meet Derek brandow

PERSONAL DATA: I was born in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada to Ray and Violet Brandow. I am the youngest of three children, Drew being my brother, and the oldest, and Darcie being my sister, in the middle. I currently reside in Sachse, TX with my wife and two children.

EDUCATION: I attended primary and secondary schools in London, Ontario, Canada, followed by 3 years at Oklahoma State University where I played baseball and studied business before being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, in 1992, at the end of my junior year.

After a 7 year professional baseball playing career, and 5 years as a collegiate coach I returned to the classroom and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at the University of DeVry. While completing my degree, I found myself volunteering at my children's school in the mornings, which eventually lead to me becoming a certified Texas teacher. I spent around 10 years in the classroom mostly as a science teacher and coach.

COACHING EXPERIENCE: I have been coaching for over 30 years now, with stops at the collegiate, high school, international, and youth 10-18 select levels. During this time I have managed clients both individually and in groups for much of my professional life. I worked in the Garland, Mesquite, and Wylie ISDs as a football coach at McDonald Middle School, and varsity baseball coach at North Mesquite HS and Wylie HS. Before that I spent 3 years as the pitching coach at the University of Texas at Dallas and 2 years as the assistant coach at the University of Western Ontario.

SPECIAL HONORS: I was a member of the 1988 16-18 year-old Canadian National Youth Team that placed fifth at the World Championships in Australia. I attended Oklahoma State University where in 1992 I was named to the All-Tournament Team, and set a Big Eight Tournament Single game record with 16 strikeouts. After joining the Blue Jays in 1992, I returned to Sydney, Australia for a winter session in 1995. I broke the record for most strikeouts in a single season that year with 126. That same year, I led Knoxville in strikeouts (106), and in 1996 ranked ninth in the International League in ERA, leading Syracuse in wins (8) and strikeouts (103).

DURING MY PLAYING CAREER: I represented my country by playing for the Canadian National Junior and Senior teams. This was followed by a stay at Oklahoma State University where I pitched in the College World Series in 1990, and lettered all three years before being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992. I played for seven years with the Blue Jays organization, including winters in the Arizona Fall League, Australian Baseball League, and Venezuelan Baseball League. The experiences that I gathered throughout my playing career provide me with amazing memories and a diverse knowledge of the game. I was fortunate to be around many of the game’s great minds, and now I desire to help young athletes improve their skills in order to achieve opportunities similar to mine.