Deseret News | Reader comments: A high school football coach: big rewards for little pay

Reader comments
A high school football coach: big rewards for little pay

No way | 9:33 a.m. Aug. 24, 2008

I respect the reasons that these men coach and appreciate the positive influence they have on our kids. Obviously they love what they do and that's wonderful. But there is no way I would coach after watching what the coaches in our community have had to go through. The microscope they are under is brutal.

If you were to ask an English teacher to give her lecture every Friday night in front of all the parents, reporters and cameras, then to be critiqued on it, then to have it written about in the paper the next day, most of them would quit! Most people cannot take the scrutiny week after week.

My hats off to these guys and I hope they forgive us parents and the media who make their lives so hard sometimes. There is no way I'd have their job!

Thank You! | 10:34 a.m. Aug. 24, 2008

Some coaches never get that state title, and mostly have a losing record year after year. That is when is really becomes hard to be a coach, you really have to love it. I thank those coaches who are always getting ripped by parents and players, who may not have the student body to put a great football team together, but still make it a good experience for those boys. Thank You!

page | 1:32 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

i coached for 14 years. head coach for 7 years, people just don't get the time and effort theses guys put into a season.you really have to have thick skin. I don't coach anymore,it really gets to me when people put down the coaches and think they can do a better job, they are out there trying to help your son get better. I ask them why don't you go coach then. they say i would love to but don't have the time and can't afford to.i really miss the kids and the coaches that you hang out with every day.I know one thing the best coaches out there aren't the ones that win year in and year out.Its the ones that get the most out of the talent they have a lot of coaches could win at the bingham, skyline, alta, cottenwoods ,and timpviews.

Comments continue below

re - PAGE from up North | 3:29 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

You say lots of people could win at Bingham, Skyline, Alta, etc. Well, coaching at those schools brings different kinds of problems. Like running into kids at the store that you cut but also know could start at other schools. Cutting kids and having them in your school classroom and they know they could be starters somewhere else. Like higher expectations. A good coaching friend of mine who won over 20 games in basketball last year and everyone was asking "what happened"? Too many good players creates problems that don't exsist at schools that don't have the depth.

Alta Coaches | 8:30 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

We love you

Wally The Warrior | 9:07 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

Snow canyon has one of the best coaching staffs in the state, look at there 190 lb line against those big polys at east, they fought well until the third quarter, and really opened some holes for adam timo to run, great job by the coaching staff. and i really was impressed with coach secrists playcalling. and there defense was great. until the 4th quarter. they just couldnt pull it out. its allright, good job coaches who dedicate there time at sc, we appreciate you, sincerly
Wally the Warrior

Big Money Schools | 9:21 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

Schools like Alta, Skyline, Lone Peak definately bring other problems for coaches. Yes, there is more talent to choose from at these big 5A schools, but you also get the parents who expect a state championship every year. I know a coach who had a great winning percentage, won region championships 75% of the time he coached there, but never got a state championship. The parents ran him out.

The expectations are often unrealistic. These coaches aren't given enough money to take that kind of pressure and in the long run it's the kids who lose. Thanks all you coaches who put up with it.

coaches wives | 11:44 p.m. Aug. 24, 2008

Think the coaches have it rough.... Try being a coaches wife:)

Coaches Rule | 12:58 a.m. Aug. 25, 2008

Amy Donaldson hit the nail on the head when she said high school athletic coaches become iconic in their community.

I think high school athletic coaches are awesome. I wish we could pay them more. They mean a lot to me. I live in South Jordan, but I love all of the high school coaches. If you see them in a restaurant, try to pick up their tab anonymously ... see the manager and arrange to pay for their meal. They deserve it.

live with it... | 7:21 a.m. Aug. 25, 2008

I lived as a boy of a coach...they are so dedicated sometimes they forget family...the presure to be successful was his own desire he didn't need parents or the community to drive him to success...when he passed away the church was over flowing with past friends athletes, students etc...I believe he gave back everything he had to those student athletes...today athletes call my mother to see how she is and pass by and say hello...no money in the world could pay for those memories...I thank all the coaches I had and hope that people realize they are teachers and professional teachers first and coaches second...best of luck to the coaches and you rich parents save your money and send your kids to college instead of pursing all the fame and heart ache for your kids...

Re: Walley the warrior | 9:42 a.m. Aug. 25, 2008

Still bitter about that loss? I'm not a math guy, but I'm pretty sure your OL was bigger than 190 lbs average. I saw two guys on that line that had to be pushing 250. You also had that 6'7" 380 lbs reserve dude that came in as well. Our DL was 250, 290, and 250 respectively, but we blitzed a lot and brought a lot of pressure.

Farns. | 12:52 p.m. Aug. 25, 2008

Hats off to all football coaches, parents have no idea what you put yourselves thru for their kids. The best parents are the ones you never hear from which is too bad. If you like what your coach is doing let them know. They need some accolades and deserve it - all of them!!! Page u r a stud and I agree with you. I've assisted for a long time and am out for this year. I went to Maui during 2-a-days and I don't miss it at all yet. I saw 3 great games last week it was a blast. By the way I'm tripling my football pay doing baseball clinics for 6 hours a week. If anyone is interested call or email.

Wally the Warriors Kids | 2:13 p.m. Aug. 25, 2008

We are not bitter and you shouldn't be on this blog talking the trash you talk. We are proud of our coaching staff at SC and that is what this is all about not whether we won or lost but how our kids played under a great coaching staff! Thanks Coaches everywhere for all you do!

re: Farns | 3:00 p.m. Aug. 25, 2008

Do you really agree with Page who said it is easier to coach at Alta, Cottonwood, Bingham, etc? I find that hard to believe.

Farns. | 8:38 a.m. Aug. 26, 2008

All coaching is difficult. I agree that some of the best coaches don't win year in and year out. There are great coaches that get the most out of their talent without a big pool or transfers. Also these schools that have a lot of transfers to their program do not all recruit. It is easier to win at those schools mentioned but they have other problems to deal with.

Parents View | 10:56 a.m. Aug. 26, 2008

I am a parent who had kids play high school sports in Utha (two done and one left). Most coaches are great. One problem I see is where the coaches kids play for them. I have seen many kids have coaches kids lay above them where it is not warranted (the kids getting the shaft have much more talent than the coaches boys). Maybe this is one reason the coaches "suffer" through the low pay. I had one high school coach who coached his boys tell me that his boys deserve to play ahead of the other kids because of the time he puts in and the low pay he receives. That is a shame for those kids who should be playing and are not because of this attitude. Let's change the rules so that coaches kids cannot play at the high school their Dad is coaching at.

re: Parents View | 6:00 p.m. Aug. 26, 2008

I am sorry that you are in that type of situation but not everyone is. I am a parent of a sophomore at Bingham High and he plays baseball. One of our coaches son played for us last year and he got worse treatment than any other player. I have seen the Dad rip his son apart for a mistake where if another kid had made the same one, he would have taken him to the side and explained how to do it right. So in your case, you may be right but in our case, I am glad that our coaches son was here. He not only was one of our best players but he also treated the freshmen (my son) with class. My son looked up to him. Coaches should be able to coach their own as long as they are fair and honest in making decisions. By the way, the coaches son went on to play in college this year. Once again, sorry about your plight but I am not in that kind of situation.

duchesne eagle | 6:12 p.m. Aug. 26, 2008

We are very happy for billy hoopes here as he is the new head football coach. Now if stan young would just retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eye Dee Ten Tee | 11:04 p.m. Aug. 26, 2008

My High School coach was the best English teacher I ever have. Thank you coach.

To: Eye Dee Ten Tee | 11:39 a.m. Aug. 27, 2008

We can all see from your comment how successful your English teacher was.

Parents View | 12:50 p.m. Aug. 27, 2008

I am familiar with this player at Bingham. A good kid. You bring up a great point. Te Bingham assistant treated his kid different from te other players. They should all be treated the same. Second point: I'm just wondering when this Bingham player was a sophomore and they had him pinch running, were there other players that should have been pinch running instead of the coaches boy? I think the answer would be "yes". How about when he was a junior, was their other boys that should have been playing ahead of him but were not because the coaches son was given special treatment? I think the answer to this question is also "yes". His senior year it was legitimate. Just be glad that your son is younger than this coaches son or perhaps you may have experienced what others have experienced having to play behind the less talented coaches boys.

re: Parents View | 5:54 p.m. Aug. 27, 2008

You bring up some good points but would be more willing to listen more deeply if you could put some names behind your views. Who were the boys that should have been playing in front of the coaches kid when he was a junior? Were there other kids that should have been running instead of him as a sophomore because they are faster or better baserunners, and there is a difference. Sounds somewhat fishy to me for I find Coach Sato seldom does anything for politics and believe me when I say, he is the one making all the decisions. He is the Head Coach. Actually, you sound like a parent whose kid wasn't as good as this kid and need to point fingers at something. Clue me in please!

Parent View from Parent | 6:09 p.m. Aug. 27, 2008

You are way out of line. I was there during this kids sophomore year. Yes, he did run bases at times but there were other sophomores (jenkins, whitney) who were faster that ran for the pitcher and catcher early in the game. The coaches kid (not fast but smart baserunner)really only ran in the middle innings, used for the re-entry rule, something that must have passed you by. Here we go again, South Jordan people, ripping on our coaches. My son came home many times saying that the "coaches kid" earned everything that he received. Maybe you are just a bad judge of talent and don't really know the game. My son learned alot about the game from the coaches kid and isn't he playing in college? Someone saw something in him. Coach Sato just saw it earlier than most.

Parents View | 6:19 a.m. Aug. 28, 2008

Why get so defensive. You admit he was slow when he was a sophomore. My point exactly, "there were other kids on the team who were as smart, were faster, who could have run in the "middle innings (if that has anything to do with my point - "why don't you learn the game. I don't care what inning he ran - there were others his sophomore year who were shafted because of the coaches boy) but they were past over because the coaches son received the better treatment. I simply beleive that many coaches try to justify playing their kids ahead of others because of the low pay and all the time they put in. Sorry, I don't have any names for you. Everything I say comes from kids that have played against Bingham over the last three years.

Parents View | 12:42 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

You have now said it all. "Everything I say comes from kids that have played against Bingham over the last three years". You are either a kid with low self-esteem that wants to fit in and goes along with the flow. Or you are a dumb adult who goes on hearsay. This is the end of the battle for us because you are outside the program and have no real clue about what goes on inside our program, although I am curious why the blame on the dad, the assistant, and not the head coach but from your writings, I really don't need to know.

Parents View | 1:00 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

I love to see and listen to the parents of a kid who got shafted. If the coach didn't have his son on the team and your son still didn't play then you would write about how the coach played his friends son. Get real! Unless you go to every practice and see what these kids do then you don't know how good he is. Tell your kid to chill a bit and that everybody can't make it to the big leagues.

On the Outside | 1:53 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

I beleive coaches do not get the deserved thanks they deserve. I also think that there should be rules implemented to keep fathers away from coaching their own sons at the high school level. I know many boys who have played for their Dad and they end up not having any friends because dad shows favortism towards them (they could be the best player on the team and the other kids and parents will resent them because they are simply the coach's son). I just beleive it is not good for the program. If the kid is good enough to make it to the next level, they don't know how to handle the coach not being Dad. Oh well, I'm sure we will not see any rules to change this. I can see both sides, though.

TO: ON THE OUTSIDE | 2:08 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

Some excellent points here that apply to most but not all situations. The players on our high school team vote for all awards given out at the end of the year which is fair and not all coaches do that either. The coaches son got the leadership award as voted by the team so he must have been highly respected and looked up to by his teammates. My kid voted for him as well. To make a long story short, the kid had many friends on the team obviously but it was because he was treated different. He got much more of rough time from his dad, an assistant, than anyone else on the team and others noticed. My son said he was happy that he wasn't that son and that his son never got away with anything without his dad saying something. As far as not being able to handle a coach besides his dad, his oldest son went to college to play and did very well, both on and off the field. I totally respect your views but as you said, there are 2 sides.

? Expert | 2:42 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

"Most but not all cases??" Niw, how do you know that? Oh ya, those Bingham parents, they do have all the knowledge!

-- ? EXPERT | 2:58 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

"MOST BUT NOT ALL CASES??" YOU ARE RIGHT. I AM JUDGING FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN. MOST COACHES DO FAVOR THEIR SONS, GIVE THEM BREAKS, PLAY THEM AT QB, WHATEVER THE CASE MIGHT BE. I AM SAYING THAT A MAJORITY OF THE TIME, THAT HAPPENS. BUT NOT ALL THE TIME. I WISH I WAS WRONG AND THAT EVERY DAD WAS FAIR, TO HIS OWN AS WELL AS OTHERS BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THE CASE. THERE WERE BLOGS LAST YEAR ON THIS SAME SUBJECT AND MOST SAID THAT DAD COACHES FAVOR THEIR SONS. SORRY IF OFFENDED. IT WASN'T MEANT THAT WAY.

Anonymous | 3:31 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

That's not true. You should give us some examples of how a father coach favors their kid. (that you have seen) Once again it's funny that you say most fathers favor their sons. Maybe in peewee football. If you don't like it and if you believe you know more about coaching then you should try to coach. Just because a father plays his son doesn't mean he's favoring him. You're comments remind me of kids I played with who were third string but believed they should have been future pro athletes. You should go to all of the practices and then you can decide if he's favoring his son.

Logan | 3:33 p.m. Aug. 28, 2008

I love Logan High's Football Coach that was mentioned in this article. What a fun Coach to watch and I don't even have a kid playing. Coaches must end up making less than minimum wage once you count all the hours in and out of season they put in. Thanks Coaches!

TO - Anonymous | 6:01 a.m. Aug. 29, 2008

The Bingham baseball assistant gave his kid every break in the book. He was a less than average player that seldom came out. Glad my son is at another school in that region.

Anonymous | 9:52 a.m. Aug. 29, 2008

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm sure Bingham is glad your kids at another school as well. You sound like a great parent. I do hope your kid will make it to the big leagues. Because we all know that living through him will only make you better!

Give me a break | 4:54 p.m. Aug. 29, 2008

I have known the assistant coach at Bingham for 20 years and I can tell you that he has never, ever pampered his kid or tried to pull strings for him in anyway. My son has played on his teams many times and although he was tough on all players, there was no doubt in my mind, or the other parents minds, that he was much tougher on his son. So quit talking about things you know little about. If he ran the bases, then the coaching staff felt that was the best move for the team. I am also friends with Coach Sato and he makes the calls on what should happen and when. You people that get on her need to give me a break and grow up.

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