HFO wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 12:24 pm
Head coach is an administrator and leader. Like a military officer, has to be able to plan, train, lead. These consistent traits of leadership should be obvious in the candidate career. Should be verified by talking with all types of previous stakeholders in their previous organization. Parents, players, assistant coaches, athletic department personnel, even President of the institution.
NCAA D1 or DII preferred because of head coach role in interfacing with Associate AD for NCAA Compliance, however, not absolutely necessary if a truly outstanding coach from DIII or even high school with DI/NFL experience. The coach should come from a winning atmosphere and tradition, period.
There are only so many Bill Belichick types out there who can identify talent and mold them into a winning system.
Finally, Lehigh has to start winning the home turf recruiting wars. My god, the talent of football players within 100 miles of Lehigh is off the roof. You got to convince many of these guys that it is a better option to be a 3 year starter at Lehigh than a 4 years 3rd string at D1 major. If you don't play, you don't get recognized. With current opportunity for 5th year grad transfer or even transfer portal, this should be an asset for Lehigh to get higher quality guys coming in for 5th year, but also opportunity to land higher quality freshmen players who want to play right away.
HFO your post along with Sterrett's future/the Troyan thread and some boredom this Thanksgiving Eve motivated me to roll up my sleeves and do some digging...
Patriot League Athletic Directors
Bucknell University
Jermaine Truax - FCS Playoff Chairman
Bachelor Degree in Health and Physical Education: Edinboro University
M.S. Sport Management: Slippery Rock University
Pursuing Doctorate in Education: Bowling Green University
Fordham University
Ed Kull
B.A. Stony Brook University
MBA St. John’s University
Pursuing Doctorate in Ed Leadership: St. John’s University
Colgate University
Nicki Moore
B.S. Education: University of Missouri
M.A. University of Missouri
Ph.D. Counseling Psychology with emphasis on Sports Psychology: University of Missouri
College of the Holy Cross
Kit Hughes
Bachelor in Sociology: Bowdoin College
M.Ed. Boston College
Lafayette College
Sherryta Freeman
Bachelor Degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on African Studies: Dartmouth College
Georgetown University
Lee Reed
Bachelor Degree in University Studies: University of New Mexico
Master’s in Sports Administration: University of New Mexico
Lehigh University
Joe Sterrett
Bachelor Degree w/dual Majors (Finance & Social Psychology): Lehigh University
Master’s in Educational Administration: Lehigh University
Ph.D. Education with a concentration in Sports Administration: Temple University
When it comes to the football playing PL members it is clear possessing (or pursuing) a doctoral degree is preferred which is a clear indication these institutions desire individuals with the capacity to add significant value beyond that of a traditional AD role. With that said, having an educational resume filled with elite academic institutions is not a prerequisite needed to obtain the highest position within these athletic departments. That should not come as a shock when one considers each environment (college/university) presents their own unique set of circumstances professionals must navigate through in order to be successful. While I respect alums/fans believing their PL institution’s academic standards requires an AD, or coach, to be familiar with such stringent parameters, the reality is, so long as they have shown the ability to succeed when impediments are both easily identifiable and shrouded in “bureaucratic nonsense” odds are this individual possesses a professional acumen that will travel.
As someone who is currently taking a very similar path to the above mentioned…
B.B.A. Temple University
M.Ed. Ed Leadership (Athletic Administration/Higher Ed dual concentration) DePaul University
Pursuing Ph.D. (Counseling/Student Development in Higher Education) Kansas State University
…Nicki Moore is a person of great interest to me given her excellent work establishing support systems to increase academic performance at the University of Oklahoma. A significant portion of my research focuses on advancing academic and individualized (athletic, professional, social) advising procedures at institutions who value the fundamental concept of the scholar-athlete in this new era of college athletics (transfer portal, NIL, ethical standards, definition of the student-athlete etc.) we are all living in. Developing curriculum that aligns with student-athlete goals/needs while also providing beneficial individual/professional guidance to account for various social forces was critical to Ms. Moore's success in Norman. Given some of my ties to Colgate, our similar research ambitions and the Big 12/PL connection I am hopeful there will be an opportunity to work with Ms. Moore in some capacity in the not too distant future.
From a Lehigh perspective, how the institution handles the transition from Sterrett to the next AD is obviously of great interest to all of us. Simply put, I hope the next AD is committed to the Mountain Hawks success on and off the field in equal proportion. IMO, the last decade or so of Sterrett’s tenure has been defined by the pursuit of comfort and stability as opposed to continually digging deep in order to successfully combat the inevitable headaches brought on by a department-wide commitment to excellence. As a result, how Sterrett goes about the process of hiring a new coach fascinates me. How much is Joe going to rely on his own intuition vs collaborating with former players/professional colleagues?
For the purpose of full transparency; I make this post from a strictly “curiosity” standpoint given my own educational/professional endeavors now and moving forward. I am not trying to second guess anyone or prop myself up. My sole purpose is to induce a well articulated conversation pertaining to a relevant topic of interest (concern?) such as this.