By now you’ve probably read and/or heard about Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino’s abrupt resignation. He once again heard the siren’s song calling him back to the collegiate game. Sunday, word came out that West Virginia’s head football coach (and WVU alum) Rich Rodriguez will be leaving his team – immediately – to become the head coach at Michigan. Such is the way of things in college football, where the players are portrayed as shining examples of sportsmanship and academia, but in reality these “student-athletes” are oftentimes exploited, ill-prepared for the real world after college, and quickly forgotten after their eligibility runs out. In today’s column, we’ll take a peek behind the curtain at the seedy world of big-time college football.
Let’s start with this fact: in the NFL, players are more or less mercenaries, playing for pay. After they are drafted, they are bound to the NFL for a short time (usually 3-5 seasons) before becoming unrestricted free-agents. Most of the time, the players follow the money and loyalty is a no-way street; the contracts are rarely guaranteed, so coaches are quick to release underperforming players. By the same token, players by and large feel no loyalty toward specific teams. Some like this system, some do not, but at least it’s all above the board, there for all to see: money drives the game.
In the world of big-time collegiate football, the same driving force greases the wheels, but in a much more subtle way. The players are extolled as ‘student-athletes’ and much is made of the fact they get a free education in return for their play on the field. What is rarely talked about is the low graduation rates at many schools in Division I football, the unbelievable salaries coaches receive, the behind-the-scenes payments and maneuvering done by booster clubs, and the greediness prevalent in almost every major conference.
The University of Michigan boasts an overall graduation rate of 85% among males, according to http://www.ncaa.org/grad_rates/>” recent NCAA study, while male student-athletes graduated 68% of the time and football players only 67% of the time, black football players only 46%. The University of Texas graduates 74% of students overall, 55% of all student-athletes and 32% of football players. LSU graduates only 56% of students overall, and only 38% of football players. Their opponent in the national championship bowl, Ohio State, graduates only 66% overall and 48% of football players.
Now, there are notable exceptions to this – Notre Dame graduates 95% of all students, and 79% of football players, a figure much more palatable. Penn State graduates 84% of all students, 72% of football players. Stanford graduates 95% overall and an impressive 91% of football players. One senses, though, that many institutions place too high a premium on athletic prowess at the expense of academic success. Penn State shows that these goals can be balanced and their struggles on the gridiron this season aside, Notre Dame’s distinguished history of academic AND athletic success is a standard all other universities should aspire to.
Back to our friend Bobby Petrino for a minute. Has one man ever been so handsomely rewarded for quitting, lying, and working behind other peoples’ backs before? Here’s a recent history of Petrino’s antics, (compiled by ESPN.com’s Pat Forde, in http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3151061&sportCat=ncf”
-2003: Petrino is hired at Louisville, and before he’s there a full year he secretly meets with Auburn about their coaching job. Besides the wanderlust factor, the big problem here is that Auburn hasn’t fired their own head coach yet. Also, he did it behind his new employer’s back, as well.
-2004: Petrino interviews with Notre Dame, LSU, and Florida, but stays at Louisville..after signing a lucrative contract extension. Remember, this is after TWO SEASONS!!!
-2005: Petrino interviews with the Oakland Raiders.
-2006: Petrino signs a 10-year, $25 million extension to stay at Louisville, professing he would never leave. FIVE MONTHS LATER, the Falcons hired him.
2007: At 3-10 with 3 games to go, Petrino tells Atlanta’s owner he has no desire to leave or go back to the collegiate level. 48 hours later, he’s yelling ‘pig sooey’ when introduced as Arkansas’ new head coach.
Lest you think Petrino is the only coach who acts this way, rest assured that college coaches seem almost universally afflicted with wanderlust, always thinking the next job (and the higher pay, of course) will be the next best thing to paradise. Another prominent example is Nick Saban going from Michigan State to LSU to the Miami Dolphins to Alabama, but there are many others in recent years.
Even Notre Dame, who we lauded for their scholastic record, looks bad on the coaching front. In 2004 the school fired classy Tyrone Willingham after 3 seasons, because he had produced only an 11-12 record his final 2 seasons in South Bend. His successor, much-ballyhooed Charlie Weis (late of the world-champion New England Patriots), was supposed to invigorate the recruiting and the offense. After ONE SEASON of success, the school gave Weis a TEN YEAR extension. Fast forward to 2007: Weis goes 3-9, the worst season in Notre Dame history. Contrast this with the long-term view shown by surprise 2007 teams Hawai’I and Kansas. Both teams’ coaches have endured some tough years, but the schools stuck with them and are now rewarded with a combined record of 23-1. Coaching stability usually leads to success in the long run, but too many boosters and athletic department heads have no patience, which is almost always fueled by….
GREED. The sport is full of it. Coaches, seeking more money; boosters, always demanding that 13-0 season and a national title; universities, eschewing a playoff for football (which ALL other sports in the NCAA have, by the way) for a convoluted bowl system because it nets them more money; and yes, players, who see everyone else getting a piece of the action so they are sorely tempted to (at best) leave college for the NFL early, to start earning money for their talents, or (at worst) taking payments from boosters and other fans as part of the recruiting process. Instead of being a triumphant end to a season, a championship oftentimes breeds problems as everyone involved then DEMANDS the same level of excellence year after year. Yes, this also happens in the pros, but it’s unacceptable in the world of collegiate athletics.
How did our priorities get so out-of-whack that going 13-0 in a football season is more important to us than ensuring a quality education for the 80+ players on the team? Remember, universities exist to educate students, and further mankind through research, NOT to field the best team and make lots of money via the athletic program. Most of these problems are so obvious that it takes only a little bit of research to uncover the depth and breadth of them – I did the research for this article with 3 simple Google searches, and ESPN.com had at least 5 articles decrying Petrino’s decision – but it seems that fans are willing to live with these flaws if the football is good. For the sake of our society, I do sincerely hope priorities change soon.
Dave Glass lives in Clearfield with his wife, Suzanne, and his six children. He can be reached at buggyracer@verizon.net