Joe Ehrmann, All-American football player, was named to Syracuse University’s All-Century Football Team, and lettered in lacrosse. Joe received the Arents’ Award, SU’s Most Distinguished Alumni honor for his contributions to society. Joe played professional football for 13 years and was the NFL’s first Ed Block Courage Award Recipient. He has been named “The Most Important Coach in America” by Parade Magazine and the Institute of International Sport chose Joe as one of The Most Influential Sports Educators in America. Coach Ehrmann’s revolutionary concepts of purpose-based football, transformational coaching and developing healthy masculinity are the subject of New York Times Best-Seller, Season of Life:  A Football Star, a Boy, A Journey to Manhood. Joe is the author of the highly influential and popular InSideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives which provides the basis for purpose-based athletics: connecting student-athletes to transformational coaches, in a nurturing community for their social, emotional and character development.

Following the death of his Billy in 1978, Joe became a founding board member of Baltimore’s Ronal McDonald House. Dedicated in his brother’s name, the House has served over 40,000 families from across the world. Joe attended Dallas Theological Seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1985.  Joe is the founder of The Door, a Baltimore community-based ministry addressing individual and family needs, promoting equity in education, social justice, racial reconciliation, and economic development. Among many awards, the Baltimore Business Journal selected him as the Renaissance Person of the Decade for his dedication and commitment to Baltimore City’s betterment. He was the National Fatherhood Initiative’s Man of the Year and the Frederick Douglas National Man of the Year for empowering youth to prevent rape and other forms of male violence and improving lives of children by helping fathers become more involved. Joe is currently the President of the InSideOut Initiative, an evidenced-based, systems-level approach that inspires and catalyzes communities to transform the current interscholastic sports culture to one that values the human growth and development of student-athletes. Yet, Joe says his greatest accomplishments are his four children and five beautiful grandchildren.