About Us
It all started when…
The Good Athlete Project was founded at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education by Director James (Jim) Davis. While sitting in the back of a class on Educational Neuroscience, Jim was exposed to some of the research which validated an idea he had known all his life: the most powerful learning environment in the world already exists, and it is 100 million people strong in the U.S. alone... sports. Though there is power in sports, that power is not always used for good. Sports gone wrong is a daily headline. Over the next few years Jim and his team built methods which harness the desire of a young person to be a good athlete, and direct them toward being a good person. As it turns out, the same things that maximize athletic potential have also been shown to lead to lifelong success... IF the coaches craft a culture which supports the transfer of those lessons. Contact us to find out more about how the Good Athlete Project can support the culture of your team.
Meet the Director
JIM DAVIS is a former professional football player and champion powerlifter turned nationally recognized coach, author, and speaker.
Jim is a graduate of Harvard University, Northwestern University and Knox College. In addition to his work as the Director of the Good Athlete Project, he is proud to be the Staff & Student Wellness Coordinator at New Trier High School. At New Trier, Jim leads one of the largest and most successful strength programs in the nation. He is also the Founding Director of the Illinois High School Powerlifting Association.
Jim has been honored as a 2020 Semper Fidelis All-American Mentor, 2018 NASA National Coach of the Year, the NASA National Coach of the Year Runner-Up in 2019.
Jim has presented keynote addresses all over the world including Chicago, Boston, L.A., Ireland, and Haiti. His written work has been published in the Harvard Crimson, the Globe Post, the Orlando Sentinel, World of Psychology, and Olympic and Paralympic Coaching Magazine, among other locations.
More of his writing can be found on one of the Good Athlete Project blogs, BeyondStrength.net, which was recently named one of the Top 20 Sports Psychology blogs by Feedspot.com.
While Jim’s research focuses on human development and psychology through sport, it is the human connection that keeps him coaching. “To be embodied, healthy, active, and working toward a shared purpose - there’s nothing else like it.”
