Jan. 9, 2026

The Long Game of Sports Leadership

The Long Game of Sports Leadership

In today’s episode, I talk with Gary Stokan about 47 years in sports, relationship driven leadership, smart risk taking, and how to repurpose experience into lasting impact.

In today’s episode, I sit down with Gary Stokan, president and CEO of Peach Bowl, Inc., to talk about leadership, longevity, and building something that lasts in big time sports. We cover his 47 years across coaching, brand marketing, and bowl season growth, including the frameworks he used to scale the Chick fil A Peach Bowl into a New Year’s Six mainstay. Gary breaks down relationship capital, smart risk taking, and why he put his job on the line for people he trusted. We also talk repurposing after retirement, storytelling as a teaching tool, and how staying kind compounds over time in business and life.