Drake University has made it a habit to hire its own, and several former Bulldog student-athletes have come full circle as coaches at their alma mater. Here are a few of their stories.
 
Matt Woodley first appeared on Drake's radar as a standout basketball player at nearby Valley High School. After a decorated career for the Bulldogs and a number of coaching stops, he is back where it all began.
 
Woodley graduated from Drake in 2000 with a degree in education. A two-time All-MVC honoree, Woodley finished his career as the Bulldogs' all-time leader in 3-pointers and steals. After his playing days were over, Woodley embarked on a winding coaching journey.
 
"I did not want to be done with the game after my senior year, but I knew that I didn't have much longer to play," Woodley said. "I wanted to be part of a team, and the next best thing besides playing is coaching."
 
After stints at Wayne State, Denver and Middle Tennessee State, Woodley accepted a position as the recruiting coordinator at Washington State, where he led the charge in helping the Cougars land a commitment from Klay Thompson.
 
Woodley left Washington State for Waukee High School before eventually becoming the head coach of the NBA D-League's Iowa Energy (now the Iowa Wolves of the G-League), where he groomed young professionals like Hassan Whiteside. He departed the Midwest again for a job with Pittsburgh, but Woodley returned to his roots as an assistant coach at Drake in Darian DeVries' first season.  
Throughout Woodley's unique tenure of coaching high school, college and professional basketball, he has drawn a commonality through each of the steps in his journey.
 
"It's still about relating to the players and getting them to play their best," Woodley said. "When you have a résumé like mine, you have a lot of different things to share with people, and you're sharing a vision for someone to reach their goals."
 
Cortni Rush joins Woodley as former Drake basketball student-athletes turned coaches. Rush, who graduated in 2017 with a degree in health sciences, is beginning her third year on the Bulldogs' women's basketball staff and currently serves as the program's Director of Basketball Operations.
  A Mason City native, Rush earned All-American honors in her lone season at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) before transferring to Drake, where she was a three-year letterwinner. In Rush's senior season, the Bulldogs tied a school record with 28 wins en route to claiming both the MVC regular-season and tournament championships. As a result, Drake earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in a decade.
 
Following her playing career, Rush spent one season as an assistant coach at NIACC before returning to Drake in 2018. Rush's recent student-athlete experience provides her with a valuable perspective as a coach.
 
"I'm young enough that I can connect to the current student-athletes," Rush said. "I played for the same people and ran the same system, and I was in their exact shoes a few years ago so there's a unique understanding of one another."
 
Like Woodley, Rush expressed a deep sense of appreciation for her time as a Bulldog.
 
"I love what I do and who I do it with," Rush said. "I've said this for three years as a student-athlete at Drake and I'm so appreciative I can say it as a member of the coaching staff now. The staff and student-athletes I work with daily are what make my experience so rewarding."
 
Stephen Flynn echoes that sentiment, albeit for a different reason.
 
"I knew I wanted to coach when I knew I didn't want to be an accountant," said Flynn, who graduated from Drake in 2011 with a degree in accounting. "I was interning for a company and the people were awesome, but I knew I wasn't going to make it working in a cubicle."
 
While working his way to his degree, Flynn was a three-year starter on the offensive line for the Bulldogs. He collected All-Pioneer Football League honors in 2010 and 2011 and helped the Bulldogs claim the PFL championship in his final season.
 
Flynn, who is from Davenport, then began his coaching career as an offensive intern at Montana State before joining the staff at Wabash College as the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach. He returned to Drake in 2015 to serve as the offensive line coach, and he currently coaches the tight ends and fullbacks for the Bulldogs.  
Flynn has been instrumental in developing tight end Devin Cates, who earned All-PFL First Team honors after leading Drake with 51 catches, 627 yards and nine touchdowns last season.
 
Despite that taste of success, Flynn continues to push harder.
 
"I think it certainly carries more significance coaching at your alma mater," he said. "There is an added element of pressure to have success because you want to make the people that you played with proud. When I played we were fortunate enough to win a conference title, and I want to deliver that same experience to these players as well."
 
Joining Flynn in that pursuit is Jeff Martin, who recently completed his 25th season as an assistant coach at Drake.
 
Prior to his coaching career, Martin was a star quarterback for the Bulldogs. Upon his graduation in 1977 as a double major in health and physical education, Martin owned five Drake passing records, including career completions. He also set the MVC record for longest pass completion in league history with a 98-yard strike in 1976.
 
After his playing days, Martin began teaching physical education and coaching football, wrestling and track at Chariton High School. In 1981, Martin served as a graduate assistant for the Northeast Missouri State football program as he earned his master's degree from the school.
 
Martin then returned to Drake where he coached the running backs from 1982 until 1985, when the scholarship program was dropped. He continued following his passion of coaching and teaching at Valley High School, where he had a positive impact on many kids, including a young quarterback named Matt Woodley, from 1985 until he retired from teaching in 2018.
  In 1995, Martin rejoined Drake and has been with the program ever since, coaching quarterbacks and receivers. Martin guided Mike Piatkowski from 2009 to 2012 and helped Piatkowski break many of Martin's passing records.
 
"My favorite aspect of coaching is working with the quality student-athletes and coaches here at Drake," Martin said. "We have been extremely fortunate to get young men who work hard both in the classroom and on the field."