Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Passion not always conveyed in public THE VOICE MATT LEPAY • VOICE OF THE BADGERS I t is the holiday season, and in college football, 'tis the season to hire head coaches. At last count, there are 25 Football Bowl Subdivision schools that have, or will have, new coaches going in 2012. Keep in mind there are 120 schools in the FBS. Perhaps a job description could read as follows: Wanted: Head Football Coach Job Requirements: Win your opening press conference, win lots of games, keep the NCAA investi- gators away, beat our arch rival on a regular basis, recruit players who go to class and stay out of trouble, win conference champion- ships, be a dynamic public speaker, and win bowl games. Qualified applicants can expect an excellent income, but you might want to rent rather than buy a home. If it looks like you are strug- gling, we might have to let you go after two years. Good luck. Win the opening press confer- ence? What does that mean? It seems many school presidents, athletics directors and hiring firms are really into people who imme- diately wow an audience, be it a group of media members or boost- ers. I keep hearing a coach who wins the press conference is a coach who shows passion. I certainly understand that having a presence is important. Barry Alvarez has a presence. Bret Bielema has a presence. It helps. They can coach, too, and is that not the idea here? In the last few years, Badgers 68 » VARSITY DECEMBER 22, 2011 offensive coordinator Paul Chryst has been in the mix for a few head coaching jobs. He is a candidate for the top job at Pittsburgh. On Sun- day, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Chryst had inter- viewed the previous day. Later in the story, the writer mentions that Chryst "is not con- sidered a dynamic personality." It is not the first time someone has described Paul Chryst in such Being animated on the sideline or in a news conference could mean you have great passion. It also might mean you are an attention-starved blowhard. a way. What is part laughable, yet insulting, is that there are those in school administrations who assume a more flat-line individual is some- one who lacks passion. Sometimes I think we overuse the word "passion." Being animated on the sideline or in a news confer- ence could mean you have great passion. It also might mean you are an attention-starved blowhard. To me, passion is defined in a very simple way — what are you doing to make yourself and your team better when nobody is watch- ing? There are no TV cameras and the stands are empty. Preparation equals passion. This is where folks like Paul Chryst shine. He loves football. He loves working with players and coaches. He enjoys preparing for a game, from the position group meetings, to video study, to the work on the practice field. Is he the type who will wow the fans with his first news conference? Maybe not, but is that really vital in determining whether someone can lead a football team? I should add that media mem- bers who cover UW football on a regular basis seem to like and re- spect Chryst. When you get to know him, you will find that he is pretty honest. At times he can be rather blunt, and he also can be pretty darn funny. People seem to wonder whether Chryst can handle all the duties that go with being a head coach, from boosters and increased media obligations to dealing with issues that will be plopped on his desk. I say the answer is yes. I am in no position to tell the people at Pittsburgh or anywhere else what to do, but since Varsity allows me to write this piece, I will offer this bit of advice — if you want someone who will parachute from a small plane in an effort to promote the spring game, someone like Paul Chryst might not be your choice. But if you want someone who is a terrific coach, a terrific family man, and is as grounded as any football person I have ever known, you might want to take a closer look. And no, I am not his agent. I just happen to be a big fan.

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