On July 1, 2019, Jim Miller was named the Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame/Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, IA, where he was a native. He grew up the youngest of six children, attended the Waterloo Community Public Schools and then attended the University of Northern Iowa.
As a college athlete, Jim was a two-time NCAA Champion for UNI in NCAA Division II, and also a two-time NCAA Division I All-American.
Jim coached the sport of wrestling for 37 years, the last 22 at Wartburg College where his program’s dual meet record was 413-34. During those 22 years, his teams won 21 consecutive Iowa Conference Championships and 10 NCAA Team Championships. He is only one of four NCAA wrestling coaches in the history of the sport to have won 10 NCAA Championships!
In Coach Miller’s 22 years at Wartburg, his teams finished either 1st or 2nd in the nation 18 times. Jim is a member of 10 Halls of Fame and was awarded the National Division 3 Coach of the Year five times. He was also awarded the prestigious Dan Gable ‘ALL DIVISION’ NCAA Coach of the Year Award in 2004 and 2013.
He has earned a BA in Education and an MA in Secondary Administration and is now a nationally known motivational and leadership speaker.
“Do It Anyway”
All good teams, businesses and organizations have people willing to go the EXTRA MILE for themselves and each other. Sometimes they may not really want to, or may not even feel like it, but they Do It Anyway…
If it’s important to your Success, whether you “feel like it or not” is really Irrelevant. You Do It Anyway!
Do It Anyway is a simple concept that doesn’t just help you and your team improve in business or athletics, it helps you win the battles ahead that you know are coming, and also helps you garner the benefits of a team that goes the EXTRA MILE together!
“Sustained Success”
We all want to have a Successful Year, but what if it’s Success Year after Year and even Decade after Decade! In 1992 Jim Miller came into an underperforming wrestling program at Wartburg College that had not won a Conference Championship in 14 years and had not won a National Championship, in any sport, in the history of the college. When he stepped down 22 years later, his teams had won 21 consecutive Conference Championships and finished 1st or 2nd in the nation 18 of those 22 years with 10 NCAA Titles.
Bring Coach Miller in and you will Feel his Passion and Energy immediately, as he tells you his story and the concepts that changed the Culture of his teams, which led to over two decades of SUSTAINED SUCCESS.
“Jim Miller was the closing speaker for our annual State Education Conference. He did a wonderful job of connecting with our members. Jim’s energetic style kept our audience completely dialed in. His message is one of leadership, perseverance, inspiration, and made us both laugh and pulled at our heartstrings. He uses his experience as a coach to tell the story, but the lessons are universal and do not require knowledge of wrestling in order to benefit. Jim’s genuine interest in relationships and the betterment of those he encounters are apparent in his keynote and make him one in a million!”
Sharon Endorf, NASB Event Manager/Field Consultant
“Jim Miller is one of the greatest coaches in the world, period. He is a rare combination of energy, motivation, insight, and results. His message resonates with everyone because HE resonates with everyone. People think there is a magical success formula. The brilliance of Jim Miller’s message is rooted in simplicity. Put your head down and work. Do it anyway. Choose to be motivated. Ask for help. Treat people with respect. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. I’ve listened to Jim speak numerous times and would like to hear him even more. His words and his actions motivate me every day — and they will drive others to reach their full potential, too. Very few speakers have the ability to have a lasting impact. Jim Miller is in that rare class.”
Kyle Klingman, Content Producer, Sports Engine
“Each year in December, we bring our leadership team from around the world for corporate strategic planning meetings at our corporate headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. Recently I was looking for a keynote speaker who could deliver an inspiring message on how a positive attitude, a focus on principles and results, and simple hard work can lead to success. We hired Coach Jim Miller and his keynote presentation was the highlight of the event. He absolutely set the right tone for the meetings and planning sessions which followed. Our management team was inspired by Coach Miller’s “Can-Do” attitude and his message of “Do it Anyway” which was widely repeated both during and after our planning meetings. In our most recent planning meetings, now two years later, our management team still talks about the messages Coach Miller shared with our leadership team. I can strongly recommend Jim Miller as a motivational speaker and we look forward to having him back at EFCO Corp. again soon.”
Curt Bennethum, CEO, EFCO Corp
“Tyler and Barry, I wanted to take a moment to share how happy we were in having Jim Miller speak to our 300+ staff members as we kicked off a new school year. It may seem a bit unusual to have a nationally recognized wrestling coach speak to a PK-12 school district, but in retrospect, it was genius! I continue to hear staff members reference his message nearly two years later. Coach Miller’s message is not about coaching; it is about maximizing the potential of an organization one person at a time. He shared how this is done by seeing the potential in everyone. Each and every person in an organization can contribute in a meaningful way. We left with lessons about, ‘Why not you?’ and ‘Do it anyway.’ Simple concepts, yet incredibly impactful. Coach Miller’s style is high energy and backed by countless heartfelt stories…from the lessons he learned from his elementary teacher to valuing the custodian. Our staff left motivated, but more importantly, they understood the power and responsibility they have as educators. Simply put, Jim Miller is easily one of the very best motivators I’ve ever worked with in my nearly thirty years in education!”
Dr. Rich Powers, Superintendent, Bondurant-Farrar Community School District
Cedar Falls, Iowa
