Just Let ‘Em Play

About the Authors

Dr. Andrew Jacobs

Dr. Andrew Jacobs is one of the top sport psychologists in the United States. He works with athletes of all ages from youth to professional in areas from concentration to motivation and team building to sportsmanship. Called a “pioneer in mental training,” he became one of the first sport psychologists to work with the U.S. Olympic team, professional teams, and a major university. Since 1992, he has hosted an extremely popular weekly sport psychology radio show. He has produced numerous audio programs on success and visualization and has given more than 1,000 speeches nationally about mental training and sportsmanship. He has worked with numerous professional and collegiate teams, including the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox minor-league system, the University of Kansas, Sporting KC, and the United States Olympic cycling team. He has consulted with national organizations in swimming, golf, and tennis, and has been interviewed nationally on radio, television, and in print media. He has appeared on numerous national television and radio shows including Good Morning America, MSNBC's Scarborough Country, and Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith. Jacobs, who has two sons, lives in the Kansas City area.

Jeff Montgomery

Jeff Montgomery pitched 13 years in the major leagues, 12 of which were spent with the Kansas City Royals. While with the Royals, Montgomery became one of baseball’s most dominant closers, saving a Royals record 304 games during his career. A three-time All-Star (1992, ’93, ’96), “Monty” was selected as the American League’s Reliever of the Year in 1993 after finishing tied for the league lead with 45 saves. Montgomery was the tenth player in Major League Baseball history to save 300 games and the first to get all of his saves with one club. Since his retirement, Montgomery, who was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2003, has been a youth baseball coach, a television broadcaster with the Royals on FOX Sports Kansas City, and is a Vice President for Union Broadcasting. He and his wife, Tina, have two daughters and two sons.

Peter D. Malone with Matt Fulks

Peter D. Malone was the general manager and head coach for the Kansas City Blazers, a competitive swim team in the Kansas City area, from 1975-2010. Before coaching with the Blazers, he coached the Greater Toledo Aquatic Club from 1968-1975. Malone was named to the USA Swimming Top 25 Most Influential People in the History of Swimming. He was the recipient of the 2001 USA Swimming Award for outstanding overall contribution to the sport of swimming. He served as USA Women's Swimming head coach for the 2004 Short Course Worlds and as USA Women's Swimming head coach for the 1999 Pan-Am Games. He was a member of the USA Swimming Steering Committee and was consulting coach to the 1988, 1992, and 1996 U.S. Olympic Teams. Malone was assistant coach for the USA National Team. He was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009. He developed and/or coached athletes in the Olympic Games and Trials from 1972-2012; specifically, he developed and/or coached Olympic gold medalists in 1992, 1996, 2004, and 2012. He presently resides in the Kansas City area with his wife, Jane. They have three grown daughters and seven grandchildren.

Matt Fulks, a Kansas native, is the author/co-author of more than 20 books. After graduating from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., Fulks pursued a journalism career that has allowed him to work in almost every form of media. He’s written books with NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen and former Major League great Frank White and has completed projects on the Final Four and the Super Bowl for CBS Sports. He lives in the Kansas City area with his wife, Libby, and their three children.