Ivy League Coaching News - Mark Coogan leaving Dartmouth for New Balance

LetsRun.com had an exlcusive Q&A with Mark Coogan this afternoon about his move:

http://www.letsrun.com/2014/01/mark-coogan-talks-move-new-balance/

One of the Ivy League schools will be looking for a new Head Coach next fall!

LetsRun.com update:

http://www.letsrun.com/2014/01/mark-coogan-talks-move-new-balance/

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/01/abbey-dagostinos-coach-mark-coogan-leaving-dartmouth-lead-coaching-new-balance/

LetsRun.com wrote:

LetsRun.com had an exlcusive Q&A with Mark Coogan this afternoon about his move:

http://www.letsrun.com/2014/01/mark-coogan-talks-move-new-balance/

Thanks for the link!

Wossamotta wrote:

Pretty clearly, much of the motive for this is to draw Abbey D, who's a Massachusetts native, to New Balance.

I don't think so - how many shoes will AD sell, really? A second tier (on the world stage) female middle distance runner isn't a money maker.

I bet huddle doesn't even make back her salary.

ck3237 wrote:

Abby was the program. The rest of the team sucked.

Which is why they won Heps and made NCAA cross nationals as a team? Or finished 3rd at the indoor DMR in 2012?

Can Bill Belichick coach the Patriots on the weekend then pop over and guide the fellas at BC during the week. I hope the athletes don't suffer from MC trying to do too much. Go Terps.

It'll be interesting to see who will end up as Coogan's replacement. Dartmouth seems to be a rising team, even without Abbey D, but the job would require a move to Middle of Nowhere Antarctica (Hanover NH).

What they are saying is , we don't what we are doing with him , we don't have anything that specific , he will come on board and we will see what happens.

He will double his salary which will be helpful as kids enter college.

No one has commented on Natasha Rodgers. What did NB do, dig her up and hire a coach for her? So strange. She is currently the only athlete he is coaching. I also had no idea he and Gwen were divorced.

I'm sure what coogan has in mind is a training group with Simpson, BMart, Abbey and Rodgers and maybe Kim Smith - that is quite a middle distance crew.

I know those athletes are scattered around the country, but here's the thing -

Nike created this aura around Salazar's group - the black uniforms, the skulls, the technology - the NOP is probably nike's best marketing tool right now in running. few care about the oTC, really.

I bet coogan is thinking he would be just the guy to bring together the medalist type NB athletes into a NOP type group.

Simpson is staying where she is, Bmart has the best coach in the country, Smith is with Reebook and very happy. The other 2 I guess are a done deal although Abby is used to being Msrk's # 1 girl.

agip wrote:

I'm sure what coogan has in mind is a training group with Simpson, BMart, Abbey and Rodgers and maybe Kim Smith - that is quite a middle distance crew.

I hope that isn't what he has in mind because it will never happen. Lets get an 800/1500m runner, 1500/5000m runner, 5k runner, 10k runner and marathoner together and get them together in Boston where there is no altitude, no trails, bad winters and one of the highest costs of living in the USA.

Better plan of attack would be to pray you sign AD and try to build a group around her of graduating NCAA 5k runners and develop them.

So this guy gets to half-ass coach two teams yet more than doubles his salary?

Bleu wrote:

Simpson is staying where she is, Bmart has the best coach in the country, Smith is with Reebook and very happy. The other 2 I guess are a done deal although Abby is used to being Msrk's # 1 girl.

Kim Smith is with NB now - reebok closed down its sponsor program

Bmart's coach is what - 85 yrs old? that could end at any time.

simpson just changed coaches and has a little group of her own, yes. She is a tough sell, but who knows what will happen in 5 years?

NB can always pick up a few more people.

The problem is geography - coogan has said he wants to be in the boston area, right? not a great training place. Although adidas is doing something there, so who knows.

KillBillion wrote:

So this guy gets to half-ass coach two teams yet more than doubles his salary?

No, quite the opposite. I believe Mark is volunteering at Dartmouth. So he's doing it for the kids sake.

I believe he is getting more money at NB than at Dartmouth so he'll have no trouble with the commuting expenses.

rojo wrote:

KillBillion wrote:

So this guy gets to half-ass coach two teams yet more than doubles his salary?

No, quite the opposite. I believe Mark is volunteering at Dartmouth. So he's doing it for the kids sake.

I believe he is getting more money at NB than at Dartmouth so he'll have no trouble with the commuting expenses.

hey rojo - what do you miss most about coaching?

Sorry

HMMMMM do i smell a vigilante esque exodus? makes you wonder

agip wrote:

I'm sure what coogan has in mind is a training group with Simpson, BMart, Abbey and Rodgers and maybe Kim Smith - that is quite a middle distance crew.

I know those athletes are scattered around the country, but here's the thing -

Nike created this aura around Salazar's group - the black uniforms, the skulls, the technology - the NOP is probably nike's best marketing tool right now in running. few care about the oTC, really.

I bet coogan is thinking he would be just the guy to bring together the medalist type NB athletes into a NOP type group.

I can't imagine Coogan (or anyone else) wants to start a "NOP type group" with its behind the scenes Salazar/Nike machinations. I also think Coogan would want to avoid the hokey, theatrical uniforms that were undoubtedly designed by the uber-clever boys at Weiden+Kennedy.

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