It’s time for separate the jobs
December 12th, 2007, 8:43 pm · 2 Comments · posted by rdickson
With Bobby Moore’s recent resignation as head football coach and athletic director at Choctawhatchee, now is a good time for Okaloosa County officials to look at a more efficient way of doing things.
What do I mean by that? Very simply, it is time for the two jobs to be separated. At schools fielding football teams, both Okaloosa and Walton Counties continue to have both positions filled by the same person. Personally, I think this is unfair to both the AD/coach and other coaches at a school.
A football coach’s primary job should be to get his team ready to win football games. And yet, I recently spoke with one local coach/AD that told me 85 percent of his time is spent with his AD job.
The main argument for keeping the jobs united has to do with it being the best way to give the football coach a larger stipend, or at least something like that. I’m not here to argue if a football coach works harder or deserves more money than a volleyball or tennis coach. I’ll leave that up to the number crunchers and adminstrators.
Thirty or 40 years ago it might have made sense to have the same man hold down both jobs. In the days before Title IX there were very few, if any, sports for girls at the high school level. The AD simply had to oversee his football team, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis and track and field. And often golf and tennis were treated as necessary evils to satisfy a few parents.
Today’s AD at a large school must be the administrator for more than 20 athletic teams during the course of an academic year. That doesn’t leave much time for the Xs and Os of coaching football.
Several years ago college and univerities realized it wasn’t prudent for the same man to be both coach and AD. Santa Rosa County split the positions a few years ago.
If you ask me, it’s time for all school districts to do the same.
What do you think?
December 13th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Randy, Great topic! You know I’ve heard a lot of grumbling about Moore’s lack of production when it comes to getting scholarships for his Seniors. But when you look at all the kids in college playing ball at the next level who played at Choctaw, then obviously the guy got the job done.There where complaints about everything from the soccer and Baseball fields to lack of discipline blah, blah, blah! How was he supposed to coach football? When your trying to raise money,help all your coaches, get your kids to the next level and answer the phone from the pain in the a$$ parents, then there is no way you can give a 100% to your football team! I could not agree with you more! Hire a very organized and personable AD and then go get the best coach you can afford, if theres not enough money for the coach, have the booster club kick in some.
December 15th, 2007 at 1:52 am
I have seen a problem on the other side. The coach/AD does not take the time to stay on top of the other sports, especially during the season and during spring ball. I agree, the positions need to be held by separate people. As a parent of kids that play sports other than football, I get real frustrated with the AD’s lack of attention and concern for anything other than “his team”. Unfortunately the AD gets evaluated on the performance of the football team, not on his performance as an AD.
I think it is a great idea for the booster club to kick in additional funds if they feel they need to do it to attract or retain a coach and his assistants.