A Conversation With Sam Puryear, Assistant Head Coach, Stanford University Men’s Golf
In just his second season at Stanford University, Sam Puryear helped coach the men’s golf team to capture the 2007 NCAA National Championship — a feat that they last accomplished 13 years ago when Tiger Woods was on their team.
Of the 30 teams at the National Championship held earlier this summer in Williamsburg, Va., Puryear, a 1992 graduate and former player for historically Black Tennessee State University, was the only minority coach. And out of a field of about 150 players, there were many teams that had no minorities at all. Puryear spoke with Diverse recently about winning the Championship and minorities in golf.
DI: What led to you coach college golf?
SP: When I was the director of the East Lake Golf Academy, I was training and preparing a lot of kids to play collegiate golf. Next for me was to help kids with their motivation, leadership and life skills at a great university for the next level, which is the PGA Tour.
DI: What was it like coaching the team in the National
Championship?
