Today we’d like to introduce you to Marc Nolan
Hi marc, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Boy that is a loaded question but here goes! I currently am the Nations Longest serving Football Kicking and Punting coach (51 years) and a former College and NFLFA Punter! I have trained over 4,000 High School athletes (and their parents) helping them get over 275,000,000.00 in Athletic Scholarships. Some of the names you might be familiar with are Harrison Butker, (Westminster HS, GT and with the KC Chiefs) Will Lutz (Northgate HS, Georgia State, Denver Broncos,) and MANY former UGA and GT and other Georgia colleges full of All- American kickers and punters, and including our own son who was a First Team All American and former D-1 punter). I am grateful to know that ALL of these former high school student-athletes have graduated from college and many I still interact with catching up with a lunch once in awhile, or being in their wedding parties, or simply just seeing a nice Christmas Card from them and their new families.
My entire story is around service and going back to 1986, when while serving in the US Army. My Commanding Officer found out I was a former kicker and punter and asked if I could help his High School son out (obviously I said YES). I then worked with him a bit, and he asked me for some “drills” to work on. So I headed to the PX and bought TWO notebooks (one for kicking drills and one for Punting drills) and then started writing in cursive (thanks to my Catholic school upbringing) and also because back then we did not have access to “Word” and my typing skills were horrible. So after a few hours of writing these drills down, I then presented them to this young man, and that is what started on this journey all these years just wanting to serve a client base of high school, college and NFL (and by the way, has been nearly ALL on a part-time basis while I was in corporate America (up to about 8 years ago when I retired and thought I would play “Pickleball” and hang out at Veteran Lunches. But the NCAA (who I coined the National CARTEL Athletic Association) brought me out of retirement with all the things they did during and after COVID and more recently with the Transfer Portal, and the NIL (Names, Images and Likeness craze that I believe is personally ruining both the HS and college sports. I then also wrote an International Best Seller on College Scholarships, then even started a Podcast called DONTOUTKICKYOURCOVERAGE, which is the ONLY 100 Percent Podcast dedicated to the Parents of High School Athletes and those athletes who have been dreaming at playing their favorite sport at the next level. I also started speaking at local High Schools on the issues many of the parents just have no clue about. And yes, I still do train the high school kickers and punters ech wee in the Atlanta area (I have about 25 kids I help) and I continue to serve this group wherever and whenever I can. I can add more if needed but hopefully this is good for now.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s never been a smooth road as a kicker and punter. Many times we are shunned by the high school football coaches relegating us to “go kick over at the other field” or “you’re just the kicker with ONE JOB to do”, and many times the high school kicking specialist I call “the Loneliest Man in town” (harkening back to the Maytag commercial from the 80’s). When I was cut from the Philadelphia Eagles that was a low point, but quickly realized that what I thought was my childhood dream to play in the NFL, had to be updated! I went in to serve in the US Army, then got married, moved to Atlanta and raised my family. Of course, those struggles were a bit amplified when we welcomed my In-laws to live with us from the Philippines and along with my Sister and Brother In Law who also lived with us for about 11 years. Adding a whole new family unit, was clearly a financial strain, but also gave our two children to understand the strain my In-Laws made when they gave my wife up for adaption when she was 12 to have her come to the US at at 12, and live with her Aunt and Uncle. That just showed to me (and our children) what the word sacrifice and struggles really mean, and was grateful for them. But, I keep chasing the Corporate dream and updating my little kicking and punting “manuals” each year now that I could finally type into a computer, and print them off from my home instead of the high cost at our local Office Max, then dropping them off at the US Post Office. While all the time in the back of my head, I knew God was calling me to serve these kids and I did, so I just kept my focus. Many times I would drive as far away as an hour, and never ask for any money (even for the gas) while we had now two kids in private school and the bills were getting a bit unmanageable as well as me having recently starting my own company and traveling nearly 100 per cent of time. God kept calling me to “serve” but as I say in my public speaking forums, “God kept getting a Busy signal from me”. I was busy, flying all over the country, I was busy updating my football manuals late at night and busy doing training nearly every weekend when I arrived home. As they say it became the “rinse, wash, and repeat cycle. But I also finally realized after all of these challenges I had some amazing POSITIVE things keep happening with ALL those athletes I have helped along this journey (even having our own son become a First All American and getting a full ride to his dream school) I still need to do for the others NOW that I was Finally “retired”! But this story kept moving forward, and mostly due to the NCAA and its horrible policies from the Transfer Portal, to NIL, no more National Signing Days etc..and the constant changes they make, having a MAJOR NEGATIVE impact on these High School Athletes! Once again, without those parents (who spend 10’s of thousands of dollars on “ranking camps”) not having any clue of why their 5 star son or daughter, is getting those coveted offers! I speak at the local High Schools, and Rotary events and my Podcast series has been going great, and if just ONE parent gains knowledge from my discussions in these forums to bring out these issues with the NCAA that Ive been involved with all these 50 something years, I will speak out to serve this group of high school athletes, and their parents for as long as I can!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our company (VAS) started as a IT consulting company focused on selling and implementing ERP (Enterprise Wide Resource Planning) software, such SAP, ORACLE, PeopleSoft etc… We sold and implemented large multi-year multi million dollar contracts to the Fortune 500 client base. I ended selling the business when I retired.
BUT- if you are wanting to know when I started TheKickersZone it was back in 1992 (when our daughter was born) as an “official “branded” name.
As to the branding of TheKickersZone, I believe our clients we serve will tell you, that I am a very passionate coach both ON and OFF the field, many times spending my time late at night trying to help those kids I serve and their parents who are asking for advice, and at times just to have them “rant” to me about the latest issue that is happening. This past week, I had three “recruiting” up date calls as well, as helping one of our athletes and their parents on a weight gaining and nutritional aspect to help get their son on a weight gaining program, and another on how to get into the Service Academies (by the way, I have held 48 athletes get into those Academies throughout these past 51 years) and one just was offered by Army two weeks ago.
Our services are really the private one on one kicking and punting training we conduct each weekend as well, as the one on one NorthStar consulting services we provide to parents of high school athletes who are “stuck” in the recruiting cycle. We also sell our Framework Series (this is our 40th year) fully dedicated to the Kicker and Punter, as well as a Nutrition Guide; a Weight Training guide that I co-authored with my friend Al Vaughan who is the ONLY 11 time Mr. Universe Body Building Champion, and just released our Kicking and Punting Stretch, Flexibility and Yoga training designed for the Kickers and Punters (but believe EVERY high school athlete needs this) since we see the injuries in high school that keep mounting up, and with many that could be helped if only these high school athletes would properly stretch DAILY both PRE and Post workout
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am all about collaboration. Bringing in and working with those other experts in the high school environment to assist ANY and ALL high school players and their parents who need the Academic, Athletic and Spiritual aspects in their own journeys moving forward. At least once a month on my podcast, I interview experts to be a guest on my Podcast or vice versa! If there are local Atlanta High School Athletic Directors/Principals who would like me to speak at their high schools I would be delighted to do so, or any Podcast guests who can bring some expertise to our audience, we would love to have them on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thekickerszone.com
