Just_Curious wrote:
There always seems to be A LOT of bashing going on under these type of post, so I'd like to pose a serious question:
What qualifies a person for a Division I coaching position? What exactly should the resume' look like to appease the masses?
What's wrong with a retired professional athlete? What's wrong with less than 7 years of non-volunteer coaching experience? Whats wrong with someone who has inherited athletes and had success with them? What's wrong with hiring the best alumni? What's wrong with JUCO?
Just naming a few instances that people had complaints about.
You pose some great questions, unfortunately the answers aren't simple.
A person could be a worthless coach but have had great athletes and a stunning resume due to their "god given ability" and what they are/were able to achieve. Another could be an incredible coach who has taken an uncoached/undertrained individual to performances that are beyond what they should be achieving yet receive no recognition or "resume fluff." A person can also be a great coach with great athletes who achieves incredible success.
It takes a much greater coach to develop an athlete than it does to roll one out who walks in your door. Yes, much of coaching is recruiting but with scholarship and funding limits the game isn't a level playing field.
I absolutely believe some of the greatest coaches in the country are at the high school level, there are also a lot of people who don't have a clue and are coaching high school sports. It used to be common for a coach to build up experience and a resume at the high school or lower levels before going to a large program and now this is considered garbage. Clearly, Bowerman should have never been hired at Oregon because his resume was primarily high school coaching.
I saw a tweet yesterday referencing Eagles coach Doug Pederson, "At some high school 10 years ago their was a parent saying Doug Pederson is a horrible coach, claiming they could do a better job."
Culture is another piece of the equation, sometimes athletes and coaches can thrive in one place and those same people could fail somewhere else. Having the right fit is essential to success.
Truly great coaches are people who have the right mix of: knowledge, moxie and nurture, paired with the ability to motivate, educate while being humble enough to continue learning. Unfortunately, the litmus test for this isn't easy unless you are familiar with the coach and the program.