What is a Typical Day Like for a High School Athletic Administrator?

Editor’s Note: The following is an interview by David Hoch, a member of the High School Today Publications Committee, with three high school athletic directors: Colin Fegeley, CMAA, athletic director, Green Level High School, suburban high school in Cary, North Carolina; Dr. John Taylor, CAA, director of athletics, Irvington Public Schools, an urban school district in Irvington, New Jersey; and Ryder Peacock, athletic director, Albany Independent School District, a rural school district in Albany, Texas.

Question: Since settings and situations vary around the country, what is your typical day like as an athletic administrator?

Fegeley: One of the things that I enjoy most about being an athletic director is that every day brings new and unexpected challenges. We always have a ton on our plate, but the great thing is that we are not trapped behind a desk all day. My day is filled with an incredible amount of variety. One minute, I might be out in the stadium cutting the field, the next I am on the phone with a potential corporate sponsor. Right now, I am getting ready to prepare for our Winter Sports Celebration in the auditorium tonight. There is never a dull moment!

Thomas: Starting at 8 a.m., I check bus schedules for the upcoming three days. If I missed anything, I schedule one right away. Next, I take the same approach with referees, scorekeepers and security personnel for the same timeframe. This usually takes me until 9 a.m.

From this point until 2:45 p.m., things can vary. I may meet with a guidance counselor and students about academic eligibility or the college application process, or check on playing areas to ensure they are game-ready. In addition, I may have a meeting with district administrators, parents, booster club members, or with our state athletic association.

At 2:45 p.m., I begin setting-up for athletic events that would include the press box and basketball court sidelines, and then communicate with the security guards located at each event location (we have seven locations throughout the district). Next, I ensure that our players can get into the locker rooms, our athletic trainer has everything he/she needs, the buses have arrived for away games, and that the referees for home games have changing areas and have access to sign-into our payment system.

Once games are over, I check with the site personnel at each location to ensure there were no issues that occurred during the event, and if there was an issue, the extent of the issue, and work with custodial to ensure that each site was cleaned afterwards. I then reach out to each head coach and report the scores to our local media outlets. Since some contests may start at 7 p.m, therefore, my work day does not usually end until 10 p.m.

Peacock: Being in a small school setting, I actually wear many hats. Not only do I serve as the athletic director and coach, but I am also the maintenance director. My day starts and I spend most of the morning with this responsibility in order to get this crew started with work orders.

After lunch, I transform into the athletic director and prepare for the daily contests. Fortunately, I have five coaches who all pitch in to help.

Question: When you think about the athletic administrator’s position as that of an iceberg in that only about 15-20 percent is visible (above the waterline) to parents, teachers and even some administrators, what would you like everyone to know about what you really do behind the scenes that are not easily seen?

Fegeley: I think AD stands for “All Day” and “All Duties.” I just hope that people outside of our profession realize all the responsibilities that a high school athletic director has. It is more than just two or three 14-hour days a week. We are responsible for the safety and well-being of hundreds of student-athletes on a daily basis, and this includes eligibility checks, facility maintenance, scheduling officials, planning special events, hiring coaches, event management, community outreach, and countless other tasks. I could add dozens of more items to this list.

Our job is incredibly dynamic. No day is the same, and if you go long enough, you gain incredible experience and skill sets that prepares you for anything.

Thomas: There is an enormous amount of logistics that go into high school athletics. The fields or courts have to be maintained; uniforms, supplies and equipment have to be ordered; coaches have to be hired; coaching certification classes have to be facilitated; payroll procedures have to be completed daily for referees and game personnel; each venue has to be cleaned; buses have to be scheduled; and many other items. An athletic director cannot forget to perform any of these tasks, or these contests don’t occur.

Peacock: I am probably in a good situation due to the longtime coaches helping out, and this takes a number of things off my shoulders. But I do spend most of my time dealing with field maintenance, trip planning and scheduling. The spring gets a little busier, since we offer many more events, and our students are involved in many other activities. This entails a great deal more planning and organization.

Question: What are some of the challenges that you constantly face in your setting that are extremely unique?

Fegeley: In North Carolina, coaches are required to obtain their commercial driver’s license and drive the activity buses to and from games. As an athletic director, this means I am responsible for scheduling bus transportation for our teams. This requires a great deal of creativity, especially during our spring season, if more teams are traveling than we have buses to adequately transport and/or a team is traveling that does not have a coach on staff with a CDL. It is not beneath me to bribe a coach with lunch to drive if we get in a pinch!

Thomas: Since the start of the pandemic, we faced challenges with finding game personnel, and many people place a greater value on their free time. Getting off work at 3 p.m., and then staying until 10 p.m. for athletic events isn’t always appealing to people. Additionally, we also run into facility challenges. Our district utilizes the parks department for our soccer, baseball and softball fields, and for our tennis courts and golf courses. This means our students have to travel one to two miles to practice and play games. Some of our interested student-athletes may decide not to come out for some of our teams due to the distance between home and our venues.

Question: While it may be impossible to only mention one item, what are two or three things that would make your job a little less hectic and more manageable? How realistic is it for these items to be corrected, added or improved upon, and when would you anticipate that these changes could be made?

Fegeley: Having someone on staff to help manage and maintain the facilities would be a huge help for me. I spend hours every week cutting grass, spraying for weeds and string trimming in the stadium. As much as I like being outside and doing this work, it often gets me sidetracked from other more pressing issues. Additionally, increased pay and additional salary stipends for our coaches would go a long way in recruiting and retaining good people. Our district, under the leadership of Deran Coe, CMAA, has made huge strides in this area recently. I am very fortunate to work in a district that values education-based athletics, and I am appreciative of our district leadership for helping us move the ball forward.

Thomas: I’ve never viewed my position as hectic or unmanageable, but rather as a logistically driven position. I believe I’m fairly good at seeing what needs to be accomplished in order for students to have an opportunity to participate in athletics with buses, equipment, and the fields being ready. A series of checklists helps me to accomplish everything.

I went to Ireland for winter break, and I still contacted bus companies and referees to ensure that games when off without a hitch. If I don’t do that, these events don’t happen. That’s my responsibility, and it is a 24-7 effort. This should not be interpreted as a complaint, since I love my job, and I don’t mind putting in the time to help students to have an opportunity to play.

Peacock: The logical thing would be able to add another coach or two to our staff so that I could reduce my coaching responsibilities and have more time to devote to my athletic administrator responsibilities. Any time that you have an additional person to take on some of the duties or tasks, it can make the job a little easier. Having said this, however, I am blessed to have an administration that is proactive and is totally committed to providing the best for our students.

Question: How do you keep a positive outlook and press on day after day when faced with the unique challenges you have?

Fegeley: I love my job. I once heard an athletic director say, “I have never gone to work a day in my life! How lucky am I?” I’d say, “How lucky are WE?” We get to go to school every day and serve our student-athletes and families. There are going to be tough days, but I find myself incredibly fortunate to be in the position that I am in. I take the good with the bad and do all I can to remain positive and thankful that I don’t have to go to work every day; I get to go to school!

Thomas: Basically, I tend to be a positive person, and I love athletics. To be able to provide students with opportunities is important to me. Many of our students and their families may be in a position where they cannot afford the cost of non-scholastic club or youth sports programs. As a school, we provide student-centered athletic experiences for our students at no cost to them. For this reason, I can walk around with a smile on my face because I know my efforts have a positive impact on our students and the community.

Peacock: Overall, we have good kids, a supportive community, and our staff that has been part of our school for years and works well together. This means that our students and the community know what to expect, and all of this makes our situation an enjoyable environment.