and Counting
HE WENT FROM HARVARD LAW TO THE SIDELINES OF THE NFL, BUT...
his path was paved with rejection.
DARON WAS WAITLISTED NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE
BUT FOUR TIMES.
FINALLY, HE GOT IN.
BUT THEN...HE DECIDED TO BECOME A FOOTBALL COACH.
HE SENT LETTERS TO 32 NFL TEAMS (THAT'S ALL OF THEM).
31 teams rejected him.
One team said, “Yes.” The Kansas City Chiefs.
That gamble led to four coaching stints with three NFL clubs and one college team.
Daron’s non-linear journey provides a blueprint for his transformational leadership work with companies and executives across the globe.
THE OFFICIAL BIO
Daron K. Roberts is a former NFL coach, bestselling author, esteemed academic, and leadership expert. He is the author of Call an Audible, A Kids Book About Empathy, and most recently Microwins: Go Small, Build Momentum, and Tackle the Goals that Actually Matter in Life (2024). Call an Audible was a #1 New Release and Best Seller on Amazon, and was selected by Sports Illustrated as one of the “Best Sports Business Books of 2017.” A Kids Book About Empathy was featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List, and Microwins has already been recognized as a transformative playbook for building sustainable success through incremental victories.
Roberts is the founding director of the Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation (CSLi) at the University of Texas, the first university-based institute dedicated to leadership and character development for athletes. He is also the co-founder of Monetize Your Message (MYM) and co-host of the PLATFORM™ Speaker Summit, an annual immersive conference equipping speakers with tools, strategies, and platforms to amplify their voice and impact.
Roberts served as founding director of the Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation (CSLi) at the University of Texas. He created CSLi in the fall of 2014. The Center was the first university-based institute dedicated to developing leadership and character curricula for high school, collegiate and professional athletes.
Daron has moderated discussions with Mia Hamm, Lance Armstrong, Shaun White, Aly Raisman, Kevin Durant and Brené Brown. Roberts is also a lecturer in the Liberal Arts Honors Program and his research focuses on issues of resilience, rejection, failure management and leadership.
After graduating from Harvard Law School (2007), Roberts served coaching stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, West Virginia Mountaineers and Cleveland Browns. He holds a B.A. in Plan II Honors and Government from the University of Texas (2001) and an M.P.P. from Harvard’s Kennedy School (2004). In 2010, he launched a nonprofit football camp – 4th and 1, Inc. 4th and 1 has provided free SAT prep, life skills development and football training to over 500 at-risk youth in Michigan, Texas and Florida.
The Presidential Leadership Foundation – a joint venture between Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – tabbed Roberts as a Presidential Leadership Scholar in the inaugural class.
Roberts has been featured in ESPN the Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek and Sports Illustrated and is a contributor to Forbes.com. His op-eds have appeared in Fortune, CNN and Time. Roberts serves on the SXSW Sports Advisory Commission and Coca-Cola Foundation Board.