Bryan Shelton, all th great coaches, Mouse Holloway, t I've been surrounded with in my and learning from them and picki the little tricks of the trade a how they go about their business You know, I'm just the luckiest guy in the wor And thankful to win that award.

hopefully it's not the last time because usually when you're winn like that, it means your team's been really successful.

Yeah, that's great.

So for the last question, what a would you share with us that's served you well over your Well, I think the most important thing is it's really, really simple.

Its you got to work hard.

There's a lot of people out ther that, you know, it's a great quo I can't remember where I heard i someone always wants your job, whatever that is.

There's someone out there that wants your job and if you c hard enough and outwork that person who wants your job, you're probably going to be okay And I mean, I think the biggest just your attitude.

You know, do people want to be a do people like you?

And, you know, you don't have to please everyon Not everyone in the world is going to like you.

But, you know, are you fun to be around on a da And I think that's that's really really important.

If you can have a great attitude and you can work really, really and outwork those around you, you're probabl to find a way to be successful in whatever it is you do, and you don't have to be the sma I'll be the first to admit that.

I'm definitely not the smartest in the world, but I've been will probably to put in more time and more effort than some people And I certainly pride myself on having a great attitude and trying to make those around So that's pretty simple advice.

But I think it can be pretty pow when you do it on a consistent b Thank you for your insight, J.C. Today, I think we've all learned with hard work and a good attitu people can achieve what their dr 100 percent.

And thank you to our viewers for joining us today.

Until next time, goodnight.