Above the Line ─ Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Season

Lessons on leadership and team-building from Ohio State's head football coach, drawing heavily on the 2014 season and his team's remarkable run to the championship in the face of adversity

Since he took over at Bowling Green fourteen years ago, Urban Frank Meyer III has established himself as one of the elite coaches in the annals of college football. With three national championships and a record of 142-26, he has achieved remarkable results with many teams. But it is Meyer's recent work at The Ohio State University that has elevated him into the realm of such iconic coaching names as Paul (Bear) Bryant, Knute Rockne and OSU's own Woody Hayes. Never was that work more successful than in the 2014 season, which ended with Meyer's Buckeyes capturing the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship with a 42-20 victory over Oregon. That the triumph came with a third-string quarterback at the helm—and after OSU had suffered a brutal early-season loss and endured the tragic loss of a teammate—only made the achievement that much more extraordinary.

How did Ohio State, a school many thought did not even deserve to be in the playoffs, end up at the summit of college football? InAbove the Line, Urban Meyer answers this question and many more. Pulling back the curtain on the high-profile, high-pressure world he operates in, he offers readers a groundbreaking game plan for creating a culture of success that engages and inspires the people around them - the very game plan he followed every day in the Buckeyes' historic 2014 season.

A student of psychology long before he became a coach, Meyer believes that trust is the bedrock of great achievements and healthy relationships, and explains how to build it, step by step—whether in a team, a family, or a Fortune 500 company. With trust in place, a deep bond unites us in common purpose, and cultivates what he calls "above the line" behavior—a learned, empowered response to the challenges we face every day.

Writing with his customary candor and humility, Meyer delivers insights both practical and profound—and applicable far beyond the football field. Packed with real-life examples from a storied season,Above the Line offers wisdom and inspiration for taking control and turning setbacks into victories.

Urban Meyer is the head football coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. In 2014, he led the Buckeyes to their first Big Ten Conference title under his tenure as well as the program's eighth national championship. Meyer served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons from 2001 to 2002, the Utah Utes from 2003 to 2004, and the Florida Gators from 2005 to 2010. He is one of only two coaches to win a National Championship at two different schools.

Wayne Coffey, award-winning sportswriter for the New York Daily News, is the author of threeNew York Times bestsellers, including The Closer (with Mariano Rivera) andWherever I Wind Up (with R. A. Dickey).