Can anyone tell me in this thread who Megan Elliot is? I saw her bio but I wanna know details. Any former athletes wanna speak on her? How much success was she responsible for with the Arkansas women’s team under Chris bucknam? Is she the real deal?
She was a decent runner for coach Harter at Ark. she then married a guy that also ran at Ark and she began working as a volunteer/dir of ops while he(her husband) was a coach for the men’s team. I think he stopped coaching but she later became the distance coach when harter retired. She has experience within that Arkansas umbrella which I’m sure could get the job done at most places because she has the ops experience which is vital at a mid major but if she is only coaching her event group she will be fine. My only knock would be I highly doubt she has legitimate recruiting chops
Been retired for 7 years and have noticed not many white male sprint coach being hired any longer at higher level unless they have been there for sometime. How hard is it for a white male to get a P4/P5 assistant sprint position these days? Seem there have been many of openings and almost all filled by women(little credentials) or African American men. This is no knock to anyone who’s received a job, it’s to the hiring above. Chris Parno has done an amazing job, Andrew Kaschak, Matt Stewart, Adam Kisler, Vanhootgem, George Pincock, Ernie Clark, etc…. And there is programs like Purdue, Ole Miss, and other programs hiring guys with little history of succes on the men and women sprits. Alabama hiring a lady years ago with no experience(we see how that went). As a middle distance coach im glad I never battled with this. My boss always went with the best candidate no matter race or gender.
I think there is definitely a decrease in white male coaches getting hired at the P4/P5 level in the sprint events. That is due to many reasons, some legit and some not so legit. Maybe I am too old, but for a long time there were very few black males and women hired for director roles/ head coach. There has been a shift in hiring who is at the head of the program which has led to many more black males and females getting a position. Secondly, the sport itself has demanded a shift. When you recruit today's student athlete they may demand being apart of a team that looks like them from a coaching and student athlete standpoint. Third it is hard for white males to have a strong hold on the networking cycle like they once had. Getting positions is all about networking and relationships. Plenty of whites are qualified, however the networking circle has changed. It's similar to black males and black females who coach distance and middle distance at the HBCU level. Those coaches will encounter barriers as they attempt to pursue P4/P5 positions.
Now there are certain initiatives and social justice issues that ADs are pushing behind the scene. Some people have gone way too far left or right. Some Head coaches find themselves playing a game that's not fun, but track and field has always had to play games. It's just a different game these days. As a coach, I have a short list of my idea staff and it's based on their coaching, recruiting, and relationship with me. I only have two black males in my pool for distance coaching and I am sure there are more qualified black males in that event, but I don't know them. If my one and two turn it down, then I am going to number three and four before I open it to everyone. That's hiring period these days.
So I would encourage white males to network with those P4/P5 decision makers. Not just name dropping and kissing up. Show them you have something to share and add value to. For example, Coach X if you're having problems with your athletes block start try this drill, it should help. I have used this for student athletes who struggle with the concept. I will send you a video today.
I think there is definitely a decrease in white male coaches getting hired at the P4/P5 level in the sprint events. That is due to many reasons, some legit and some not so legit. Maybe I am too old, but for a long time there were very few black males and women hired for director roles/ head coach. There has been a shift in hiring who is at the head of the program which has led to many more black males and females getting a position. Secondly, the sport itself has demanded a shift. When you recruit today's student athlete they may demand being apart of a team that looks like them from a coaching and student athlete standpoint. Third it is hard for white males to have a strong hold on the networking cycle like they once had. Getting positions is all about networking and relationships. Plenty of whites are qualified, however the networking circle has changed. It's similar to black males and black females who coach distance and middle distance at the HBCU level. Those coaches will encounter barriers as they attempt to pursue P4/P5 positions.
Now there are certain initiatives and social justice issues that ADs are pushing behind the scene. Some people have gone way too far left or right. Some Head coaches find themselves playing a game that's not fun, but track and field has always had to play games. It's just a different game these days. As a coach, I have a short list of my idea staff and it's based on their coaching, recruiting, and relationship with me. I only have two black males in my pool for distance coaching and I am sure there are more qualified black males in that event, but I don't know them. If my one and two turn it down, then I am going to number three and four before I open it to everyone. That's hiring period these days.
So I would encourage white males to network with those P4/P5 decision makers. Not just name dropping and kissing up. Show them you have something to share and add value to. For example, Coach X if you're having problems with your athletes block start try this drill, it should help. I have used this for student athletes who struggle with the concept. I will send you a video today.
Having a Short list and not opening it up for a comprehensive hire just because you do not personally know them that is a red flag. The best candidate should be hired but our sport is all jacked up so that’s how it goes
I think there is definitely a decrease in white male coaches getting hired at the P4/P5 level in the sprint events. That is due to many reasons, some legit and some not so legit. Maybe I am too old, but for a long time there were very few black males and women hired for director roles/ head coach. There has been a shift in hiring who is at the head of the program which has led to many more black males and females getting a position. Secondly, the sport itself has demanded a shift. When you recruit today's student athlete they may demand being apart of a team that looks like them from a coaching and student athlete standpoint. Third it is hard for white males to have a strong hold on the networking cycle like they once had. Getting positions is all about networking and relationships. Plenty of whites are qualified, however the networking circle has changed. It's similar to black males and black females who coach distance and middle distance at the HBCU level. Those coaches will encounter barriers as they attempt to pursue P4/P5 positions.
Now there are certain initiatives and social justice issues that ADs are pushing behind the scene. Some people have gone way too far left or right. Some Head coaches find themselves playing a game that's not fun, but track and field has always had to play games. It's just a different game these days. As a coach, I have a short list of my idea staff and it's based on their coaching, recruiting, and relationship with me. I only have two black males in my pool for distance coaching and I am sure there are more qualified black males in that event, but I don't know them. If my one and two turn it down, then I am going to number three and four before I open it to everyone. That's hiring period these days.
So I would encourage white males to network with those P4/P5 decision makers. Not just name dropping and kissing up. Show them you have something to share and add value to. For example, Coach X if you're having problems with your athletes block start try this drill, it should help. I have used this for student athletes who struggle with the concept. I will send you a video today.
Having a Short list and not opening it up for a comprehensive hire just because you do not personally know them that is a red flag. The best candidate should be hired but our sport is all jacked up so that’s how it goes
In most professions this is present. You're not going to reach your expected destination if you're sitting there thinking your resume should be the sole factor. You clearly don't associate with others in other sports. This is life. A computer screen and resume is not getting you through that door.
We had more white sprint coaches back in the day, because there were more white head coaches. Now, there's more black sprint coaches because of the increase in black head coaches. Same goes across most disciplines. People hire comfortably. You eventually saw white head coaches adding at least one minority to their staff for obvious reasons.
If people don't get comfortable getting to know one another despite race, the separation will continue.
Having a Short list and not opening it up for a comprehensive hire just because you do not personally know them that is a red flag.
Nah...if you have been around long enough you are sure to have seen assistant coaches get a Head Coach (and the rest of the staff) fired, due to incompetence/back stabbing/unethical decision making.
Coaching chops are important, but a Head Coach needs a guy that they trust...someone who they know can take direction, work within the confines of the program and manage athletes effectively and ethically. This is way more important than people think.
At a high level you have the luxury of hiring trustworthy candidates you know, or candidates backed by peers you trust to give it to you straight.
Having a Short list and not opening it up for a comprehensive hire just because you do not personally know them that is a red flag.
At a high level you have the luxury of hiring trustworthy candidates you know, or candidates backed by peers you trust to give it to you straight.
100% truth. Especially in this new era at p4’s where development barely matters and talent acquisition and management is top priority. Why should I hire someone whose personality is a mystery to me? Because they have a certification? Or a bunch of champions under their belt? Nothing on a résumé is worth bringing in an unknown. Anyone whose been doing this job long enough has worked with a dirtbag assistants that tries to turn kids on the head coach.
Can I trust you to give me honest feedback? Can I trust you to handle situations with athletes without incident? Can you sell the program? Period. That’s all that really matters.
At a high level you have the luxury of hiring trustworthy candidates you know, or candidates backed by peers you trust to give it to you straight.
100% truth. Especially in this new era at p4’s where development barely matters and talent acquisition and management is top priority. Why should I hire someone whose personality is a mystery to me? Because they have a certification? Or a bunch of champions under their belt? Nothing on a résumé is worth bringing in an unknown. Anyone whose been doing this job long enough has worked with a dirtbag assistants that tries to turn kids on the head coach.
Can I trust you to give me honest feedback? Can I trust you to handle situations with athletes without incident? Can you sell the program? Period. That’s all that really matters.
I feel you and I think everything you are saying is correct. But do you even take the time to interview that championship coach you don’t know? Or does that person not get an interview or a chance because your buddy has someone on the short list?
I feel you and I think everything you are saying is correct. But do you even take the time to interview that championship coach you don’t know? Or does that person not get an interview or a chance because your buddy has someone on the short list?
Everybody’s different obviously, but me personally I give the interviews . Because there’s the chance they say something that resonates. At the very least, in a situation where there’s a short list and one of the short listers takes an offer, I’ve expanded my network and that person who had a great interview probably is on the short list in the future.
then there’s the issue of maybe the timing isn’t right for your short list. If the person you had in mind can’t take job or needs time to decide, you’ll find yourself up a creek with no candidates if you skipped interviews.
Nevada Cross Country Head Coach and Track & Field assistant coach Kirk Elias on Tuesday announced his retirement following the 2024-25 athletic season.
Marshall Leonard had an interview from what I heard. No clue about the other candidates. Would be a smart hire
I heard the interview was great, but he wasn't sure about the direction that Campbell wants to go. The previous director took the team and made it sprint heavy and took away from the distance crew. I think Marshall would want to go back to distance heavy again. Not sure how many others are being interviewed.
