Division I Coaches - Tell Us Your Story !!

Yes, love to hear from coaches and their backgrounds.

Ran D1, All-American honors, Captain of Team.

Coached high school XC for 2 months while applying for GA positions.

Accepted a GA position at $11,380/yr at a DI program.

Promoted to full-time Assistant Coach in 3-4 months, pay raise to $23,200.

18 months later interim head coach, will not disclose pay.

avg D 3 runner

taught 2nd grade and stumbled into HS job- 1 year

while teaching offered PT d 1 job at small school- 1 yr (got active in coaches education to learn about all events)

lived in poverty to coach D3 as pt assistant (but worked more than full time at the job and was allowed to actually coach athletes)-2 yrs

turned into low paying D1 assist. with other funds coming from pt job in athletics-1.5 yrs

turned into excellent d1 assistant job at BCS-1.5 yrs

returned to previous d1 school as head coach-now over 10 years

The lesson in my opinion: If it is truly what you want to do, know going in that there are no guarantees and you are owed nothing. You have to make sacrifices early($ and lifestyle.) Have good mentors, and do every menial task well and without complaint. If you prove to be hard working, a good learner, and you produce at either or both in recruiting/performance results, then the opportunities will come. They don't come quickly, and you won't likely become wealthy.

Get involved in coaches education somehow. You will find others who share both your passion and sacrifice and likey find willing mentors. Don't think you know it all.

i have the greatest job in the world and a career path that i wouldn't do any differently

Take this advice to heart. Excellent post.

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......................... That's one of the best posts on this message board.

I was a bad D1 athlete at a small school. I walked on.

I did just about every event and quickly realized I wasn't going to be the All American I dreamed about. I came to practice early, stayed late and watched my coaches work with the different event groups. And bugged the hell out of them with questions. I was lucky enough to have coaches who were willing to answer those questions and were pretty knowledgeable.

I did an unpaid internship at a BCS school with their track team doing every piece of grunt work you can imagine. Turning over pits with a shovel, filling in hammer holes, going on lunch runs, washing uniforms. You name it. I did it with a smile. I crashed on a friends couch that year and ate a lot of ramen and canned tuna.

Went back to my alma mater as a GA for 1 semester. Making 5k a year. Got a job mid year at a smaller D1 school making 15k with benefits. I was in heaven. I coached every event but the distance events. I lived in the basement of a town house. I had no life other than coaching and recruiting. Oh and I finished up my masters along the way. Got hired back by that BCS school a few years later when there was an opening because of how hard I worked for them in that year. Tripled my salary in 1 year.

Pay your dues and like ..... said, make connections, get good mentors, recruit and coach like hell, and above all else, be willing to put in a LOT of hours for not much more than self satisfaction.

-Division 1 All-American athlete at top tier national program

-worked real world job for 1 year while coaching youth club team

-back to alma mater to work as a vol asst for 1 year, worked moving packages at UPS night shift to pay bills

-interviewed for 3 FT asst positions after year of vol and didn't land any

-went back to work for 6 months, while staying close to mentors and coaches

-Grad asst at upper tier D II for 1 year, just to get in the system

-interviewed and offered upper tier D I mid-major full time assistant, great pay, great benefits

-been at same place for 2.5 years and will be very very careful and selective about what/when my next move is after this

I was born a minority female and didn't really have to do anything to get the job I wanted. No butt kissing, no getting coffee, no volunteer assistant.....

Competed at Pac-10 school - ranked 6th in my event senior year - little short of ncaa qualifying. My head coach helped me get a part time position at a mid major school making approx $7K a year in 1991. Scraped by for 4 years before I got a full time coaching position and decent salary. It's what you have to do... It's rare to go right into a full time position... You have to be a very elite athlete with the right coaches backing you. Most start at very low pay and position for 3-5 years and slowly work your way up. I am in my 21st year now as an assoc head coach and solid salary. If you are looking to make a lot of money in this profession - do something else... most of us do it because we love it and do not consider it work. Very few make real good money. But over time you can get to a solid salary and good living. But whats more important? Money or doing something you love to do? I have never considered it work in anyway... I look forward to going in to office every day and even weekends during free time... So in my mind.. I have not worked at all after college and feel very very lucky. Most people hate their jobs and struggle to get through the day... I couldnt do that for any amount on $$$$

In 1985, after graduating in 1984, I was a part time assistant CC coach at my alma mater, D111. I was paid about $ 350 after taxes. I did it only one season, then I grew up and moved on. Congrats to those of you who stuck with it and make a living coaching.

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I was a solid DIII distance runner. After graduation I stayed in the area and worked a couple of different day jobs and was a volunteer with the team for a year.

Was offered a PT assistant position at the same University. (luckily I was able to help coach a few All-Americans in my event group distance)

It was fun but financially it just wasn't feasible to continue. I was barely scraping by working as an insurance agent, electronics salesman, and in an on campus dining hall. The last job was to help me from going hungry too often.

I quit coaching and got a nice paying job relating directly to my major and was making about $35k but absolutely hated it. I reevaluated what I wanted to do with my life, what skills I actually had and came to the conclusion that I should go back to coaching. I got USATF level 1 certified and got my meager resume together.

I applied to 100s of job openings with no luck. But eventually was hired as a PT assistant at a mid major D1 University.

I started out just holding the stopwatch for the other coaches but after a year or so eventually started coaching my own small event group. (jumps and sprints)

I got USATF level II certified in sprints hurdles and relays to help with coaching my new event group.

Distance runners were getting hurt constantly with the coach in charge of that group and he started unloading these athletes on me to try and get them fit and healthy. My entire new group got healthy and ended up running significantly faster than the healthy distance group that remained with the distance coach.

I was moved to distance coach the next year and given a nice raise.

Over the next 5 years I was given pretty steady raises and improved job titles just by getting solid results and being a positive person to work around. I went from a part time contract to a full time contract then was given the title of Cross Country Coach with another raise and am currently Cross Country coach as well as Associate Head Coach for Track.

Some of you are probably interested in income progression mine was like this...

0k Volunteer DIII Assistant 1 year

3k PT DIII Assistant 1 year

13k PT D1 Assistant 2 years

19-24k FT D1 Assistant 3 years

31-34k FT CC Coach 2 years

50k+ FT CC Coach/ Associate HC Track 1 year

My advice for people who want to become a D1 coach would be pretty much garbage as I basically just got really lucky with getting my foot in the door at a D1 when I was young (24).

However...

My advice for keeping your job as a D1 coach (after seeing 7 different track coaches come and go during my 10 years coaching) would be to have a presence on campus (don't just come to work do your job and go home) go to volleyball games, soccer games, basketball games. Smile and say hello to everyone you see. Go to events that aren't mandatory and have a smile on your face while you're there.

Most important be good at what you do. Be analytical, if you're average athlete improves 7% from HS and you have someone struggling to improve 3% meet with them ask them what we could be doing different, play with different volumes/long runs/workouts/frequency of competition etc... The day you think you have it all figured out is the day you stop getting better at what you do.

tl;dr version...

Volunteer, work for free if necessary to get some experience.

Take any job you can get early on. You will get paid next to nothing.

Show you're continuing to learn in the sport. (USATF schools, USTFCCCA programs)

Have a positive attitude.

Most importantly be good at what you do. If only half of your kids are faster than they were in HS it might be time to reevaluate what you're doing from a training perspective.

Sheila wrote:

I was born a minority female and didn't really have to do anything to get the job I wanted. No butt kissing, no getting coffee, no volunteer assistant.....

but seriously

I attribute my current position to a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work and dedication to the sport that I love.

Spent years prior to running in college as a DI athlete, studying the greats of the sport. I read books and sent emails asking questions. I approached coaching legends with questions while at meets and they were all gracious enough to lend me a minute or two.

Upon Graduation, I spent 4yrs as a volunteer for my Alma Mater, also USATF LV I.

Got my first big break as a full time assistant with benefits for a mid major DI.

Three years later I had some options and chose to become a head XC coach at a mid major DI for less money than other options.

Having success and loving my job, but wishing I had gone the GA route to have that Masters degree. Now I'm always thinking about getting my masters but I don't want to sacrifice my student athletes experience just so that I can increase my professional stock.