DAVIS, Calif. — He's taken liberty with some classic John Denver lyrics and had his team believing "We Are Family."
At one point, he's gotta have more Give Day, playing the part of "coaching legend Bruce Dickinson."
He's even shared the stage and played a few bars on his guitar with football assistant coach
Mark Speckman accompanying him on the trombone.
Child and Meisel Families Director of Men's Water Polo
Daniel Leyson hasn't been shy about showcasing his musical talents. Whether it be in the form of helping raise money in support of his nationally ranked men's water polo program or bringing his team closer together in the pursuit of excellence with a song, the eighth-year Aggie head coach is as talented with his six string as he is coaching six players in the pool at any given moment.
"I'm not sure where my love of music came from," Leyson said. "Neither of my parents were really that into music, but I was always drawn to it and obsessive about finding new bands and really listening carefully to songs.
"I played the violin for about six or seven years growing up with the Suzuki method and there is a heavy emphasis on learning by listening in Suzuki, so maybe that trained my ear, but my dad had a good ear too, so maybe it's genetic. In junior high, I got really self conscious about playing the violin, quit, and then picked up the guitar and taught myself to play. To be able to play the songs I really loved was really important to me. I spent hours and hours in my room learning REM and songs of other bands."
However, when it comes time to be surrounded by his coaching staff and student-athletes, Leyson's music is still just as sweet. In seven seasons at the helm, the Southern California native has guided UC Davis to 127 wins, a commanding 41-3 record in the Western Water Polo Association, six winning seasons, and three conference titles in the last four seasons — finishing among the nation's top 10 in each of those four campaigns.
That list is just a small part of a coaching resume that spans two decades at all levels of the sport, ranging from the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club, collegiate stops at his alma mater, USC (Class of '92), and UCLA, and stints under the legendary Ratko Rudic and with the United States National Team — including an appearance at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.
Like a master craftsman, Leyson has had the opportunity to continuously forge his coaching identity with each stop along the way, including hearkening back to his high school and international playing days following an All-American career with the Trojans for inspiration.
"I was lucky, when I worked with the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club in Pasadena, Calif., that it was sort of a fledgling program when I took it over," Leyson recalled. "That was really my first experience as an actual head coach of a program. That was really my laboratory to try out my theories and see what works and what doesn't, to learn how to teach, just trying a lot of different things out."
The hallmarks of his Aggie program are simple: a blue collar mentality that emphasizes positive attitudes absent of excuses, plus hard work, detail-oriented coaching and education, and a camaraderie and team cohesion that revolves around showing "love for each other in how we interact with each other and how we play alongside each other."
"We need to work hard, we need to coach the right way, have a positive attitude, and we will attract the right type of players as we go on," Leyson said. "If we want to build something here that's really strong, it's going to take extraordinary work. There's nothing that is worthwhile to obtain that didn't require a ton of sacrifice, so, that mentality is something that we embrace."
Putting the pieces together, however, hasn't always included the "best" parts of each of his experiences. Sometimes, learning from his mistakes and those who he has come in contact with, have taught him more about what he doesn't want in his program.
"There are so many experiences that I have been able to draw upon and, quite frankly, a lot of them that stand out are the negative ones," Leyson remembers. "I've worked for a lot of coaches over the years where I have said, 'That's not how, I feel, it should be done,' and I'm not doing that.
"You're not just some pawn in my little attempt to win some championship, and it's not all about winning in our program. It's about the process, and the winning will come if we've done the things that we're supposed to do correctly."
Just as he has drawn inspiration from his coaching mentors, the three-time WWPA Coach of the Year also draws upon his musical inspirations to help motivate and solidify the bonds within his own program. Whether it's the aforementioned "We Are Family" or the John Denver classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads," Leyson's unique approach has the Aggies standing tall among some of the nation's best.
"Something about multiple voices singing together moves me," Leyson said. "When we sing, it's fantastic. If it doesn't put a smile on your face nothing will. It's been great on so many levels. All of us have to let down our guard because most people are self conscious about singing, so we are building team camaraderie through song.
"There is a reason people sing at church, at camp, at sporting events. It's a powerful thing to do together. When we first started doing it, I was curious how it would go with the guys. I was so pleasantly surprised that they embraced it and, in some cases, have suggested it to me, which is just great. It's been a really special, unique thing that we do."
ABOUT UC DAVIS
With the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, more than 700 student-athletes represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation on one of 25 intercollegiate athletics teams.
UC Davis, a national leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, is centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley; and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
Ranked annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
