Becoming a college coach

Do you teach?

With colleges it's mostly about who you know. As a runner I was part of the hiring committee for a new coach and we already had someone associated with the program that we were 100% on selecting before the interview process even began. So for a couple months we went through a charade of flying all these really well qualified coaches in just because it was policy(I can't remember if it was school policy or NCAA policy). Almost all of those other people were better qualified than the person we selected but they didn't have the connection.

Yeah...I was suspicious of that. Realize that there are a lot of ADs who could care less about building a quality XC program. They more interested in offering a sport and not draining resources from other sports.

Your take is encouraging in a weird way (it's not me), but still leaves me with the question, how to get to know they right people.

Coacheese wrote:

Do you teach?

I taught in prep schools for a while and have taught in small colleges.

If you're currently a teacher/coach, be prepared for a huge pay cut if you become a full time college coach.

Beaner wrote:

If you're currently a teacher/coach, be prepared for a huge pay cut if you become a full time college coach.

Exactly right.

You had me right up until your last paragraph, where you judge all those programs that 'suck' and assert yourself as a jilted but deserving job candidate.

I have the both the background and the cred to tell you that such an attitude will never get you in the door at this level. I worked for nothing to transition to the college game and left a lucrative situation behind in the process, but it was because I love coaching and sought challenge, not because I had something to prove.

Somebody already said it, but let me emphasize that nobody will care about your coaching résumé. If you can't make connections that can get you in the door, you will never find a college job. At your age, if you don't already have those relationships then you are way behind the curve. Fair or not, if you can't figure out how to get in the game then there is not a place for you.

Point well taken...just frustration on my part. I realize that there are a number of reasons why a program doesn't succeed and I believe the number one is the institutional support given to it. Yet at the same time I don't consider it arrogance or hubris to believe that I will do a better job than a portion of the current college coaches. When there are 300+ DI programs and hundreds more DII, DIII, and NAIA programs most of which are underachieving I think there is a place for me.

I hear a lot of talk about having the right connections. I do have a number of connections with current college coaches at every level both from the discussions I have had to point my hs runners towards solid college programs, clinics I have attended and clinics I have given. I am not sure those are the right connections and I am a bit apprehensive to take advantage of those relationships, that is not my natural MO.

If there is anyone here that has anything constructive to suggest about how to start cultivating those relationships, it would be greatly appreciated.

Be ready to move and move often, be ready to go to very small schools, that means low pay. Also you wont be coaching Footlocker finalist, you'll be taking walk ons or guys lucky to make the state meet finals.

You probably have a lot to offer, but it's in a field very very very few people care about.

If you are really serious about working with a program, you are probably going to to have to ask a college coach if (s)he needs a volunteer. Don't wait for a volunteer position to open somewhere. Biggest thing in that role is to make yourself trusted and work your area off. A good coach will help a valued assistant move up and on.

Go for it. We lack young dedicated coaches on all levels. Yes, many schools only care about fielding a team or gender equality, but not all of them. Hopefully your lifestyle (wife/children) can survive the pay cut. However, it may be worth it if it brings you happiness. I have turned down jobs paying ten times my current wages, but I really enjoy my job and my wife understands that. Work your way into a program (a small or new one) and prove yourself. Be careful as your success may get you fired (it did me), but just press on to another one. Do not look at any job as a stepping stone, but make it the best it can be. Success is not just that your team does well, but in the fact that those you coached decades ago either kept up the sport, went into coaching or keep contact with you long after they hung up their flats. Best of luck- coaching is a long race be prepared for some difficult times.

where are you located...state?

Do not do it.

I left over 2 years ago after taking over a mid major and having a little success.

Just in the 3 years I was there it went from "we are family", to "this is a business" with the change of an older ad to a younger one.

Athletes were treated as business pieces and not people. Pushed into the easiest majors to stay eligible, but help them out very little in their future.

Whatever was the cheapest option was the best option. They cut paying for 5th year students unless they still had eligibility or the student was willing to work 20 hours a week for the school. When someone is a nursing major they do not have time to do this.

My last year there scholarship allotment changed and it went from 93% paying for everything if they took a smaller meal plan and only took 14 hours to it needing to be a 100% to cover it.

We had an athlete who had scored 24 points at the outdoor track meet and run under 3:45. He was on 93%. In the first week of school we found out it wouldn't cover everything and we had over a full left to spend. So we asked the school to a full. This is legal by the NCAA. We were told no, because "that is too much paperwork for our people"

Stay in HS enjoy working with athletes not dealing with a "business"

My college doesn't care how well my kids do (sadly enough), they care how big of a roster I can get and still stay within budget.

Since you'll be starting at the bottom -- if you ever even get a job -- your coaching skills are virtually useless to anyone but you and your athletes.

THIS IS WHAT'S IMPORTATN:

1. Can you sell the school and recruit locally, regionally and nationally?

2. Can you manage a (small) budget?

Those are going to be the two attributes you need most.

Volunteer at a local college and volunteer to actually recruit, and follow every rule to the letter.

A proven ability to recruit both numbers and some studs will get you in any door, and eventually make you invaluable.

Great feedback.

I am almost done with a phd program and find that there are no jobs in my field with the exception of online adjuncting, which pays pretty well and is something I can do from anywhere. So I do have an ability to supplement my income a bit and have a wife tha supports me in this direction.

Question: what are the core skills/competencies that ADs are looking for? My related experience in the army and fundraising does give me a couple other areas I can sell.

AD's don't want to have to teach their hires how to be a college coach (compliance, paperwork, recruiting , eligibility, fundraising, etc...). This is why they hire young guys who were grad assistants or volunteers over experienced high school coaches. Being a college coach is VERY different than being a high school coach. Being a good coach by its purest definition is the least of the qualifications to be successful. A lot of people know training, but few know how to be successful in the collge "game". If you have a family and you can be happy in life without being a college coach then DON'T get into college coaching. Life balance for thier coaches is not a priority for most AD's. if you want life balance you will fail in college coaching.

I hope that saying some thing you may not want to hear doesn't qualify me as a moron in your book.

First, the posters who said you need to volunteer with a collegiate program are correct. Otherwise, from what I have seen, you can only make the jump if you apply at a local college and get lucky. But, the possibility of an AD or a head coach picking your resume out of a pile on their desk is probably less likely than winning the lottery.

Second, if you do end up in college coaching, you need to understand that it is probably a lot different than you envision it. Be prepared to work seven days a week for at least 10 months of the year, make very little money and have little job security. Furthermore, whether or not your teams are successful may have very little to do with your own competency. If you have children at home, I would strongly recommend waiting until they are grown.

I don't mind hearing the cautionary tale. Morons mock the idea of someone...other than them...coaching in college. Friends tell it like it is.

As someone who also wants to get into college coaching, this thread is refreshing to read. However, my situation is much different than the op's (relatively fresh out of college, no career yet, coach at a local high school). I've always found that making the contact with coaches you'd like to possibly volunteer for is the hardest part. Having gone through the system, I know how busy coaches are, and shooting random emails to busy coaches doesn't seem like the right way to get their attention. I don't want to hijack the thread, but if anyone has any advice on the best way to make that contact, I'd appreciate it.