Coaches must tackle very stressful, hectic schedules

New Mexico coach Mike Locksley cracked back in September.

Locksley allegedly choked and punched out his wide receivers coach in a coaches meeting. He just finished serving a suspension and returned to coach against San Diego State on Saturday.

It is obvious the stress of losing got to Locksley back in the third week of September, and he admitted he just snapped. His assistant and friend apparently gave him the wrong look.

It happens.

I could cite incidents of local college coaches who have lost it physically and mentally in meetings or in the booth above the field in the heat of a battle. But for purposes here, I'll hold back names. It's actually very common.

Tempers grow raw, emotions fly. Look at Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy's meltdown in his postgame rant a few years ago, or Mike Leach's tirade about players and their fat girlfriends last week.

The stress level of coaches, especially those who are losing, is through the roof. Many clock 75-hour work weeks, sleep in their office, and stress piles up in their personal lives. The list goes on and on.

Can't condone Locksley's actions, but I understand it.

Does working more hours equate to wins? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not.

This issue surfaced last week when the hours put in by BYU coaches became a topic on Internet message boards and local sports-talk radio shows. While Cougar coaches pile up plenty of time, Bronco Mendenhall makes a concerted effort to get his staff out of the office and home with their families.

Working on Sundays is voluntary, not mandatory. That is criticized. Valid? Perhaps.

On at least two days a week, Locksley's staff starts at 6 a.m. and leaves the offices at 10 p.m. On Sundays, they gather at 10 or 11 a.m., break down film and leave at 8 p.m. Still, New Mexico is 0-8 after losing to the Aztecs on Saturday.

Former BYU coach Gary Crowton used to burn the midnight oil. Many times he and QB John Beck would look at film late into the evening. Still, he had only one winning season at BYU, 12-2 in 2001.

I asked two BYU assistant coaches, both veterans of other programs, how they viewed BYU work hours on Mendenhall's staff. Both O-line coach Mark Weber and receivers coach Patrick Higgins admitted they'd slept in their office at other jobs.

Weber said at UCLA he slept in the football offices primarily because it didn't make sense to drive home late at night and then drive back through L.A. traffic to Westwood early in the morning.

Higgins said the length of a workday depends on the head coach, the boss. If he wants 12 to 15 hours, you do it.

"Even if it isn't productive, you do it because that's what you are required to do," he said.