NFL coach Buddy Morris chats to us about wellness, living life Issimo and his Italian bucket list
Named NFL Strength Coach of the Year in 2021 and recently featured in Men’s Health, Buddy Morris is a senior reconditioning coordinator and in his 11th season with the Arizona Cardinals, a professional American football team, and 14th in the NFL. A curious mind that values the beauty of human experience, coach Buddy Morris knows a thing or two about being dedicated to your craft.
"Everybody wants to win a championship, and there’s a lot of factors in that, but I think watching athletes get better and watching them improve their performance is why I got into this profession,’ he says. ‘Is it hard? Sure it is, because we’re not all clones yet. Everybody is a unique individual. Everybody is a puzzle to be solved. So it’s constantly solving puzzles and it’s never-ending learning. I’m 66 years old and I’m still learning every day. To me, the true definition of intelligence is not what you know, it’s what you do when you don’t know."
What do you enjoy most about being a strength coach?
"I think the human body is a very fascinating organism. We have not tapped the potential of it yet, especially when we talk about optimisation of performance. What does the brain have to do with our performance levels? We don’t think about what the internal mechanisms are that drive external mechanical weight work, we don’t think about the role of the brain and nervous system, we’re just too muscle driven. That’s what I’m enjoying most about my profession. That and I don’t have to wear a suit and tie!"
What is your biggest wellness tip?
"It comes down to proper nutrition, sleep and hydration. Sleep is nature’s way of getting us as close to immortality as possible. The second is getting up in the morning and viewing sunlight. The third is walking with your bare feet on the ground. Our world is conductive. We are conductive electrical beings, so grounding has many benefits. So, those are the three things I would tell people. If you follow those I think you can have a higher quality of life. You can have a glass of wine."
"Every once in a while I enjoy a cheeseburger or a chocolate chip cookie. I competed in bodybuilding for 30 years and strictly dieted and did all of the things you had to do, but now at my age I’m no longer competing so if I want a chocolate chip cookie, I’m eating a chocolate chip cookie. So, there is a time and place for everything. Life is about balance."
How do you live life Issimo?
"I don’t worry about what happened yesterday. It’s in the past. I don’t live for tomorrow. I worry about getting the most out of today. How can I become a better person today? Not just a better coach, but a better person. I think living life to the fullest is finding happiness. Do we ever find true happiness? I don’t know, but I think true happiness can be found in the simplest of things."
"I grew up poor. My parents got divorced when I was 15. My mother was a bank teller and raised five boys on public assistance and a bank teller’s salary. My father didn’t support us. My mom would tell us “do not feel sorry for yourself, be grateful for what you have”’. And I am. I’m grateful for what I have. I’m grateful I have a house. Grateful I have a car. Grateful I have a job. Grateful I signed a year extension on my contract – and when I sign those year extensions I get very emotional. Everyone knows that. I become tearful, because I’m grateful for the opportunity I have, I’m grateful to have a job. To be able to work and work at the highest level. That makes me happy."
"Find something to be grateful for and understand it’s in the simplest of things. Just hug somebody. Tell someone you love them. Tell someone that you understand. Listen to people."
When you think of Italy, what comes into your mind?
"I think most Europeans have a greater appreciation for life and the simple things. I am a big Andrea Bocelli fan. People find that hard to believe, and shocking. I’ve seen the guy three times and all three times he’s literally brought tears to my eyes."
"My wife is 100 per cent Italian, so I always think of her. My wife is fiery, she’s passionate, she’s very intelligent. When we were in Italy and we were walking around Rome and I was looking at all the architecture and the Colosseum and the Vatican, I was like “this stuff is amazing”. We went to Pompeii and what amazed me was they showed us the little huts the gladiators lived in. You had to be tough to be a gladiator. It would amaze me, walking on the streets of Pompeii and the chariots had left deep ruts in the stone from going over and I’m sure people do appreciate that. It was a beautiful country with beautiful people. I think very passionately about Italy."
Where is next on your Italian bucket list?
"I’ve always promised my wife that on the day (if that day ever comes!) that I decide to retire, which I don’t see in sight, but I promise to take her to the Amalfi Coast. I’ve never been but I promised her that and I will fulfil that promise one day."