Fran Pirozzolo

Dr. Fran Pirozzolo is a licensed sports psychologist who has worked with many of the world’s top PGA and LPGA players since 1983.

Since 2002 Dr. Pirozzolo has been the Player Development Coach for the Houston Texans NFL Football Team. In 2003, the first year of competition in the NFL, the Texans won the Winston Shell Award for the best player development program in the NFL.

Dr. Pirozzolo was the Mental Skills Coach for the New York Yankees from 1996 - 2002, a period during which they won four World Championships. From 1988 - 1995, Pirozzolo served in a similar position in uniform with the Houston Astros. He has consulted for the Detroit Tigers (2000) and for the Texas Rangers when President George W. Bush was Managing Partner of the Rangers (1994 - 1997). Pirozzolo was a training consultant for the Heavyweight Champion of the World Evander Holyfield, from 1990 - 1998.

At the recommendation of Vice President Dan Quayle, Dr. Pirozzolo spent one year doing research and training in the Psychology and Behavior Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center (NASA). The focus of his work there was on the study of astronaut team performance in pressurized and severe environments such as space travel in microgravity and overwintering in Antarctica.

Dr. Pirozzolo has been a consultant to numerous collegiate athletic departments, including the University of Notre Dame, the University of Texas, the University of Oklahoma, Texas A&M University, Rice University, and the University of Houston.

Dr. Pirozzolo has published 14 books and over 250 scientific and popular articles. His most recent golf books include "The Game I Love" (Harper Collins) with golf legend Sam Snead, “The Mental Game Pocket Companion” (Harper Collins), "The Putter's Pocket Companion" (Harper Collins). Fran collaborated with Jim McLean on the Golf Channel production of Sam Snead: "A Swing for A Lifetime" and has done a video with the legendary Byron Nelson. Fran’s most recent book is entitled, "Multiple Intelligence and Leadership" (with scholars Ron Riggio and Susan Murphy.) Dr. Pirozzolo’s mental training for golf CD entitled “Mental Toughness” is available through Subconscious Training Corporation, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Dr. Pirozzolo holds degrees from The University of Chicago and The University of Rochester. His academic credentials include professorships at UCLA, the University of Minnesota, and Baylor College of Medicine, serving as Chief of the Neuropsychology Service at Baylor for 15 years.

Dr. Pirozzolo was appointed to the prestigious National Academy of Science's Committee on Techniques to Enhance Human Performance. This was a group of the world’s leading psychologists who were recruited by the National Academy of Sciences and the Army Research Institute, specifically to study methods that individuals and organizations employ to enhance learning under pressurized situations.

Dr. Pirozzolo also is a Visiting Scholar with the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont-McKenna College and has received numerous awards for research and community service.

Dr. Fran Pirozzolo is affiliated with the Shadow Hawk Golf Club in Houston, Texas. Fran is on the teaching staff of the Jim McLean Golf Schools.