CHAPTER 3.-HIRING THE HEAD COACH
"B... College has completed a new aquatics facility and is looking for a new coach." (Jack)
"You know what that means. They are going to bring in a big name and try and move into the top ten." (Bill)
"Yes, but I'll bet that they hire Tim and just go through the motion on a search. After all, he is the only Olympian their school has ever had."(Jack)
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Vacancies may occur in the ranks of college coaching for many reasons. Sometimes openings can be anticipated when an individual is moving toward retirement, or is struggling with a serious and debilitating illness. Other times the position is suddenly empty due to a firing or a surprise resignation.
To hire a head coach is a fairly detailed procedure. Once an opening occurs, the AD seeks approval to open a search for a new coach. The AD sets up a search committee, writes a job announcement, and places the advertisement in the appropriate media sources. In writing the job announcements, the AD and members of the search committee agree on the kinds of educational experience, the level of coaching background, and the types of skills wanted in a job candidate. These criteria appear in the job description and are called job markers. Applicants who read the advertisements must be able to interpret these clues about the job, evaluate their own credentials, and decide whether to apply or not. Applications are filed. The AD and the search committee review the files. Recommendations are requested and a "short list" (a final pool of candidates) is designated. Candidates are then interviewed. The exchange between the candidate and the AD is especially crucial in developing an understanding of the nature of the job and its requirements. A contract is tendered, considered by the applicant, and accepted or rejected.
In this chapter the typical list of job markers used in advertisements is reviewed, as are the assumptions of the search committee when evaluating a job applicant's credentials. Also discussed are the kinds of questions asked by the candidates of the AD or in learning about the program.
Job markers in employment advertisements
Each employment advertisement for coaches contains "job markers" or qualifications that denote a category of experience to be assessed. The evaluation is based on the applicant's record contained in a resume. For some kinds of activities or associations with particular individuals or programs a rating is imputed because an institutional socialization effect is presumed.
Job advertisements usually are placed in the NCAA News, Chronicle of Higher Education, Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, and ASCA Employment Listing.
Advertisements typically include the following job markers.
B.S. or M.S. required.-Usually a college degree is required as a minimum for employment as a coach; sometimes a Master's degree is desired, but only rarely is the Ph.D. preferred. Depending on the nature of the job, specialty skills may be designated. In addition to coaching, aquatics director's capabilities--the ability to administer an aquatics program, or oversee the construction of a new pool, or direct the expansion or repair of existing facilities--may be listed. If instruction is required, a list of aquatics or physical education courses may be noted. Certifications in first aid, lifesaving, water safety instruction also may be specified.
In some cases, an individual is expected to coach a second sport, or teach in an academic program. If a split appointment of professor/coach is advertised, then it is desirable for the applicant to have advanced degrees in order to establish credibility with the academic community. In the more competitive programs, ADs assume that the head coaching position is full-time, requiring specialized training and/or a physical education background. There is a reluctance to encourage positions with dual responsibilities. (This reluctance is also voiced occasionally by some academicians who believe that the role of teaching/research is a "calling" and coaching is "play.")
Competitive experience preferred.-ADs as well as others in sport assume that experience as a competitor in age-group, interscholastic, intercollegiate, national, international, or Olympic settings, (and more recently, but less often as Masters) sensitizes the individual to the "world view" of swimmers and familiarizes the coach with the basics of a successful program. Ranked performances in one or more of these competitive levels are preferred over non-ranked performances. The more elite the level of performance, the better. Presumably elite performance reflects the moral fiber of the individual. After all, to become top flight requires discipline, training, self-sacrifice, dedication, and goal-oriented behavior. Having developed these character traits and having experienced the rewards they bring presumably enables one to instill them more easily in others. To date, no research exists that firmly establishes a connection between level of performance, personality traits, and leadership traits or the ability to teach.
A reputation as a successful elite swimmer allegedly confers the ability to attract the attention of "blue chip" swimmers when recruiting. Top flight athletes are presumably well-informed on the sport's history as well as its heroes and heroines. Participation is no guarantee of being well-informed. Ironically, available research suggests that name recognition of athletes or coaches tends to be generationally specific. A swimmer of earlier fame with five or ten years of coaching experience probably will not be recognized as a swimmer by the current generation of recruits. Name recognition of earlier heroes and heroines typically is limited to the history buffs.
Coaching experience preferred.-In some cases a minimum number of years of experience is specified in the advertisement. It is assumed that organizational abilities including technical, management, and communication skills were learned or sharpened, if the applicant served as an apprentice or had the sole responsibility for directing a program.
Ability to coach and compete successfully at specified divisional level.-Athletic directors generally desire an applicant who has coached at the level advertised. The coach's record is evaluated by the team's record in dual competition, conference and NCAA rankings; and the numbers of individuals qualifying for honors regionally, nationally, internationally; or the numbers of individuals qualifying as Honorable Mention, All-American Prep or High School; of the numbers of individuals who qualified as All-American College Divisions I, II, or III; or individuals qualifying for the Olympic trials or making the Olympic team.
If an applicant has not coached at the level advertised, then the applicant should be well-known and respected among the more reputable coaches at an equal the rank of experience. Coaches apparently move within divisions more easily than across divisions. It also appears easier to move down from level I to II or III than to move up in levels.
Demonstrated ability to recruit.- Applicants with experience as head coaches or assistant coaches are presumed to be knowledgeable of NCAA rules on recruiting. Recruiting success is measured by the program's performance record. Another way to evaluate recruiting success is look at the excellence of the athletes recruited judged against the academic standing of the institution. Generally it is more difficult to find large numbers of elite athletes who are also outstanding scholars.
Applications for the head coach position received by the AD usually contain a cover letter, resume, and letters of recommendation. In some cases, copies of media releases extolling the merits of the applicant's abilities as a coach, competitor, and "humanitarian" also are included.(Incidentally, an applicant may err by sending too many letters of recommendation. An administrator may ask, why the information overload? Is something wrong with this individual?)
In screening applicants not only is the "fit" between the individual's record and job description important, but so is the influence of networks. Before a candidate is invited for an interview, the AD not only contacts the applicant's references for letters of recommendation, but also any individuals with knowledge of the candidate. If the applicant does not receive a strong endorsement from "knowledgeable acquaintances" and colleagues who are part of the AD's network, the applicant usually is dropped from further consideration in the screening process.
The impressions made by the candidate during the interview are perhaps the more crucial factors in the decision to hire. Typically the applicant meets with members of the athletic department staff, head coaches, support personnel, key administrators, faculty, and athletes. In some cases, reactions from each of these parties are solicited by the AD. In other cases, only selected parties have input on the decision whether to hire or not. To establish rapport easily with individuals, to express oneself clearly and cogently without equivocation, and to present oneself as confident, knowledgeable, and organized are important traits, if the candidate expects to survive the interview process. The candidate should be able to employ the rhetoric of sport, see the position as "an opportunity for personal growth" and as a "challenge to originate a program, rebuild the program," or merely "maintain its standard of excellence." Given these traits and skills, the individual will presumably be able to administer the program, coach the athletes, work harmoniously with staff, faculty, administrators, and parents, and interact with representatives from other audiences supporting the athletic department.
Although the position of head coach falls under Affirmative Action requirements, colleges and universities vary markedly in the stringency with which these rules are enforced. Some jobs are advertised in one of the many available organs that satisfy Affirmative Action requirements for notifying the public of the job, but the ads are placed in journals, newspapers, newsletters, or magazines not normally read by a wide segment of the coaching population. Some jobs are widely advertised, conforming to the spirit of the law. Even if proper notification of the job occurs, the length of time that the job description runs varies. In some cases the job announcement will appear in a single issue; in other cases it may run a month to three months. Sometimes the closing date for applications provides sufficient leeway for open competition to occur among applicants. In other cases the closing date precludes anyone without inside knowledge from applying. Applicants know that the "openness" of the search is moot when they hear through the grapevine--the network of friends and acquaintances in the coaching profession--that the job is "locked up." If a former assistant, an alumnus of the institution, or a protege of the former coach who achieved notoriety as a competitor is in line to be hired, advertising is mere window dressing and fails to satisfy the spirit of the law.
Applicants for jobs recognize that a "good old boy" system still operates. As long as the government continues to overlook those practices that violate Affirmative Action guidelines, the opportunity for upward mobility will be severely limited. Job applicants do not like the "good old boy" system unless they are well connected and assured of being included in the final pool or being invited for an interview. Nonetheless, the majority of the applicants believe that they must tolerate the system. If they do not and legally challenge the hiring procedures of a particular institution, they assume that their names may be spread among ADs as trouble-makers; they may be informally blacklisted.
Despite the increased numbers of females participating in sport and the increased availability of programs across sports now open to women, it is well recognized that the numbers of females in head coaching jobs have fallen and the numbers of males have risen. However, the numbers of women as assistant coaches have risen in the past few years (Holmen and Parkhouse 1981). This decline in the ranks of women head coaches is due to six factors. First, some of the loss was due to reorganization as many athletic departments moved to conform to Title IX funding requirements. Second, as women's coaching jobs were redefined under the Affirmative Action regulations as gender free and the pressures of unemployment increased, males moved into vacancies left by women leaving the profession. Third, the recruitment of females was curtailed by the operation of the good old boy network. Fourth, coaching as a career choice has not been as popular among females as among males (McElroy 1981). Fifth, some of the female coaches who left the profession claim that they entered coaching only at the request of someone else (structural motive)--they claim that coaching conflicts with other activities, or they want to do something else with their lives (Hart, Hasbrook, and Mathes 1986). Sixth, female coaches reportedly suffer higher levels of burnout than do male coaches (Caccese and Mayerberg 1984).
Candidate's questions asked of the AD
Before visiting a campus, or while on campus for the interview, the candidate should become familiar with the organizational structure of the athletic program. Listed below are key topics to probe and several kinds of questions that should be asked.
Status of the program.-Is the program expanding by adding new sports, moving into another division, or upgrading the calibre of competition? Is the program maintaining itself or experiencing reorganization and/or the financial woes of retrenchment? Is the program declining? Does the program have a "clean bill of health" in dealing with the NCAA or is there a history of violations? Are there storm clouds of forthcoming penalties with athletes being declared ineligible, restrictions in recruiting, limitations on the allowable number of scholarships, and/or the possibility of probation with restrictions on participating in championship meets or TV appearances?
Responses to these questions quickly establish whether the position is professionally challenging or simply a "caretaker's" role. Where upgrading, expansion, or reorganizing are expected in the program (perhaps to rectify procedures and operations that precipitated the wrath of watchdog agencies), the pressure to produce is increased. Where maintenance or retrenchment is being emphasized until better times, the pressures are less.
Funds.-How are the athletic department and the specific programs funded? Are the monies generated at the gate, through TV revenues, at concessions, with fund drives, or by student funds (fees)? Is it some combination of these sources? What types of fund-raising activities are permissible using the institution's facilities? Is the coach expected to run a summer program, teaching clinic, or community service programs? Do these fees accrue to the department, program, or the coach? Similarly, who bears the costs for running these activities?
Responses to these questions inform the coach on the extent of community use of the facility, whether there are instructional and competitive programs connected to the university's program and dependent on its facilities, and whether there are the opportunities for earning extra income beyond that stipulated in the contract.
How does the program's budget compare with other programs in the conference, or other programs at the same level of competitiveness? How much money is available for full-time, or part-time assistants and other staff; for travel (types of travel and costs covered by department versus out-of-pocket expenses); for recruitment; for equipment; and for miscellaneous? Is the budget balanced at the end of each calendar year or are funds carried forward to the next budgetary year? What are the constraints on direct purchasing versus bids? What kinds of bids are permissible? Is the coach responsible for fund raising for the program? Does the department have a fund raiser? Is a professional fund-raising business firm employed? Or does the institution take this responsibility?
Answers to these questions identify the overall financial structure of the program, the relative contribution of institutional and non-institutional monies, and the amount of energy to be expended in fund-raising efforts. Those head coaches who are comfortable in dealing with financial matters will be successful where a heavy involvement in the business end of the sport is expected. Those head coaches without financial acumen would do well to work with a financial consultant.
Is there parity in the number of scholarships offered in this program compared with other programs in the conference? Do out-of-state athletes on scholarship receive a waiver of out-of-state tuition and fees and receive in-state tuition and fees?
Answers to these items allow the coach to calculate how many athletes can be recruited and how dollars can be allocated to athletes for books, tuition, and/or board?
Sex-segregation.-Is the athletics department sex segregated, or integrated? If it is segregated, does the men's or the women's program control access to facilities, use of equipment, dictate available practice hours, and approve competition sites? If it is segregated, is there pressure for each program to furnish their own equipment regardless of cost, or do teams share equipment? Do teams practice together or separately? Do teams travel together and compete against the same opponents? Is interaction between men and women encouraged, discouraged, or not an issue? What is the level of mutual assistance between programs in using student booster organizations, meet officials, or cheerleaders?
If the programs are separated, responses to these questions will allow the head coach to determine the magnitude of sexual discrimination found in athletics at the institution. The coach will be better able to plan the competition schedule, arrange for pool time for practices and meets, and anticipate costs for buying new equipment or replacing old equipment. The coach will also better anticipate what kinds of organization activities will be most time consuming in preparing for meets and in hosting other program events.
Athletic program success.-What is the recognized philosophy of the program? Is the program expected to win, place, or show in the conference championship? What is the contribution of the program to the all-sport trophy in the conference? Is the program merely expected to field a team, win occasionally, win the majority of its dual meets, or go undefeated? Is the dual meet season more important than the conference championship? Do NCAA rankings take precedence over conference rankings? Is the objective merely to provide an opportunity for learning physical skills as part of the development of the scholar-athlete, and to offer the opportunity for intercollegiate competition? Is the goal to produce elite athletes competitive nationally and internationally?
Before a candidate arrives on campus an awareness of the general reputation of the athletic department and the program is usual. The coach who is expected to do well during the dual meet season probably will schedule schools with weaker programs. This coach follows a sequence of training that emphasizes preparation for a number of dual meets during the season rather than aiming for a conference or NCAA meet. Conversely, a coach who is expected to excel in both the conference and nationally is less likely to "load" the dual meet season and more likely to emphasize the taper and going for elite performances. By selecting a particular strategy, this coach attempts to control the number of factors that affect the win-loss record. By ensuring a record that conforms to program goals, this head coach's job security and tenure are enhanced.
Academics.-What are the priorities attached to academics? Do academic issues assume priority over extracurricular activities? Do athletes receive preferential treatment as part of the admissions policy? Are quotas fixed for each sport (the admissions office ensuring that each sport receive a given number of athletes each year)? If so, which sports are given priority? If two applicants are equally qualified for admission, will the athlete be given preference over the non-athlete for admission? Does the admissions office cooperate with the athletic department in recruitment, admissions, and eligibility checks? Are standards for admission stiffer for athletes than for non-athletes? Does the admissions office notify coaches or the athletic department if an applicant has an interest in a given sport?
Responses to these questions identify the institutional boundaries within which the coach is expected to recruit. The coach should also find out which NCAA or conference rules pertain in recruiting student-athletes. Responses to these questions delineate for a candidate the expectations of the administration, athletic department, and faculty on the relationship between athletics and academics. As long as athletics are housed on university and college campuses, there will be cross-pressures. On the one hand, athletic departments will be expected to provide opportunities for participation, an exciting product to watch, and a successful program with which people can identify. On the other hand, athletic departments will be expected to place academics before athletics, eschew crass commercialism, and avoid excessive exploitation in favor of fairness in business practices (Coakley 1986).
Does the athletic program have an academic advisor? Does the athletic department have a system for providing tutors for athletes and graduate assistants working with the program? Is there a designated study hall, laboratory, or area with computers available to athletes? Are study hours required? Is there a departmental regulation on minimum required grade point average (GPA) before travel is permitted? Do athletes receive recognition for scholastic excellence? What is the team GPA? What is the team's graduation rate relative to the institutional rate or the sport-specific rate across institutions? Is there a policy requiring class attendance? Is competition scheduled during exams? If so, can exams be taken under the honor system or under the supervision of a proctor when the team travels? Does the institution have a reputation of adhering to its academic requirements when dealing with athletes or are rules bent and exceptions made?
Responses to these items provide guidelines on the scope of the coach's responsibilities in handling academic problems and coordinating with an Academic Advisor where one is available. The institution of sport is increasingly being bureaucratized and subject to legislative and judicial controls. To conform to legal rules and guidelines and to fulfill institutional obligations to the athletes, a variety of special job positions have been created. This move toward specialization tends to vary by institution, the degree of competitiveness of the programs, associational affiliation (NAIA or NCAA), and divisional level. In programs where there is a proliferation of job positions, duties formerly handled by the coach alone now get delegated. The coach increasingly is left to coach and act as an administrator. In other programs that do not add new positions, the coach increasingly assumes new duties and faces more pressure.
Coach-athlete rapport.-Is the ambience open--fostering free-flowing communication between administrators, coaches, and athletes? Is it "controlled"--making athletes highly dependent on coach and staff for scheduling of daily activities, both athletic and non-athletic? Does the program have a history of good relationships between coach and athletes? Is rapport with athletes important for job tenure? Is greater emphasis placed on winning or on maintaining harmony? If conflicts develop, will the AD side with the coach or with the athlete(s)? In matters of discontent, what criteria are used to determine whether the coach should be dismissed or that athlete(s) be released? How much latitude does the coach have in maintaining control over program content and the athletes? What kinds of procedures are followed when athletes violate the law, rules of student conduct, or athletic department or team regulations?
Any violations of the law that bring the athlete into contact with the police and the courts create problems for the athletic department staff and the coach. The image of the athletic department is instantly stigmatized by the athlete`s conduct. Spokespersons for the college or university and athletic program typically move quickly to isolate the athlete from the athletic department by suspension from the particular sport program either temporarily or permanently until such time as the charges have been cleared, with guilt or innocence determined. Administrators may choose to wait until the criminal courts have decided matters or may move to separate the student from the institution using proceedings for handling violations of student conduct. This academic system of procedures is entirely separate from the criminal system and the civil system. Coaches need to be careful to act in accordance with administrative and legal procedures. Procedures vary from one institution to another and from one conference to another. Failure to stay within the guidelines may result in embarrassment, legal actions, or dismissal.
Should athletes be found in violation of student conduct codes, they may be sentenced and the institution's and athletic department's image cleaned up. Athletes also may be punished by the athletic department for violation of team or departmental rules.
Infractions of the law and codes of conduct are events not happily anticipated by coaches and athletic directors. The repercussions from such events may devastate a coach's career or may merely be seen as noxious. At the worst, coaches either may be forced to voluntarily resign or be fired when the violations are seen as offensive by the community, administrators, or the athletic department. At the very least, investigations are time consuming, enervating, and detract from the business of training, competition, and program development.
In some athletic departments the win and loss record is less important than is maintaining peaceful relations between coach and swimmers. Conflict is seen as counterproductive, for the emotional upheaval which it creates often inhibits athletes from achieving top-level performances. Traditionally disagreements between coach and athletes see ADs as aligning with the coach. Athletes are seen as more substitutable than coaches. However, should a history of stormy relationships develop, the athletic director may opt to fire the coach, or effect a clean sweep and drop the program.
The coach must have a clear understanding of how much authority one maintains in establishing program structure and controlling the athletes. Autonomy clearly focuses responsibility for decisions and actions on the coach. It also increases personal risk of job loss, if failure should occur. If the athletic director constantly monitors the decisions and actions of the coach, whether knowledgeable about the sport or not, then loss of autonomy may prove counterproductive to the growth of the program. It will certainly undermine the authority of the coach in the eyes of the staff and athletes. With the head coach's loss of authority and autonomy, responsibility spreads to both the AD and coach for program failure and reduces personal risk to the head coach of job loss. Realistically, closer monitoring usually increases the likelihood of spotting an error and affixing blame.
Community support for age-group swimming.- Is there an organizational base for age-group swimming in the community? If so, what organizations are involved? Does the YMCA have an instructional and/or competitive program? Does the college or university sponsor an instructional and/or competitive program open to the community through an extension program or continuing education program? Does a U.S. Swimming program use the pool and is it coached by the head coach? Are swimmers used as staff for the U.S. Swimming program?
Does the swim program recruit swimmers from these programs? Do age-group coaches encourage, discourage, or remain relatively neutral, when their swimmers are recruited by, visit at, or attend the institution?
Do the age-group programs contribute financially through Swimathons or fund-raising efforts to a financial pool that supports both an age-group and an intercollegiate program? Does a Masters program exist for older swimmers which is part of the same administrative and financial structure?
Responses to these questions identify for the incoming coach the nature of coaching responsibilities. If the age-group and Masters programs are part of the overall structure of the swimming program, then the head coach's responsibilities are much more complex. The administrative structure will be more elaborate. One or more assistant coaches will probably be assigned to age-groupers in U.S. Swimming and one assistant may be responsible for the Masters program. The head coach will be responsible for coordinating the action of the assistants, overseeing the schedule of pool use and training, acting as a backup in handling administrative detail in scheduling meets for age-groupers and Masters, and serving as the liaison between parents and swimmers.
If a connection exists between U.S. Swimming and Masters and the intercollegiate program, there usually is a sufficiently large number of people who can assist in organizing and running a meet, whether the meet serves youth, collegians, middle-aged, or elderly. From this pool of personnel, officials, referees, timers, computer operators, timing system operators, announcers, electricians, printers, cooks, artists, and so forth can be solicited for help in hosting various events when needed. If the program is large enough, the institution can easily host dual, regional, and national meets for age-groupers, collegians, and Masters as well as international meets. Without an available pool of supporters and officials to call on, even the hosting of a dual meet can be problematic.
If a U.S. Swimming program is affiliated with an intercollegiate program, recruitment within the region is usually easier. The coach and the staff are visible among age-groupers and parents. More likely than not, swimmers and families have visited the site and have some familiarity with facilities. If the collegiate or university program has a solid reputation, then the visibility of the coach at age-group meets serves as a vehicle for letting swimmer and coach become acquainted before the formal process of recruitment occurs during the swimmer's senior year in high school.
If there is a clinic for competitive swimmers, the head coach can staff the camp with assistant coaches or collegiate swimmers. Those swimmers who attend the clinic will have the opportunity to learn not only the techniques used by the head coach, but will build ties with the head coach, the staff, and college-level swimmers. Coaches must be careful when running clinics not to violate NCAA rules on recruiting, especially those rules dealing with class standing and visits to campus.
Summary
--Filling an opening for the position of head coach is a process of many steps.
--The AD must obtain approval to open a search for a new coach. Once approval is granted, a job announcement must be placed in the appropriate outlets. Applications are received. Files are reviewed. Networks are used to check on applicants. Candidates are interviewed. Appropriate parties on campus are consulted for advice. A contract is tendered. If accepted, a new head coach is hired.
--Applicants read job announcements or hear of it through the grapevine. They decide whether to apply depending on the nature of the job markers, their evaluation of their own credentials, and an examination of their motives. Candidates interview, look at the advantages and disadvantages of the job, and decide whether they wish to continue or withdraw from further consideration. A contract is offered. The candidate refuses or accepts.
--Both the applicant and AD decide whether to continue the dialogue or terminate it. Important to the applicant are responses to questions on: the status of the program; the availability of funds; the program's emphasis on success; the importance attached to athletics versus academics; the ambience in the athletic department; and the nature of community support for swimming. Important to the AD are the applicants credentials and personality.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What are some of the sources that an individual might use when looking for a job?
2. What are the steps involved in hiring a head coach?
3. What is meant by the term job markers? On which markers are you the strongest? On which are you the weakest?
4. How important is formal education in obtaining a college coaching job? Do you need to have been a swimmer to get a job? How is one's service as an apprentice evaluated? How is one's previous coaching record evaluated?
5. What topics should you address when inquiring about an athletic program?
NOTES
1. Generally, the mobility of coaches is looked at three ways by sport sociologists. The first approach treats career mobility as a ladder with the rungs of entry, apprenticeship, assistant, and head coach. Job entry and upward mobility are seen as a product of credentials, experience, and sponsorship. The second approach sees career mobility as structured by opportunities available in the market. The market is arranged by type of program (age-groupers, high school, and collegiate). The collegiate segment of the market is divided by association and divisions. Within the collegiate market opportunities are limited to head coach and assistants. Mobility is seen as primarily dependent on experience and sponsorship and secondarily on credentials. The third approach treats job openings as vacancies and describes mobility into and out of slots as a stochastic process. Such a mathematical treatment goes well beyond the bounds of this manuscript. (For an example of this approach see Smith and Abbott 1983.)
2. Although I know of no research on this aspect of job mobility, I suspect that two factors account for the growing stratification in job opportunities. First, the move from an open system of competition among colleges and universities of all sizes to a system of divisions may have broken the earlier strangle hold of a small network of coaches trained in a few elite physical education departments. Second, the more years that the system of divisions has operated, the greater the number of assistant coaches and head coaches who apprenticed in a particular division. Thus, ADs are now able to limit their searches to individuals from a particular level of experience.

TITLE PAGE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW AND KEY CONCEPTS
CHAPTER 2 THE ASSISTANT COACHES
CHAPTER 3 HIRING THE HEAD COACH
CHAPTER 4 THE HEAD COACH'S ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMMUNICATION ROLES
CHAPTER 5 THE PROBLEM OF CONTROL AND TURNOVER
CHAPTER 6 RECRUITING: STEPS AND STRATEGIES
CHAPTER 7 HEAD COACH AND KEY PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS INSIDE THE SPORTS COMMUNITY
CHAPTER 8 SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF THE SPLIT APPOINTMENT & CHAPTER 9 SUMMARY
REFERENCES
Academic Resume