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.