Former CSUN, UCLA basketball coach gives audience ‘Front Row’ seat to life lessons

Even after four decades in the high-pressure world of college basketball, Mark Gottfried is not one to be idle.

First as a player, then as an assistant at UCLA followed by head coach stints at Murray State, Alabama, North Carolina State and Cal State Northridge, Gottfried pushed his teammates and later his players toward excellence. The Bruins won a national title under his tutelage, Alabama made it to the Elite Eight and he lead NC State to two Sweet Sixteen appearances.

In 2021, Gottfried and CSUN parted ways after three seasons, and he hasn’t prowled a sideline since.

So aside from speaking gigs and a potential book project, what is the now-60-year-old up to? He’s found his paradise in “gorgeous” Orange County, where he soaks up the sun while playing pickleball and golf.

“The outdoor life, the climate, it just makes it where it’s very enticing all the time to do something outside, and I enjoy that a lot,” he said. “This is it. I like living here and hope I’m here for a long time.”

But while hitting the course or court might help pacify the player in him, Gottfried isn’t done coaching, even if he’s no longer drawing up Xs and Os. Instead, he’s sharing the wisdom and knowledge he’s collected working with — and playing and coaching against — some of the biggest names in basketball.

Gottfried’s podcast, “Front Row with Coach Mark Gottfried,” brings in greats like title-winning former UCLA coach Jim Harrick, former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas to discuss lessons learned over their careers and offer insight into the turbulent world of college sports.

But the discussions aren’t all shots and scores. Gottfried may be a self-described sports nut, but in “Front Row,” he isn’t afraid to delve into fields like entertainment, business and medicine.

Other guests include comedian and actor Cedric the Entertainer, “Disturbia” director D.J. Caruso, Gio Helou from Netflix’s “Selling the O.C.” and physician and author Dr. David Fajgenbaum, who found a new way to treat his own disease and now works to do the same for others.

It may seem like an eclectic group of interviewees, but they share a similar determination, regardless of their chosen field.

“Most of the people that attained a high level of success, there’s a common thread, I think, where they have great confidence in themselves, they work extremely hard, they’re very driven and they’re not going to accept failure,” Gottfried said. “Failure is a lot of times, to people who are very successful, those are bumps in the road. They’re not devastating. They don’t end the journey, and they make them better.”

That grit is likely to be discussed further as the podcast, which is still in its early stages, continues with more championship-caliber guests in the future, including legendary Rams running back Eric Dickerson, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney and Sonny Vaccaro, who was instrumental in creating the Air Jordan shoe brand and was portrayed by Matt Damon in the Golden Globe-nominated film “Air.”

“We’ve got some fun ones lined up, and I think they’re even going to lead to some more interesting people as well,” Gottfried said.

Whether those guests come to talk hoops or Hollywood careers, Gottfried expects his audience will hear of someone going through “a lot of grind, a lot of hard work” to achieve their goals.

After all, as Gottfried knows from personal experience, every “amazing story” starts with someone refusing to be idle.