High school athletic directors oversee lots of things

When Marc Hunter decided to accept a job as Jordan High's athletic director, he was more a glorified gopher than an administrator.

"I took over in 1984 and it was not nearly the job it became," said the executive director of the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. "Back then we mostly just made sure the busses were taken care of and we were sort of yes men and gophers for the principals."

Today, athletic directors run a school's interscholastic athletic programs, most times with almost complete autonomy. The biggest difference?

"The level of professionalism," Hunter said. "The level of accountability."

Because the demands on athletic directors have changed, those filling those positions have had to adapt, as well.

The UIAAA just finished three days of seminars and workshops aimed at helping athletic directors do a better job serving the student athletes at their schools. Many of the state's athletic directors have done advanced training with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Their efforts have raised both the expectation and profile of the position that was once just an afterthought for most principals.

"We're really the coach of the coaches," Hunter said. "I'm responsible for anything that goes on in the athletic programs. The best principals understand how valuable a good athletic director can be to a school."

The job is still a catch-all with athletic directors taking care of everything from coaches training to eligibility issues to financial issues and, of course, dealing with parents. And they do all that while carrying a full teaching load — and sometimes a coaching position or two.

"It could be a legitimate full-time job," said West Jordan athletic director Dan Cowan, who credits Hunter with helping raise the expectations of athletic administrators in Utah, as well as providing opportunities for professional advancement. "I'm not sure anyone else has the passion to do what he's done."

This weekend about 163 athletic directors and principals gathered to participate in training and discuss issues like sportsmanship, the changing landscape of prep sports, how to better train new coaches and hold onto the old ones, and how to inspire their coaching staff to bring out the best in their student athletes.