A Profile In Coaching | Nicole Quigley-Borg | College of San Mateo

August 13, 2025·53 min·4 clips

Darcy Brownow called Nicole at 7:30 AM, urgently demanding she pay her coaches association fees.

Nicole Quigley-Borg comes in as a 3C2A state title winner, but the episode starts with the person before the record. The host asks how she found softball, got into coaching, and what her work looks like now. Her answer begins close to home: born and raised in the Bay Area, then a community college athlete at the College of San Mateo, where she played softball and basketball. From there, the conversation moves into the everyday work of coaching. Success is still part of the story, but not as a trophy line alone. The host keeps pulling on the habits behind a strong program, especially trust. Vulnerability becomes the useful word. The host frames it as letting players know the person leading them, instead of keeping them at a distance. Quigley-Borg connects that to family, professionalism, and the simple fact that players know coaches have lives outside softball. She is clear that coaching does not stay neatly at work. When a player is having a hard day or dealing with family trouble, coaches carry some of that home. That does not mean every problem belongs to the coach, but it does mean caring has weight. Her own family stays close to the point. She mentions a 10-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son while explaining why players should see coaches as whole people. The host gives her room, then narrows the questions carefully, which lets the talk move from background to the daily trust between coach and athlete. State championships still matter here. Quigley-Borg says her program has reached every consecutive state championship since her son was born, so the leadership talk has real program history behind it. The close turns toward the coaching community, with listeners headed to Las Vegas encouraged to find Nicole, ask questions, and learn from her experience.

As heard by us

A grounded coaching conversation about trust, family, and the daily work behind a strong team.

Nicole Quigley-Borg's conversation on the DIRT NFCA podcast stays close to coaching, family, and the steady work of building trust with athletes.

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Why you'd press play

You want a reflective coaching conversation that feels practical, human, and earned.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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