Joanne McCallie

One of the most accomplished basketball coaches in the last three decades had a secret. Joanne McCallie, the head women’s coach for the University of Maine, Michigan State and then Duke, was suffering from bipolar disorder.

In her 28 seasons as a head coach she amassed a phenomenal winning record of 628-243 (.721) and took her teams to the NCAA tournament 21 times. She coached Michigan St. into the NCAA championship game in the 2004-05 season, and was named coach of the year multiple times in three different conferences.

And yet, she couldn’t reveal her battles with mental illness for fear of ruining her career or being fired.

McCallie first discovered her disease 25 years ago while coaching at Maine when she had a manic episode. At first, she thought she was being super-productive, but then loved ones intervened and told her it was more serious – even though, as an athlete and a mom she was in huge denial that her mind could be failing her. They even had to institutionalize her against her wishes.

The author of her second memoir, Secret Warrior, which chronicles her struggles with bipolar, McCallie reminds us of the importance of discussing and caring for our mental health, especially among young adults and athletes. Now a #CoachP4ForLife, McCallie says nearly 3% of Americans suffer from bipolar disorder and nearly 50% are affected by some kind of mental illness, i.e., anxiety, depression and suicide, especially during the pandemic.

Aside from medical and therapeutic care, McCallie credits her husband and family for giving her great support and keeping her “on track” when she would experience symptoms of the disorder. #UnstoppablePodcasts