BCS college head coach = pipe dream for most...

Huh?

[glow=red,2,300]""famous father's footsteps.""[/glow] How much were the dues?

[glow=red,2,300]""Louisiana Tech went 5-7 in Dooley's first season. The next season, the Bulldogs went 8-5 and won their first bowl game ""[/glow]

This does not seem that expensive.

I agree with you 100%

Its tough to get a HS gig... let alone a Collegiate one!

except for a select few ..IMO becoming a major college football HC is akin to winning the lottery...being at the right place at the right time...obvoiusly doing the right things..I was a GA at UMass in 1983 with a guy that is now an NFL HC..... he basically told me that when he got his first NFL job, he was the luckiest man alive..for the first few years he just put his head down and kept his mouth shut. BTW the GA that was before me is now on his staff...you NEVER know.. It's funny because I used to snicker to myself at him because we were 23 years old and he always came to the office in nice slacks and an ironed shirt...me...f'ing bum

It is and always will be a 'who do you know?' game. Now, I don't want to turn this into a Kiffin thread, but I doubt he would've gotten the jobs he has without being his father's son.

I have a friend who played D1AA college football, was a GA for two years, was hired on as an assistant, but is only on partial salary and is required to work year round. He's been there for four years now and has been looking into D1AA positions with full-time salaries. He can't get hired to save his life. And, you're talking about a guy who has basically been coaching at the college level for six years now and can't find a gig that's going to pay him more than 24k a year.

I used to have dreams of coaching at the college level; but I modified those dreams. Honestly, the best chance I have is to teach at the HS level and coach as an assistant at a local small college. Possibly get a college level teaching job after I pick up my Master's and continue to be an assistant at the small college level.

Do I have any realistic goals of being a small level HC? Nope. A small level DC/OC. Nope. Will I be a high school HC? D-mn Right I Will. ; )

Agree with 'it's not what you know, its who you know'. I played at big D-1 school not too long ago, and there were several people who fell into that category. One in particular I wouldn't hire right now to coach under me.

But, as in acting, boxing, music, etc. there's only one way to become one of those few at the top.

Ditto to Yash. It's more important to me to be a great family man and be a major part of my kids lives. I'm sure a lot of D.I coaches feel that way, but just look at the comments Urban Meyer's kids made when it looked like he was resigning, it was a lot of "We finally have our dad back" type stuff. I'm sure he's a great father, but if my kids have to say that about me, I'll feel like I'm doing it wrong.

True. Just like the only way to win the lottery is to buy a ticket. I was just saying I don't think that story...nor most media coverage...show what it is really about.

linky-no-worky

well, www.footballscoop.com and ncaa.org both have want adds...

I honestly feel you have to always be prepared. You never know when the opportunity will come knocking. I'm a firm believer in being grounded in your faith and one thing i've learned throughout my 32 years of life is that favor isn't fair...

Yeah...the jobs that come from the convention come from the CONNECTIONS you make there. Maybe you meet a guy in 2010..keep in contact.. and he gets a job..and he says "You know...I know this guy..." That is where it comes from.

you know what....I never even heard a story about a guy getting hired from making a connection at the convention...what I have heard of is college guys working camps and getting hired..knew a guy that did this and got hired at LSU...I have heard of college guys getting hired after making staff visits for a few years in a row....
stupid story..at a convention many years ago..I had a couple of drinks w/ Sonny Lubick at a convention and didn't even know it....he told me he was the DC at Miami and I didn't recognize his name or even realize he just got the job at colorado state..I was probably the only guy at the whole convention that didn't ask him for a job...LOL

By all means if you have an interest someone should "go for it". Knowing the realities of the situation don't preclude you from success.

However, it is also important to look at trends. Is the top tier (in terms of status/fame/money, NOT ability) of coaching becoming more or less exclusive. Are the new wave of those coaches starting out somewhere and networking up...or are they walking in because of name recognition previously earned (playing or family name...)

That was the point of contention with the author of the article. Apparently "paying dues" now constitutes walking into a Top 20 program as a GA, getting a Division 1 full time job out of the gate, and getting a chance to be a full time coach at a top 5 school 4 years into his career. This is not to say that Derek Dooley isn't fully deserving. I met him while at LSU and he comes off completely in control and deserving of these things.

I am just saying Poorbob's dues will be significantly different... but that isn't really covered much.

Actually, if you've ever seen Johnny Depp and a lot of actors/musicians interviewed about their careers, you'd be amazed how many of them attribute all their big breaks to just dumb luck. For example, Depp was in a failed rock band in LA and working as a telemarketer when his acting career started, mostly out of desperation. He had a few friends who were actors that helped him get his foot in the door, hooking him up with an agent, tips on auditions, introducing him to casting directors, etc. Pretty soon he landed a few small movie roles and a part on a TV show ("21 Jump Street") on the strength of his looks, because at the time he had no clue how to act (watch "Nightmare on Elm Street" and you'll see what I mean). Even after the show, he would have been a washed up "Where Are They Now?" story if it hadn't been for his friend, Tim Burton, casting him in a variety of high profile, weird roles that kept him in the public eye and won him a cult following. Depp himself says that he owes everything he now has to Tim Burton.

Sooooooo many people out there, even the ones who claim to be "self made" benefited from the same stuff. You've got to make the most of your chances when they come, and a smart person does what he can to maximize the opportunities of getting those opportunities, but getting those chances isn't always just about you being so great.

Connections are VERY important. Dooley, for example, makes a nice case study.

He was a practicing attorney who quit his job at 28 and then immediately "worked for free" as a GA at UGA a couple years after his dad had retired from there. This was his very first coaching experience and he had done little to distinguish himself as a player at UVa 6 years earlier. Journalists are treating this as if it was no different than volunteering at the local high school and making a point to show how he "refused to ride his dad's coattails." Yeah... right.

After only one year of any coaching experience, Dooley landed a full time job as WR's coach at SMU, working under their newly hired coach Mike Cavan. Cavan had played QB for Dooley's father at UGA, and the two men had remained close ever since.

After 3 years of working for Cavan, Dooley somehow landed a job working with Nick Saban at LSU, then followed Saban to the Dolphins for a year, which set him up for the job at La. Tech on the strength of Saban's recommendation (Dooley was a recruiting coordinator at LSU). Journalists are treaing the La Tech job as if Dooley was doing them a favor by taking it...

Finally, Dooley apparently got the Tennessee job mostly because Will Muschamp recommended him for it as he turned UT's job down a few days ago. Dooley fit the template that UT was looking for in a coach: young, well spoken, highly recommended by the right people, NFL experience, coaching pedigree, runs pro-style offense, proven recruiter, nothing in his resume to say he's a threat to the AD like his two predecessors. He got the offer. The Tennessee AD, Mike Hamilton, is trying to pretend that Dooley's ability to simply present a program manual at the interview was so unusual and impressive that he had no choice but to offer him the job.

So basically every single break that Dooley's ever had in his coaching career have come because of someone else opening the door for him. Now I'm not saying he's a bad coach or not a hard worker (as a Tennessee fan, I hope he's good). I'm just saying that he made the most of opportunities that others helped to get for him. That's the nature of every field. Besides working hard, you "earn" your chances by building relationships, making friends, etc.