Derek Marr, Mental Performance Coach
University of Missouri
Dr. Derek Marr grew up in a small town in northeastern Michigan where he played a wide variety of sports that included, basketball, baseball, cross country, football, hockey and track and field. After success in high school which included a school record and state championship medals he attended Grand Valley State University where he was a member of 11 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship teams in the sports of cross-country and track and field.
Specific education in sport performance to help athletes achieve optimal performance has been a pursuit of Dr. Marr for the last two decades. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in in movement science form Grand Valley State University, a Master’s in sport pedagogy from Baylor University and a Ph.D. with an emphasis in sport psychology from the University of Missouri. In addition, he is a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC) and a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS).
Through his work as a mental performance consultant and coach he has facilitated success for many individual athletes and teams. His mental performance clients have gone on to success at the international, national, regional and conference level. Accomplishments of athletes he has consulted with includes an NCAA D1 Champion, 41 NCAA all-American honorees, nine NCAA all-region performers, 25 individual conference champions and 93 all-conference honorees. In addition, he has consulted with three teams that have went on to win collegiate conference championships in the sports of cross-country, swimming & diving and volleyball. As a high school head coach, he has guided four state championship teams, 11 individual state champions, 60 all-state honorees and one collegiate conference champion. Coach Marr has worked with a wide variety of sports that include alpine skiing, auto racing, baseball, basketball, distance running, football, hockey, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, triathlon, track and field and volleyball. He has worked extensively with athletes and teams from youth, high school, collegiate and post collegiate sport.
Dr. Marr has a passion for positively impacting the sport environment through the application of sport psychology. Through mental performance consulting he find great satisfaction in helping athletes achieve their goals through the integration of sport science, educational, positive and counseling psychology theories and methods. In addition to his work as a coach and mental performance consultant he is the Director of the Applied Sport Psychology Master’s Degree program at Northern Michigan University where he teaches coaching education and sport psychology course. He resides in Marquette Michigan with his wife and two children. He enjoys the outdoors, where he and his family regularly hike, run, Nordic ski, backpack and camp.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., Health Education & Promotion, University of Missouri, 2016
Emphasis: Sport Psychology
Master of Science, M.S., Education, Baylor University, 2011
Emphasis: Sport Pedagogy
Bachelor of Science, B.S., Movement Science, Grand Valley State University, 2009
Major: Physical Education, Minor: Biology, Theme: Gender, Society and Culture
Certifications
Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), 2023
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), 2011
Endurance Specialist Certified, United States Track and Field / Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) –, 2013
Level 2 Certified Coach, Endurance Events, United States of America Track and Field (USATF), 2012
Level 1 Certified Coach, United States of America Track and Field (USATF), 2009
Mental Performance Consulting Experience
Marr Performance Group (Private Practice), 2015 – Present
University of Missouri Athletic Department, 2012 – 2015
Track and Field / Cross Country Coaching Experience
Marquette Senior High School