From Olive Branch to Mississippi State, from the decathlon to photography, and from volunteering to his first official role at Montevallo—Coach Jaquarius Wilson’s journey has been anything but linear. In this episode, he opens up about how faith, family, and mentors like JJ Downs (Gill podcast alum!) and Steve Thomas shaped his path into coaching and beyond.

✨ What you’ll hear in this episode:

📸 How photography and personal training unexpectedly opened doors into coaching

🏃‍♂️ Lessons from being a 7,000+ point decathlete and how they shaped his coaching philosophy

🎓 The impact of mentors and why informal learning can be just as powerful as formal education

💡 The role of mindset and culture in changing a team’s trajectory

🏆 Why coaching is about more than workouts—it’s about relationships and impact

💬 “All I ask is your best effort. If you can honestly say you gave your all, then as your coach, I’m good. Because what more can I ask for?” – Jaquarius Wilson

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.

📲 Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

Gill is partnering with Glazier clinics for a FREE track and field clinic in December. To help you understand what value this clinic will provide you, we will have clinicians give introductions to themselves and their topics for December. Today we have Ashley Botham of Wake Forest University giving us an intro into her December topic "From Silence to Support: A Coach's Guide to Eating Disorders."

Enjoy and look for the sign up for this FREE amazing clinic from Glazier Clinics soon!

Back in August Randy Anderson of the Illinois Top Times Speed Lab hosted a one day track clinic featuring the great Boo Schexnayder and Vince Anderson. Coaches were treated to six amazing talks (and a free dinner!) and walked away more prepared for the 2026 season! For the month of October and September in 2025, we’ll be publishing each presentation in a two-part format. Every Wednesday and Thursday you’ll hear one of five talks from Boo and Vince: Week 1-Teaching the Long Jump, Week 2-Training the Hurdlers, Week 3-Plyometric training, Week 4-400m training, Week 5-Relays and Week 6-Hamstrings!

Welcome to Gill1918, the track & field coaching podcast powered by Gill Athletics. Since 1918, Gill has been dedicated to empowering coaches with innovative equipment—now, we're bringing elite coaching education straight to your ears.

Our goal is to create the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts bringing the annual track clinic to your ears DAILY! Topics will include but are not limited to covering key strategies, techniques, and training principles to help you improve athlete performance, structure better workouts, enhance team culture, and more!

Whether you're a high school, collegiate, or club coach, Gill1918 is your go-to resource for quick, high-impact coaching education from the best minds in the sport.

📩 Want to contribute an episode? Submit your 10-30 minute coaching talk to mcunningham@gillathletics.com or read ⁠⁠⁠THIS LINKEDIN ARTICLE⁠⁠⁠ for information on how to get started. All coaches are invited to participate!

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Gill Athletics for more expert coaching insights!

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