Talons Q&A: Howard Dobson and Lisa Fernandez
Ahead of the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), league reporter Savanna Collins sat down with each of the four general manager and head coach pairs. This edition features Talons GM Lisa Fernandez and Head Coach Howard Dobson.
Lisa Fernandez and Howard Dobson have been opponents of powerhouse programs throughout their college coaching tenures. They connected on the recruiting trail over their kids – not the kids they were recruiting – but their sons. Fernandez and Dobson have sons who are similar in age and played baseball competitively and the two coaches bonded over the challenge to balance their teams on the field and at home.
Fernandez is one of the most recognizable names in the history of softball. She enters her 27th season on the UCLA Bruins coaching staff with five NCAA titles in her reign. She is a three-time Olympic gold medal winner for Team USA (1996, 2000, 2004) and as a collegiate athlete and Bruin herself, she was a two-time national champion and four-time First-Team All-American. Dobson has been the assistant coach at LSU for the past 13 seasons. He is known for his hitting expertise; the program’s offensive numbers surged during his time with the Tigers, with Dobson’s hitters achieving 15 individual single-season records, 10 individual career records, and 16 offensive season records broken. He has also been a coach within Team USA, the head coach of Southern Miss, and an assistant at Oklahoma.
The following interview has been edited slightly for clarity and brevity.
Collins: What sold you on the AUSL? Was there a moment or conversation that made you say “I have to be a part of this?”
Dobson: I’ve been watching the momentum of AU, watching our former players play, and watching how that has transformed over into the collegiate game [with] coaches using the point system to do their inner squads now. So having that avenue to start with and catch that momentum… but also seeing their vision of what a pro league should look like.
I’ve said it before, but who is going to be the next Lisa Fernandez? Who is going to be the next Cat Osterman or Kelly Kretschman? If players don’t have an avenue to pursue that, then it gets lost. And so getting involved was tremendous. You just can’t say no to it.
Fernandez: For me, it was the athletes in our program. I’ve spoken to so many of them and their love for the game and to hear them not really have another avenue and still wanting to compete and play. I started to follow AU and watch it on TV. To see it on regularly, follow it, and the players I’m like, “Wow, this is happening.”
You see the little girls in the stands and for me there’s nothing better as an athlete than to be able to retire from the game and leave it in a better spot than when you played. To get a call from Jennie Finch, Natasha Watley, Jessica Mendoza, and obviously from Kim Ng asking me if I was interested… I mean how would you not? With the backing and support that we have, I think it’s a viable model for these young women to have an opportunity to continue to play this game, showcase their skills, and be a role model for the athletes of the future. To be able to see that you can express yourself, you can be athletic, you can be strong, you can have leadership and be successful in this world: that’s what the game is all about.
Collins: Howard you’ve coached at the collegiate level and with the national team. How would you describe yourself as a coach? What’s your coaching philosophy?
Dobson: I like to think I’m a player’s coach. I manage the game, but I’m there for the players. It’s not about me. Being a dad too, you have a son or daughter and you want them to be the best they can be later in life and make them positive adults. And so I took coaching as a chance to maybe make them better later on in life too. I’m not trying to minimize wins and losses, but you love them no matter what happens, you care about them. Coaching philosophy-wise, we just try to out-score ’em. Try to find a way to score more runs than they get by at least just one – don’t ask for much. [laughs]. But I do make sure that we put them in the best chance to be as successful as possible. And then if we don’t, we adjust, we go back. Nothing’s concrete, nothing’s set in stone. It’s an ever-flowing game and you have to come with whatever punches come at you.
Collins: Is there a potential you see in players when they reach the pros? Something in their twenties and thirties they don’t tap into as college athletes?
Fernandez: There’s a fearlessness that comes out of them. It’s a maturity level of realizing that there’s more to the game, there’s more that they can do. We only have them for four years. It’s a short period, but when they get the opportunity to compete professionally, it truly takes them to a different level. They start to challenge themselves, they start to try new things. They’ve got to figure out how to stay at the top of their game and what little things can they add, what little things can they do. The player I was when I was in high school and college was nowhere near the player I was when I ended my career being an Olympian. I understand there’s a fearlessness about being able to continue to reinvent yourself so that you can stay on top.
Collins: Howard you have been a part of an incredible fan base at LSU. Those fans are serious about their team. What does it take to get college fans to be pro fans and what do you hope you can bring through this franchise?
Dobson: I think it has a lot to do with our fans associating themselves with our players. I think they see themselves in our program – the people we have in our programs are humble. That culture is big on the team. So picking those players out who can be accessible, and friendly, is big. The problem is whenever players are standoffish, they can’t really associate with you, they don’t really connect with you… then they have a hard time pulling for you.
But when fans can connect with you they feel like they are your biggest supporter [then] often the buy-in starts to build. They’re all part of the program. Not just the team, but the fans are actually part of the program. They help us win because they’re loud when it’s supposed to be loud. They’re ragging the other team when they’re supposed to rag the other team. When they get associated and feel like they’re part of it, that’s when your momentum can take off.
Collins: Lisa you have a .822 winning percentage at UCLA. No, that’s not a typo: .822. You know what it takes to win. What will it take here? Is there an “it” factor to teams that win championships and how do you build that as a GM?
Fernandez: Yeah, it’s communicating with my coach here. It’s getting the right players. There is a physical part of the game, but there is a mental part. It’s the resiliency. This game is a grind and as Howard said, it’s a game of failure. So you have to have short-term memories, you have to have a self-belief. But you also have to have the ability to adjust and kind of ebb and flow with whatever is thrown at you.
Sometimes you’re going to feel like the ball is a beach ball and sometimes you’re going to feel like it’s the size of a pea. Who are the players that can manage that and still have the energy, drive, and desire to go out there and battle? That’s why I am so proud of any athlete who takes on the challenge of stepping on the mound or getting in the box because all eyes are on you. Just the fact that you’re willing to take that on, I honor them. So there’s no magic potion, but boy, you better have a good mentality and you better be resilient. This game can humble you quickly.
Launching in June 2025, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) is a professional women’s softball league featuring four teams playing a 24-game season in a traditional format.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Twitter @savannaecollins.
