Coach Dan Potts: Ten Year Remembrance

Ten years ago today, on January 16th, 2014, we said goodbye to Coach Dan Potts.

As Dan’s wife, fellow strength coach, and co-owner of Advanced Athlete, I’ve written extensively in the last ten years about my own grief journey and the infinite depths of my loss. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without having known, loved, and been loved by him.

And he was loved by many. His children, his grandchildren who will never know him, his extended family, his clients, his friends, his community, and his athletes all endured tremendous loss. As it does, life has continued this past decade, but I am not the only one who has felt keenly the “presence of his absence.”

It’s impossible to quantify the extent of Coach Dan’s impact. But if you were fortunate enough to know him, you know.

He remains deeply missed by many.

To mark the tenth anniversary of his death, here are words to Dan from just a few of the athletes and clients that he coached, trained, guided, and mentored:

Coach Potts, you are a very influential person in my life. I am forever grateful for the time I spent with you, and the knowledge I gained. You will always be Coach to me, but more so a friend to me than anyone else. It was a blessing to get to know you, and learn from you

I would like to say THANK YOU, I will always remember your friendship and all that you did for my son…and you will always be the best

You’ve touched my life and I thank you. Thanks for your blessing in my life

You have to know that you made me the man I am today. I say, without exaggeration, that I wouldn’t and couldn’t ever have accomplished what I have done in my life without all the things I learned from you. Everyone that knows me knows the huge impact you have had on my life. You were the only person that my future wife would have needed approval from

You have been so inspiring, and I genuinely enjoyed all the conversations we had together over the years man you could make me laugh and I loved listening to all the wisdom you dropped on me

Thanks for being a rock for me years ago! You helped me out a lot
You are something special. You are up front and personal with everything. No BS, no between the lines with you, just complete honesty in action & emotion. Your character is unrivaled by any that I have ever met. I just wanted to let you know that you have made a lasting impact on my life

I remember that you once told me that the training is easy and that it’s in fact the challenge of real life that is hard. I’ve never forgotten that Dan-ism

I just wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. You took a boy and helped him grow into a real human being. I’ve always been impressed by how many lives you’ve been able to touch and how inspiring you’ve always been to other people

You taught me and all those that you came across what it took to be a man and to be responsible. You gave me the tools to grow from an angry kid from the suburbs throwing his helmet to a man who understands compassion and love and lives by it every day

You were my second father, my rock, my savior… You gave me my purpose in this life, and I am eternally grateful to you. I know you are living still inside of me and all those who encountered you. I love you with all my heart and soul

Coach Dan Potts
1952-2014