Broken Promises, Useless Contracts: The Current State of Coaching
As a professional lifer in college coaching I am unhappy about the current state of my profession. The big money and media attention has altered the pressures and the dynamics of the job.
The word "coach" has been a title of respect. A college or high school coach has a great responsibility; he or she needs to remember that the sport is a part of a larger academic life for the student-athlete. The word "coach" should encompass the roles of educator, mentor, guidance counselor and manager of on-field duties.
Years ago many of the men got into coaching in spite of the low pay. To give you some perspective, in 1966 Joe Paterno shook hands with Penn State President Eric Walker and was told the pay was $20,000 a year.
There were no negotiations, no agents, no buyout clauses, and he was a tenured member of the faculty. Tenure was a bit of a safety net — and a reminder that the coach was part of an academic institution and not bigger than the institution.
A coach with tenure. That idea seems quaint by today’s standards. Who needs tenure when you can pack your bags and bolt for the next job?
The past few days have seen seismic movements in the world of college football coaching where vacancies have occurred at two of the more notable programs in the country.
Pete Carroll bolted USC for the NFL. Some have suggested it is because the NCAA posse is heading towards campus to sort out a myriad of allegations. Pete Carroll has asserted the fact that it was time to move on to a new challenge.
The vacancy at USC did not last long.
A year ago The University of Tennessee took a shot at a young coach who had been fired following a 5-15 stint with the Oakland Raiders. That coach, Lane Kiffin, rewarded Tennessee for its hiring of him by bolting after one 7-6 season for the vacancy created at USC.
The University of Tennessee paid out more than $5 million in coaching salaries (not to mention several million dollars to buy out the previous coach’s contract). At a time when universities are cutting staff and faculty, Tennessee spent more than $7 million to win seven games. A year later it is right back where it started.
This profession has lost touch with the reality of the world around us, and some coaches have lost touch with what the mission of our profession should be.
<<READ ON>>
Edit: I forgot to include the link. And I shouldn't have included the entire article. Above is the link to read on to the half I've deleted.
As a professional lifer in college coaching I am unhappy about the current state of my profession. The big money and media attention has altered the pressures and the dynamics of the job.
The word "coach" has been a title of respect. A college or high school coach has a great responsibility; he or she needs to remember that the sport is a part of a larger academic life for the student-athlete. The word "coach" should encompass the roles of educator, mentor, guidance counselor and manager of on-field duties.
Years ago many of the men got into coaching in spite of the low pay. To give you some perspective, in 1966 Joe Paterno shook hands with Penn State President Eric Walker and was told the pay was $20,000 a year.
There were no negotiations, no agents, no buyout clauses, and he was a tenured member of the faculty. Tenure was a bit of a safety net — and a reminder that the coach was part of an academic institution and not bigger than the institution.
A coach with tenure. That idea seems quaint by today’s standards. Who needs tenure when you can pack your bags and bolt for the next job?
The past few days have seen seismic movements in the world of college football coaching where vacancies have occurred at two of the more notable programs in the country.
Pete Carroll bolted USC for the NFL. Some have suggested it is because the NCAA posse is heading towards campus to sort out a myriad of allegations. Pete Carroll has asserted the fact that it was time to move on to a new challenge.
The vacancy at USC did not last long.
A year ago The University of Tennessee took a shot at a young coach who had been fired following a 5-15 stint with the Oakland Raiders. That coach, Lane Kiffin, rewarded Tennessee for its hiring of him by bolting after one 7-6 season for the vacancy created at USC.
The University of Tennessee paid out more than $5 million in coaching salaries (not to mention several million dollars to buy out the previous coach’s contract). At a time when universities are cutting staff and faculty, Tennessee spent more than $7 million to win seven games. A year later it is right back where it started.
This profession has lost touch with the reality of the world around us, and some coaches have lost touch with what the mission of our profession should be.
<<READ ON>>
Edit: I forgot to include the link. And I shouldn't have included the entire article. Above is the link to read on to the half I've deleted.
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