Urban Meyer stepping down as Head Coach at the University of Florida was the big news over the weekend. He was hospitalized with chest pains following the SEC Championship game; and several times in the past he has suffered problems with headaches, indicating another possible health problem. It appears that the stress from coaching could be enough to endanger his life.
The Gators were the NCAA defending FBS champions. Meyer is considered at the top of his profession, having brought quick success in his stops at Bowling Green, Utah, and now ending his fifth year at Florida, where they have won two national championships. Florida is now considered a prime head coaching job because of its facilities and fan base, and especially its location in the recruit-rich state of Florida.
It's not surprising- only surprising that it doesn't happen much more often. I wonder if (and I hope) this will begin a discussion in the US about head coaching and head coaches- their health, their roles, and the sometimes inhuman expectations place upon them. Nowadays, football coaching is definitely one of the most intense and stressful jobs imaginable.
It's not just about practice and games and meetings. Add to this the ever-expanding and intensified duties of recruiting. Coaches rarely have much time to spend with their wives and families. It is a 7-day a week job much of the year, 80-120 hours a week. Meals with their families are virtually unknown.
College head coaches are held responsible not only for mentally and physically preparing athletes (over one hundred at a larger program like Florida) for a dozen or so games a year. But they also are held responsible for for monitoring their student-athlete's academic and social activities, pretty much year-round. Then they must spend time and energy dealing with the fans and the press. They are also involved with meeting boosters and fund-raising. The head coach, his staff, and a hundred others are under critical media scrutiny round the clock all year long. anything out of line, and the Head Coach has to answer for it. As Bobby Bowden, who is finally retiring this year, once said: "most parents can't keep track of only 1 or 2 teenagers every hour of the day; I am expected to do it for 105 of them!"
While often compared to CEOs, the reality is that most head coaches are involved with- and worry about- every single detail of their programs. They have to. They dare not leave a single stone unturned, lest they be criticized. Guilt also haunts them. They become obsessed with "out-working" their opponent. When asked what time he woke up and started working in the morning, he answered: "10 minutes earlier than whatever time Jon Gruden said he did." [Gruden is a notorious short sleeper and early riser]. Coaches spend much time doing what is known in the coaching profession as "chasing ghosts", i.e. working through every single possible scenario- of which there are too many to predict.
Apparently Meyer was offered a chance to take a sabbatical by Florida AD Jeremy Foley, which he declined.
I have recently begun to think the sabbatical idea is an interesting concept which should be given more consideration- say after every 5 seasons or so. Of course coaches who are fired or resign are often given an involuntary one, but many seem to benefit from a year or two away
It would allow a coach to spend time with his family and look after his health. It would also give him time to research and visit other programs and learn more about the game. Of course, something like that could hardly happen unilaterally. It would probably have to be something imposed by the Coaches Association and the NCAA, and written into their contracts.
Here's an interesting possible development worth considering. Meyer says he will step down as Head Coach, but will attempt to be involved with the Florida Gators in some way. What role? In the US, some administrative duties are delegated to Director of Football Operations, a position that has developed over the last twenty years or so. Perhaps we will see Meyer move into an expanded Director of Football Operations role, or perhaps there will be some new sort of position created for him. Maybe we will see more duties of head coaches become divided, or they'll become more like corporate CEOs, delegating more to their Recruiting Directors and Coordinators. It will be interesting to see how football evolves.
One of the curious things about Japanese football that is sometimes is difficult to explain to foreigners is how football teams generally have both a Kantoku and a Head Coach. Kantoku is a title (and also an honorific) that is used for skipper of a baseball team (the Manager in English); it is also used to indicate the director of a film. But exact division of labor and authority and ranking between the Head Coach and the Kantoku seems to vary from team to team, and so is hard to define.
Sometimes the Kantoku is the ultimate authority. At others the Head Coach runs the show, while the Kantoku is more of a figurehead, or a liaison with the school or sponsor or alumni network. Hosei University is an example where the Kantoku (Aoki-san) is the spokesman and leader and decision-maker, and directs general policy for the team; yet he is rarely involved with the exact X's and O's. For other teams, such as the Kajima Deers, Head Coach Mori handles all game and practice decisions, while the Kantoku is more of a general manager type. It all seems to depend on culture and needs of the specific organization, and the individual personalities involved.
Is it just possible that executive authority positions in the US may evolve in a way that they more closely resemble the Japanese model?
