Duke head football coach Manny Diaz is playing the long game. A native of Miami, where his father once served as mayor, Diaz enforces his personal goal of always being present and in the moment, especially for receiving happiness. At 51, his football journey has taken him to nine universities, where he’s made his mark and coached on a national championship team. A graduate of Florida State University, he got his professional start in journalism, working for ESPN, before deciding that perhaps football coaching was something he could do well. And he was right!
A father of three, including a son now studying at Duke, he enjoys a good run on campus. If you see him jogging, it’s a good bet he’s immersed in his own self-mastery journey, listening to podcasts that focus on mindset, growth and achievement – and always looking ahead.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Happiness comes from contentment, of just understanding where the world is at the present moment. Unhappiness comes from resisting what is real in the present moment.
If you could be something other than a football coach, what would it be? My rock star career never quite took off. But if they ever needed someone with limited skill in that realm, I would love to sign up for that. [He plays electric and acoustic guitar.]
What is your favorite journey? A journey to self-mastery. You can’t really master a craft until you really master yourself. That is my main journey.
What is your most marked characteristic? I hope I’m a good listener – someone who can understand concepts and lay out a vision for others.
What is your greatest extravagance? I’ve got a boat I really enjoy going out on. It’s not really extravagant – a dual outboard 26-foot Sea Hunt – but it’s a great sense of joy in our family. We have it in Florida and take it around the Florida Keys.
Which living person do you most admire? Certainly one of my heroes is Bono. Not just for his work as a singer, but for his work with charity and in the political and humanitarian world.
What talent – outside of those you utilize in your current job – would you most like to have? What I want to do is be able to hold onto any form of my athleticism, to be able to still work out and play sports at a high enough level to make me happy.
What is the trait you like most about yourself? I think about how I was raised by my parents. I’ve grown up with a healthy dose of self-esteem and the ability to forgive myself for mistakes that I’ve made. I think self-grace is a huge skill to have.
What is the trait you like most in others? I respect people who can be present. Who have open minds. Humor, unselfishness.
Who is your favorite hero of sports? In terms of just respect, I grew up in the Michael Jordan era, so basketball-wise, that’s it. As a kid growing up in Miami, Dan Marino was everybody’s hero as the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. As a coach, I got to work with Bobby Bowden at Florida State. And I’ve always admired Pete Carroll and the way he leads.
What makes you laugh the most? I like quick wit. As for comics, it was an honor to meet Jerry Seinfeld here on Duke’s campus the last couple of years. I mean, what a legend. Not just in terms of how funny he is but just the more you learn about his process of how he gets to the humor. It’s so admirable.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Other than just being taller, I don’t spend a lot of time wishing that something was different.
What is your motto? In a football sense, it’s “play the next play.” What has happened is over. All we have control over is the next play. If we focus our attention on that, whatever outcome we are seeking, the odds of that will increase.
What is your favorite go-to snack (and when do you attack it)? I’m like a zero percent snack person. I really don’t eat outside of meals. But in the last year, I’ve developed a borderline addiction/obsession in the morning with eating blueberries. I will pound an entire carton like it is candy.
What is your favorite music (for relaxing, driving, working out)? In the car, it’s normally XM radio … Pearl Jam radio, YouTube radio or some other classic rock or ’90s rock. When I’m working out, I’m a podcast listener. I’m trying to educate myself while I’m getting some exercise in.
What is one thing you’d like to tell our alums about your role as head football coach at Duke? The key to success is to let Duke be the star. If we highlight all the things that make Duke special, that naturally has a gravitational pull to some really extraordinary people, and to build a program and organization… It’s really all about the people you have in your organization. The most exciting thing for us as a staff, and for me personally, is the power that comes when you have people who have shared values and goals, and you put them together. You can go a long way.