Success equals more than wins for coaches

by Ryan Ernst
Assistant Sports Editor

In the past three years, there have been 233 head-coaching changes in the Division I "revenue" sports of football and basketball.

Because of the nature of different sports and different athletics programs, there tends to be an array of expectations and evaluation methods for college coaches. Thomas Boeh, director of athletics at Ohio, said every coaching position is different and programs do not always have the same criteria for judging their coaches' performances.

"Most administrators look at a combination of things in order to judge how successful their coaches are, but it varies with every program," he said.

Although wins and losses tend to be the most obvious way to evaluate a coach, NCAA regulations are beginning to make it easier for universities to look at other effects coaches have on programs.

"Wins and losses are the most visible," Boeh said. "But now graduation rates and team GPAs are becoming more visible and important.

"We also now have senior exit interviews that give us a good opportunity to get insightful opinions from graduating students, as well as candid responses if their experience with the program was less than positive," he said.

Cross country and track and field coach Elmore Banton said there is a variety of results by which coaches are judged. But they vary from sport to sport.

"A lot of factors go hand-in-hand," he said. "Winning and losing, graduation rates and kids staying out of trouble and developing away from the sport are all important. But in the smaller, non-revenue sports, winning and losing aren't quite as key."

Basketball coach Larry Hunter said his goals as a coach and the goals of the university are usually the same.

"You just try to build your team as best you can," he said. "There's going to be some ups and downs, but you try to keep them (the players) moving in a positive direction as much as possible.

"Every year is a new challenge, and what we're all about here is trying to win a championship every year, so that's my focus."

Boeh said the athletics department focuses on coaches year-round to see how they interact with people – a factor that is also important when hiring a new coach.

"Recruiting a coach has become quite similar to recruiting student-athletes," he said. "You try to bring in a variety of candidates and get to know them well to see who best fits your program."

Ohio and Ohio State are in different stages of coaching changes to their football programs. Ohio State is looking for a replacement for former head coach John Cooper, who was asked to leave his position, and Ohio is rebuilding a staff depleted by the departure of former head coach Jim Grobe, who left to take the head coaching position at Wake Forest.

Boeh said problems can arise in programs like Ohio State when staff members are trying to recruit a high-profile coach.

"The entire process has become tighter," he said. "Sometimes if information goes public, it can turn into a bad situation. Usually by keeping the process confidential, it better serves the institution."

Hunter said the hiring process, confidential or not, serves an important purpose in the long-run betterment of the program.

"As a potential coach you know when you go through that process with your athletic director that you're trying to get an idea of what they're looking for and they get a feeling for what you bring to the table," he said. "Those things have to match or you're not going to get hired."