How long can-will you keep coaching?

I started coaching in 1974. I last played in 1968.

Always as an assistant, or scout.

I stopped coaching on the field after the 2021 season, but I am still actively working as a video scout, and consultant via Hudl.

Just finished year 31 with the whistle. I've already started pulling back. I do very little for Friday night other than spot from the box. I am in charge of the freshman team, and handle some of the administrative things for the HC.

My youngest is in the 8th grade and hope to make it until he gets out of HS, but the 6th period I have this year makes me dread the day until 235.

did 34 years, mostly as dc.
just did 10 years in the oilfield (texas; born and raised here). different than fb, but also a high pressure job.

jan. 5 was my first day of retirement. was also the first day of getting sick, took 2 weeks to get over it.

42 years coaching. Head last 35 until 2 years ago. Now I'm OL and strength training for a former player and coach. He deals with all the stuff and I just coach. He's young and teaching and I've been retired from teaching for @ 8 years. I think I could do this for quite a while longer now.

Did your getting sick have anything to do with retiring, or just coincidental?

coincidental.

just the universe prolonging my wait to be able to enjoy it.

just finished year 25 of football. 12 as HC, 7 as OC or DC, have also coached baseball, middle school basketball, & golf. I think the number of guys staying in over 20 years will be fewer & fewer in the coming years.

This is 23 for me. 4 as a HC. 6 as a DC I think. Gotta do 30 to retire. But I think I’m gonna be able to trade in 2 years worth of sick leave. So maybe 5 more years. That will put me around 50. Unless something unexpected happens. I plan to keep coaching somewhere.
I wanna get up and tee off at 8 AM. Then go into the school around 1 and coach. Not as a HC obviously

The number of head coaches in Southern California who have been the HC at the same place for over 10 years is getting smaller and smaller each year. A lot of really good coaches who you see simply enjoying life by the time they hit 40. I also think that the way this game is going and the trends that are happening at the higher levels, coaching is becoming a young man's game. I know that for me, it feels like every year something is changing.  I'm not talking X's and O's or the game itself, but the way in which the kids are being raised and the way the educational system is making its adjustment to them as opposed to them making the adjustment to the educational system..... Then add in all the outside 7 on 7 influence, private trainers, pajamas, etc. I know we are in an adapt or die profession, but it seems to me a lot of coaches are taking the die route as opposed to adapting. 

Old man yelling at clouds rant over. 

I'm not surprised that a 30 year old guy couldn't imagine himself doing anything for 30 more years. In 1978 when I got my first statement from the pension fund it said that I could take full retirement in 2008. My reaction was, "2008? Holy chit, maybe I'll take a retirement cruise on the Starship Enterprise". But 2008 came and I went but kept coaching. 

It does seem that coaches aren't staying in as long today. I have a picture of my dad's HS team in 1947. The coach of that team was my coach when I started playing in 1967. When that school consolidated with two others the coaches of all three teams had been there for about 20 years. 

And why not? Frankly, their job was a lot easier back then. There was no playoff. We played our nine or ten games then basketball started. If there was any off-season at all it was minimal. Mostly it was, "When practice starts August 12th we're going to time you in the mile.". Game planning was general because small schools couldn't afford to film every game. 

I was lucky. Even though the work load increased over the years I never worked for a HC that took pride in being a grinder. We got our work done and were prepared but still got home at a decent hour and had time for familt on weekends. If I'd worked for a grinder I doubt that I'd have lasted as long. 

I finished year 20 this year and in this thread feel like one of the young ones. You guys that have been around for 30, 40, 50+ years have my greatest respect.

I have no intention of getting out. I took a season off 7-8 years ago and was refreshed, but hated the free time. There's only two things in life that I love and that's my family and football. I don't know that it was always in that order but I have gotten to where I can be pretty good at both simultaneously and a decent teacher as well.

I'll gladly give up the classroom when finances allow me, but I hope to die out there on the field some day between the numbers and the hash getting a kid ready for the next play with the officials bitchinng at me to stay in the coaches box. Or fall off the press box celebrating a defensive touchdown that helped win the game.

This fall will be year 42, 34 as a HC. Was a header at 4 schools for 30 years, stepped away from the big whistle after getting worn down by all the non-football stuff involved. After 5 years assisting, this will be 4th year back as a HC. If I wasn't retired from teaching, there's no way I would be doing this - the demands of both have become just too much. Good chance after this fall I will take a year or two off - don't think I'm done coaching yet, just done with dealing with all the stuff that isn't actual coaching.I agree with the earlier post - very few guys starting out now are going to last 30+ years.

Until I get bored. Which could be tomorrow...but imma keep coaching till then.