The Coaching Community

Steve Kerr's reminder to check in with your fellow coaches

Author

Cody Royle
April 06, 2026

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“As I read it, I was like holy shit!”

Last week, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider returned to his office after an off-season away. With the team’s spring training facility in Florida, Schneider hadn’t been in Toronto for five months.

On his desk sat a letter. It was from four-time NBA champion head coach Steve Kerr.

Dear John,

I don’t know you but I felt compelled to reach out after watching your incredible leadership on display during the World Series. Your poise, your strength, your empathy, and your confidence all shined through in all of the toughest moments. I can see why your players love playing for you. I was just so impressed every time you were interviewed.

Congrats on an incredible season and I’m so sorry for the heartbreak. We lost Game 7 of the ‘16 Finals to Cleveland in similar fashion, and the pain was real. But what always survives through the tough losses is the character and connection of the group. The loss won’t define you, but the way you and your guys carried themselves afterwards will.

Much respect

Steve Kerr

Kerr says he was inspired by a letter he’d received in 2015 from then-Saints head coach Sean Payton.

“I like the idea of coaches supporting coaches. It’s a great profession, but it’s also a hard one,” Kerr says. “I don’t do it all the time, but if I’m moved by someone or a team, then I’ll write a note and send it off.”

It’s a great reminder for us coaches that, despite the fact we’re competitors, that we primarily belong to the coaching community. It is this community that gives us strength, reassurance, and belief. Even when our allegiances sometimes lay elsewhere.

Steve Kerr is a lifelong Dodgers fan — the team that beat Schneider’s Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series.

But he wrote the letter anyway.

“There’s something special about an actual handwritten note,” Kerr says. “It’s purposeful and it shows that you didn’t have your secretary write it.”

We often hear stories of coaches who will write hand-written letters to their players, but Steve Kerr has reminded us that — from time to time — we should also take the time to pen a message to coaches that impress us.

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