The Gill Athletics Connections Podcast
#364: Bill Lawson-IMG Academy | Coaching, Parenting, and Building Champions
Published: 25 May 2026 at 06:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
Last week on the show, we heard the journey of TJ Lawson at IMG Academy — so this week we had to get the other Lawson.
In this episode, Bill Lawson, Head Track & Field Coach at IMG Academy, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation that starts in rural Illinois and stretches all the way to TrackTown USA, the NCAA, and now the inaugural Under Armour High School Championships.
Along the way, Coach Lawson shares how the 1968 Olympics lit the spark, why multi-sport matters more than ever, how he and Coach “Bucky” helped build Northern Iowa into a national force, what it takes to keep the edge when you move from a “mid-major grind” to a brand-name program, and how he approached the tricky (and rewarding) line between being Dad and being Coach while TJ was being recruited.
And yes… we talk about the barefoot Hayward Field kids races too.
🎙️ In this episode, we cover:
🔥 Growing up in Carthage, Illinois + falling in love with track through the 1968 Olympics🏁 The recruiting hustle before cell phones, social media, and instant results🧠 Developing athletes (and coaches) — plus the mistakes you only learn by doing👟 Multi-sport development and why “open mind” wins long-term🦆 Oregon, Kent State, and what “never settling” really looks like👨👦 Parenting a high-level athlete: letting TJ choose his path (and why that matters)🏟️ IMG Academy today + the Under Armour High School Championships coming May 29–31
If you enjoyed TJ’s episode last week, this one is the perfect companion — the full father/son coaching story, from both sides.
👉Dive into nearly 400 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find uson Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more!
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