Superintendent’s Perspective on Building Successful Athletic Program

In 2009, Scott Barnes, then athletic director of Utah State University, was quoted by the New York Times as saying, “Athletics are the front porch of the university. It’s not the most important room in the house, but it is the most visible.” Barnes message could easily be passed along to the high school level where communities often take on the identity of their high school athletic programs.

There is a strong belief that the most significant way to lead an at-risk teenager in the right direction is through lengthening the school day with extracurricular activities. Many students look to leaders in high school activities for reliable structure in their lives. While the steps to build a successful athletic department will take on certain specific traits depending on the community, there are several common traits that are necessary for success in any community.

When Barnes made his claim about the importance of athletics, his athletic department was mired with a lack of success, and he set out, along with the university administration, to change the image of the entire university.

At the high school level, similar efforts may originate as a grassroots effort led by parents through booster clubs, coaches initiating service projects conducted by their student-athletes or door-to-door fundraisers in which the students interact directly with members of the community.

Direct interaction is a catalyst to the community forming a genuine relationship with the students of the school. Buying the discount card from the same student for their entire athletic career or always taking the car to the team carwash helps personalize the team to the community. The tricky part of this aspect is the booster club and coach relationship. Each booster club should always have some oversight by the district and clearly written bylaws as well as a transparent process for raising and expending funds.

Turnover in parent leadership is inevitable but reliance on institutional knowledge memorialized in bylaws can assist in continuing the mission and scope of the organization as the faces of leadership evolve. Coaches who get too involved in the inner workings of the booster club could eventually find themselves in an awkward position based on how the team performs and who plays the most. Proper community involvement goes a long way toward enhancing the experience for the student-athletes while providing community members with a genuine interest in the program an avenue to assist.

Selection and evaluation of the people who coach our students is likely the most important task that leads to sustained success. Finding the best person for the job has become more and more challenging.

The first step is for the athletic director to meet with the team to compile a list of qualities they want in their next head coach. Next, establish a screening committee which is led by the athletic director and include at least one coach from the staff and one parent of a team member. If possible, you should also include a member of the building faculty and a building administrator.

The committee should be provided the list of the qualities compiled from the team members to assist in the process. This committee will continue to provide the successful candidate with a support network when the person joins the team. You should ask for complete confidentiality from the committee, but it also provides some realities and insight into the candidate pool for the parents and staff.

There is no better measure of how your district and athletic department are perceived by those outside the organization than to conduct a coaching search for a significant head coaching position at your school. The screening committee should provide the superintendent with two candidates for the final interview which is conducted with the superintendent, assistant superintendent and the athletic director. Selection and ongoing evaluation of all coaches while providing meaningful and relevant feedback is essential for success.

Following are seven qualities which are essential for a successful head coach. These are also used in evaluating potential candidates for open positions.

1. Do the student-athletes represent the school with dignity and respect?

2. Do the student-athletes demonstrate improvement in skill over the course of the season as well as their careers?

3. Is the team better at the end of the season than at the start with respect to execution of game plans, discipline and overall performance?

4. Do the student-athletes demonstrate respect to the coaching staff?

5. Does the coaching staff treat the student-athletes as if they were their own children?

6. Does the coach accept responsibility for their role with the team and relate to the community as a whole?

7. Do alumni of the program carry a loyalty to the program beyond graduation?

By setting the bar high for these positions, we work to make our staff better as they work to improve the skills of our students.

As we define success in an athletic department, all coaches should be striving for improvement in themselves and in their student- athletes. If that is occurring, the wins and losses will take care of themselves. A school district’s focus should be on continual improvement and growth whether the focus is on athletics or differentiated instruction to improve scores on mandated state testing. The essential objective is for each student to learn to work well within a team, and to help that team reach a common goal - while gaining self-discipline. The result will then naturally form positive relationships that last a lifetime. And that should be what we are all about.