The DOC is a quack

Ok, here is some info for you, curious.

On the subject of BYU and Ed Eyestone. Why would you question his credentials, as you have Davis' and some other coaches. Yes, a college probably likes to hire back alums, to keep with tradition in the program, make a connection to the past (as far as I can tell, seems like a good thing).

Well, here is the web page for the byu cross-country team, the coaches link on the left will take you to a nice little bio about Ed.

http://www.byucougars.com/cross_country/

And to make the list a little abreviated:

he was an assistant at Weber St for 3 years

has a masters degree in excersice physiology.

Also, I know he runs camps in the summer and did them with paul cummings for a while (I heard this from someone who went).

So, yes you think that davis is capitalizing on other people, that is one thing; you question his ethics, but advanced degrees don't make someone a good coach in my opinion, it may give them a lot of knowledge, but if they don't know what to do with it, it doesn't do any good. Just like a lot of physical therapists or doctors(more so than pt's) who know alot, but still have no clue about sport

(most prominently the blanket "take 6 weeks off, no playing.")

Curious, I have been loathe to chime in on this topic as it has only seemed like an inconsequential spat. You have gone on at length to say that this whole thread is about the lack of ?Coaching credentials? that Davis can offer. I do not believe that ANYONE (even Mack said that going off as you have is a waste) has agreed with you. However, in response, you turn around and call these people brown-nosers. Do you really think that everyone on the board likes Davis this much? Do you think that calling people names will persuade them to see it your way? No, this thread has not been about the requisites for coaching, it has been about your malice towards Davis (and nearly everyone telling you they don?t care to hear it).

Then, for the first time in your latest post, you actually spoke to the subject that you purportedly claim to have written about all along. However, in this last post, you did not even mention Davis. Can we expect the same amount of spite to be directed towards Plas, Eyestone, Salazar as you have towards Davis? If not, why not? This last post should have been your first post, and it could have been a decent thread (in fact, Trackgeek initiated this topic on another thread recently. You should post what you think all coaches must have there. So far, only two people have responded to Trackgeek).

Oh well, Psycotherapist (& everyone else) is right that it is so obvious that this is about you and Davis, and that it is disappointing that you refuse to handle this more maturely. Actually, I find your continual resorting to the ?Coach credentials? to ironically be significantly more insulting to Coaches as Davis? venture as you are insincerely touting their honor (thereby mocking them) just to further your anti-Davis agenda. So, on behalf of Coaches (with a capital C), I ask you as nicely as I can to let this go.

I hate to do this because I pretty much can't stand lame internet pissing contests but here's what I think. Why bitch and moan about a guy (Marc Davis) who knows a lot about running and high levels of competition (if you don't give him at least this much you are a total idiot) when there are thousands of high school coaches out there who are fat reject football coaches who haven't run a step in their lives and don't know a bag of goat shit from a 10 mile run.

Like I said above, Marc Davis has forgotten more about running than 90% of the guys out there calling themself "coach" will ever know.

We need more runners turning to coaching not less.

so how many girls did marc davis steal from you anyway?

Eric Mack is a running God.

You are right, trackgeek, Ed Eyestone is somebody who I maybe should be applauding. He has done everything right as far as what I've been saying a good coach should have for a background credential-wise.

Maybe...but I hesitate. Here's why.

It's one thing to aim for the coaching ranks by getting yourself as qualified as possible in the classroom and doing assistantships. It's another thing entirely to have a postion waiting for you as soon as you shore up your resume. I think that was the case with Eyestone. Does it seem a little too convienient that Ed just happens to get his Masters in exercise physiology then just happens to find a position with Weber State (a fellow Mormon school in the area--the Mormon church encourages closeknit society) then just happens to be in the right place at the right time to "win" the position as BYU head CC coach? I believe the only difference between Minnesota (for example) boldfacedly hiring one of "our boys" over other/perhaps better applicants and BYU is that the Mormon culture values image. No way would BYU want to risk showing even the hint of impropriety. So if either Eyestone approached the former coach, or the former coach approached Eyestone, the school athletic department would say 'do this first so we can justify hiring you.'

In other words, the job's yours if you shore up your resume.

Yes, this is speculation on my part. But learned speculation, since I used to live just down the road from Provo. I know how things are done there. Not a whole lot different than anywhere else, really, except the demand for a squeeky-clean public image at all times.

And--to mention one of the dirty little "secrets" of college--sometimes football and basketball aren't the only sports to pad and inflate the grades of their athletes. So what do you think might be the attitude of some professors for an alumnus being GROOMED for a set future job? How many profs are going to give a B rather than an A to a former and now future star? Most schools wouldn't set someone up to fail in this situation.

(Side note: to truly appreciate this situation, think about all the politking Nike did to try and get Salazar the job at the U of Oregon. Nike created a team--which a certain Marc Davis was on--just for Salazar to hone his coaching skills on and to shore up Salazar's coaching resume. Despite the same arguements about recruiting used by Minnesota, BYU, et al, Oregon stuck to it's guns and hired Martin Smith over their celebrity alumnus.)

As I said regarding Eyestone, this is all speculation on my part, based on what I know of the American collegiate system and the BYU version of the old-boy network. I might be totally off-base. But trackgeek, you asked why I included Eyestone in my group of star celebrities hired and this is the answer. I don't believe Ed has clawed his way up the slope, I believe he had a pretty easy ascent. That said, he has most certainly traveled the right path, and if the American university system hasn't bestowed too many favors en route, he has probably learned more than most of his fellow celebrity stars looking for something else to do in the sport now that they're done competing.

So Ed might turn out to be a good coach. But getting prepared for it only in your own backyard is limiting, and having a job ready and waiting isn't exactly paying your dues, if that was indeed the case, which, as I said, I believe it quite possibly was. (Both these elements are important factors in being well-rounded in knowledge...who out there would strive 100% for excellence if knowing it wasn't needed to be hired in the first place? Who could hit 100% if favors are being done for you, whether you wish them or even realize their existence?)

Ed might prove me wrong and more power to him. I guess we'll see. A former world-class runner with an advanced degree in exercise physiology at a major university who has the entire Mormon population (Mormons are encouraged to attend a Mormon-based school) plus non-Mormons to recruit from, he SHOULD do very well. Contrary to popular thought, I believe in this case especially, Ed's open career may be a hinderance rather than a help. Collegiate coaching is all about peaks and vallys, something very opposite from the road racing experience.

Well good luck, Ed, and we'll see what the next five-ten years bring.

I guess then this leaves me asking:

What do you think is the "proper" way for a coach to develop and hone(sp) his skill and experience as a coach. You think that people have an easy approach. The other problem might very well be that in terms of the amount of time these people want to dedicate, started off with an employer that doesn't care about you and will give you 3000 a year in stipend and no budget doesn't even make sense.

So, how should it happen, curious?

Actually, all successful distance runners are members of a secret society that provides them a free pass from ever having to work for any job or any success in their lives beyond their running careers. Mere mention of their names causes all doors to be open to them and they cannot be refused any job they seek. To bad you are not part of the great conspiracy Mr. Curious.

Mr. curious. Quite a take on AlSal, Nike and the coaching position at UO. Your analysis belongs in the fiction section. None of it is true. Alberto was never in contention for the UO coaching job. Nike gave AlSal a team to run because what else are they going to do with him? He's the Michael Jackson of the running world - little boys playing video games all day and sleeping in altitude tents and hyperbaric chambers. Wacko Jacko stuff.

Hey is this the same Brian harris who went to Uva? If so, It's craig, drop me a line.cdv

I agree Salazar was never in line for the University of Oregon coaching job. I never said he was, only that he and Nike were campaigning for him to get it.

When Dellinger started considering retirement, there were a series of articles/columns in the Eugene Register-Guard newspaper that kept making mention of salazar's wish to be hired as cross-country and track coach. Most of these articles were in the form of a column written by ER-G sportswriter Ron Bellamy, a man married to the former Cathie Twomey (an Athletics West member in the eighties, like Salazar) and an old bud of the AW gang.

One article/column I remeber in particular, was a fluff piece supposedly done as a "what are they doing now" sort of thing about Salazar, a few years removed from Eugene to Portland. After finind out Salazar's sons liked playing soccer, the question was asked, would salazar ever consider moving back to Eugene? (An especially trivial question since Portland is only 100 miles up I-5 from Eugene...not exactly on the other side of the planet.) Salazar answered he would move back in a minute if he was hired for the U of O coaching job after Dellinger retires. It became clear the question--and the entire column--was just a set up for Salazar to publicly voice his interest in the job. Knowing Nike marketing, I would guess this was designed to get the Eugene track fans to start vocalizing their wish that Salazar would be hired, the idea being that the celebrity star would be a pivotal factor in restoring Duck track greatness.

There were many subtle references to Salazar's interest in the paper during this time. Salazar hgimself--never a subtle man--was quoted that he had discussed getting the job with Dellinger and both agreed that the U of O "tradition" of passing the job from Oregon coach to Oregon athlete (Bill Hayward to Bill Bowerman to Bill Dellinger) should continue in order to make sure things will be done the "Duck" way.

A lot of people held this belief--that the job should pass from mentor to disciple--even if they didn't necessarily belive Salazar should be the disciple (a lot of folks favored Pat Tyson, the former roomate of Prefontaine).

It was this belief that later made it very hard for Martin Smith, an dreaded "outsider".

As I said, it was a huge credit to the U of O athletic department/director Moos that they hired whom they believed to be the best candidate for the job in the country rather the best candidate from a group of "our people". Not an easy thing in the face of a powerful lobby by an internationally known alumnus and university contributor (Phil Knight/Salazar/Nike).

Contrast that to Minnesota or BYU. (That was my point in mentioning Oregon at all.)

And, if Salazar's Nike group wasn't manufactured simply to shore up Salazar's coaching credentials, why then did the group cease to exist not long after the U of O position was filled? Coincidence? If you believe Nike, I guess.

(All the articles concerning this in the Eugene Register-Guard may be accessed via the archives on their web page

http://www.registerguard.com

, but I'm not completely certain of that fact. You can try. If you live on East 19th street in Eugene, you can go to the Knight library--ironic--and look it up on microfilm.)

BTW East 19th, how about reading posts a little better before crying ignorance?

Curious,

You seem to be quick to criticize Davis based on past decisions that he made. What are you, f***ing God? A lot of us would have made the same decisions he did if we were in his shoes. So he liked to drink and chase women around. At the same time he was a Footlocker champ, NCAA champ, and Olympian. You don't just accomplish these things based on natural talent dumbass. To be a world class runner, you have to have a world class work ethic and he had that when reached the Olympics. The fact that he had some fun on the side just fits into the lifestyle of working hard and playing hard. My question to is who are you and what have you contributed to the sport? For years Davis has always taken the time to talk running with highschoolers, letting them know he made mistakes in the past and not to make the same ones. That is comendable isn't it God? Will you and your fellow desciple, Macker forgive him? Please! Please! He'll never become successfull until your holyier than shit selves deem him worthy of being called "coach"