Dean Freitag Clean Contact interview on race walking and coaching

The Dean Freitag Clean Contact interview traces an unlikely start in race walking: after two weeks of practice, Freitag qualified for nationals and finished 12th as a freshman. Speaking with Clean Contact, the University of Rio Grande coach also discussed his return after jobs at Shawnee State and Wilberforce University, and why he supports NIL opportunities while wanting more regulation.

What did Dean Freitag accomplish in race walking at Rio Grande?

Dean Freitag became a race walker when his college coach asked him to try the event to help the team score conference points. Two weeks later, he had beaten a high school national record holder, qualified for nationals and finished 12th as a freshman. He went on to win two national championships and five All-America honors.

From Sandy Valley runner to college race walker

Freitag began running in seventh grade at Sandy Valley and continued through middle school and high school. He arrived at college as a walk-on distance runner. After cross-country season, injury issues limited him through the indoor season, even though he kept competing. He was getting healthier when the outdoor season arrived but was not yet where he wanted to be.

His coach suggested race walking at the conference meet without expecting a major result. Freitag's rapid progress changed the direction of his athletic career. He recalled that even after his national finish, his coach told him race walking was not his event.

National titles and the Rio Grande Hall of Fame

Beyond his two national championships and five All-America honors, Freitag said he received several all-conference awards, the school's individual performance of the year award and its overall athlete of the year award. He was also recently inducted into the Rio Grande Hall of Fame.

Why did Dean Freitag become a coach?

Dean Freitag became a coach because the coaches who stayed involved in his life showed him what that relationship could mean beyond competition. He had initially considered sports medicine and physical therapy, but the support of his high school coaches and Coach Willie at college made him want to have a similar effect on other athletes.

Coach Laredale's lasting support

Freitag still speaks with his high school coaches about once a month. He said Coach Laredale, who coached for more than 50 years, remained one of the first people he called about an accomplishment even years after he had graduated. Hearing his former coach's excitement mattered to him because Laredale had continued to care.

Learning from Coach Willie

At college, Freitag saw Coach Willie's impact on both him and his teammates. He described going from an unknown walk-on distance runner from Northern Ohio to being ranked in the world at one point. Coaching appealed to him as a way to help someone else make a meaningful change, even if that athlete's path looked different from his own.

How did Dean Freitag return to coaching at University of Rio Grande?

Dean Freitag returned to coach at University of Rio Grande after two years there as a graduate assistant, two years at Shawnee State and an opportunity to lead the program at Wilberforce University. Coach Jackson offered him a route back to his alma mater. Freitag said the return matters because Rio Grande shaped both his athletic career and his life.

Shawnee State and Wilberforce University

Following graduation, Freitag worked under Coach Willie as a graduate assistant shortly before Willie's retirement. He then joined his friend Connor Flynn at Shawnee State, serving as assistant director of cross-country and track and field while Flynn was head coach. Freitag said the two years exposed him to a different system and school culture; the teams won conference titles and made national runs.

Freitag later had the opportunity to become a head coach at Wilberforce University, an HBCU in Ohio. He said it was not the right fit for him, without giving a specific reason. Coach Jackson's offer to return to Rio Grande came that season.

Coaching athletes at his alma mater

Rio Grande is where Freitag lived for six years, ran hundreds of miles with teammates and set records he now sees on the walls. He said one athlete he coaches has broken his personal record and school records. He also enjoys introducing race walking to athletes who had never tried it, then watching them qualify for nationals. Three of his former teammates now serve alongside him on the coaching staff.

What did Dean Freitag say about NIL in the NAIA?

Dean Freitag supports NIL because it lets athletes receive recognition and payment for what they do, but he believes it needs more regulation. He said major deals have not reached NAIA athletes on the same scale, pointing to the money available to schools and the interest of large businesses as limits. He expects that to change eventually.

Why Freitag supports athlete deals

Freitag recalled a close friend from high school who went on to play softball at a Big Ten Conference school. Seeing her receive even a modest deal showed him how payment and recognition could affect an athlete's life. He contrasted that opportunity with his own college years, when he said athletes generally did not expect to be paid.

Local opportunities and the brands he would have chosen

For NAIA athletes, Freitag described smaller possibilities such as a local business putting a player's picture on a menu and providing free food. Asked which deal he would have wanted as a college athlete, he named Brooks, Nike and Adidas. Rio Grande wore Nike gear, while Buffalo Wild Wings was a favorite place for team dinners; a food deal there would have appealed to him too.

How does Dean Freitag approach pre-race routines and coaching athletes?

Dean Freitag tried to keep races relaxed rather than adding rituals that might create stress. As an athlete, he listened to music and danced on the start line, whether he faced a national championship or a small meet. As a coach, he tries to remove avoidable demands from athletes so they can approach competition with the same calm.

Dancing on the start line

Freitag wore noise-canceling headphones and played his music loudly before competing. His coach could tell he was ready when he was joking and acting less serious than everyone around him. Freitag wanted a national championship, a professional meet in Canada and a meet with three teams to feel like another day rather than separate occasions requiring elaborate preparation.

Giving athletes room to compete

Coaching his own event has required an adjustment. Freitag was used to controlling his actions as a competitor; once an athlete steps to the line, he cannot control what follows. He said he gets excited for their races and learns what each athlete needs, taking care of manageable tasks to reduce added stress.

Which shoes does Dean Freitag prefer for running and race walking?

Dean Freitag prefers Adidas Supernovas for running and a race-walk-specific, zero-drop shoe for walking. He said the Adidas trainers fit him well late in his college career and remained his favorite. For race walking, he values a shoe that fits his foot and lets him feel and work the ground.

Freitag stressed that shoe choice differs between athletes and between running and race walking. His walking shoe gave him the ground feel he wanted, and he said several athletes he coaches were considering a switch to it. Walkers he coached at Shawnee State had also worn it.

That preference does not mean he expects his whole team to use the same footwear. Freitag said other athletes on the team favor a different shoe, though he could not recall its exact model. His own choice came down to fit and how the shoe felt while walking.

What advice did Dean Freitag give aspiring athletes and coaches?

Dean Freitag urged people pursuing a similar path not to stop or settle because others doubt their ambitions. He said he had wanted to become an Olympian and a national champion since childhood, despite being told that attending small schools would make those goals impossible. His advice was to keep moving forward while doing work they love.

Freitag linked that advice to his own path from a walk-on runner to a national champion and coach. He said he had to set aside other people's judgments and remember why he wanted to continue, regardless of whether a particular effort ended in success or failure.

Freitag put the point in the words he returned to throughout the conversation:

I'm doing what I love every day