1. In The Gridiron Marketplace:
Competition & Control
In The Gridiron Marketplace:
Findings From the Intercollegiate Athletics
Leadership Database
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, PhD
University of Washington

2. The Gridiron Marketplace
Intensely competitive environment (Knight Commission, 2010)
Conference realignment
Bidding wars for prominent coaches
Growing emphasis on winning (Knight Commission, 2010)
Beliefs that increased spending generates success & revenue
Concerns over program integrity
New NCAA accountability measures proposed
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Playoffs Season
Generate $600 million in new revenue (Grasgreen, 2012)
The challenge has been developing measures to evaluate pressures that shape the gridiron marketplace.

3. Intercollegiate Athletics Leadership (IAL) Database
Compiles data on Division I FBS presidents, athletic directors, & head coaches; non- coaching personnel
Provides a system to examine evidence about the relationship between the escalation in spending, program success & revenue increases
Initial database queries generated baseline measures on average terms and turnover of FBS presidents, athletic directors, & head coaches

4. Initial IAL Database Queries
What has been the turnover of Presidents, Athletic Directors, & Head Coaches at Division I FBS programs?
What has been the average term of Presidents, Athletic Directors, & Head Coaches at Division I FBS programs over the past 21 years?
Are there differences in the average term by conference (including AQ & Non-AQ)?
Where is the greatest expansion of non- coaching personnel in Division I FBS programs?

5. How the IAL Database is Structured
Presidents, Athletic Directors
Oversee athletic program
“On the Field” Coaching Staff
Skill development, game strategy
Perform coaching during practice & games
“Off the Field” Non-Coaching Personnel
Support coaches for on the field activities
Not permitted coach in traditional football drills or games; some recruiting limitations
Perform other program operations and coordination
*GAs increase to 4 in 2012
President
Athletic Director
Head Coach (1)
Assistants (9)
GA (2)*
Admin & Support
Football Operations
Strength Coordinator
Video Coordinator
Equipment Manager

6. Average Turnover Pre-BCS & Post-BCS, 2006
What are the turnover trends with today’s national championship format?
President & AD Down, Head Coach Up
Average Turnover Pre-BCS & Post-BCS, 2006

7. Head Coach Average Term is Lowest
What is the average term since 1991?
Head Coach Average Term is Lowest
1995
1999
2003
2007
Cohort
Average
President
7.72
8.41
8.48
7.49
8.03
Athletic Director
8.01
8.91
9.28
7.98
8.55
Head Football Coach
6.81
7.33
6.59
7.06
Average Term By Position

8. No Change in President Term by Conference
What is the term by conference affiliation?
No Change in President Term by Conference
President Average Term By BCS Status

9. AD Term Longer in AQ Conferences
What is the term by conference affiliation?
AD Term Longer in AQ Conferences
Athletic Director Average Term By BCS Status

10. What is the influence of conference affiliation?
Non-AQ Head Coach Average is Lower

11. Change in Football Operations Titles
Where is expansion in non-coaching personnel?
Football Operations at the Assistant
& Associate AD Level
Title
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
Assistant or Associate Athletic Director 9 11 15 22 29
Director 2 4 7 76 90 92
Total Football Operations 13 18 91
112
121
Change in Football Operations Titles

12. Initial IAL Database Findings
Average Term
Athletic Directors: Higher, especially among AQ Conferences
President & Head Coach: Less variation between AQ & Non-AQ Conferences
Turnover
Head Coach: Up slightly post-BCS
Non-Coaching Personnel
Greatest Increase: Football Operations, Video Coordinator
Greatest Decrease: Recruiting Coordinator
Future reporting will track turnover and average term trends, adding changes in salary costs following head coach turnover.

13. Next Queries from the IAL Database
Monitor cohort averages, turnover
Compare trends by current BCS post-season & new playoff system
Future Reporting
Introduce salary costs, win/loss, departure data
Follow changes in football operations & 4 GAs
Expand to Division I FCS
Future reporting from the IAL database will add new evidence that addresses program costs and turnover in the college football gridiron marketplace.

14. Policy Considerations
Data from the IAL database offers evidence for institutions wrestling with conflicts between educational mission and the gridiron marketplace to consider such as:
Identifying conditions that lead to coaching turnover
Understanding the financial impact of coaching turnover
Recognizing patterns of hiring dismissed coaches
Highlighting issues of accountability related to the term of head coaches, athletic directors, & presidents
Illustrating the impact of playoff system revenue increases

15. Conclusion
In the gridiron marketplace, “be(ing) market-smart & mission centered does not lessen the conflicts, but does provide operating principles for letting the academy proceed in the face of those conflicts” (Zemsky, 2009)
The IAL database provides a system to examine evidence, informing operating principles that address conflicts in the gridiron marketplace.

16. For More Information: