"One of the most respected practitioners and pioneers in sports psychology." — Bill Polian, Former Vice Chairman, Indianapolis Colts
Since earning his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1973, Jack A. Stark has built one of the most decorated and diverse careers in performance psychology. Over five decades, he has worked at the highest levels of collegiate and professional sports, corporate America, medicine, and academia — consistently applying the same foundational insight: that peak performance is a trainable psychological skill.
Dr. Stark began his career as a clinical psychologist at a large Nebraska healthcare clinic before moving into sport psychology in 1989 as the team psychologist for the University of Nebraska Cornhusker football program. Over his 15-year tenure working alongside legendary head coach Dr. Tom Osborne, Nebraska won three national championships and achieved the highest winning percentage in college football during the 1990s.
In 2000, Dr. Stark joined NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports as performance psychologist — working simultaneously as sport psychologist, industrial/organizational psychologist, and clinician for a 550-employee organization. He helped drivers including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kasey Kahne achieve eight NASCAR championships.
Alongside his work in sports, Dr. Stark has consulted to more than 50 Fortune 500 companies, delivered over 1,000 presentations on leadership and teamwork, and conducted more than 80,000 patient/client sessions in clinical practice. He has authored or co-authored multiple books — including his landmark The Championship Formula and his most recent work, Top Gun Performance.
Dr. Stark served as a tenured professor of medical psychology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for over 20 years and currently serves on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. He remains active in numerous community-service and charitable organizations throughout Omaha and nationally.