AFM RSS Feed Follow Us on Twitter       
AMERICAN FOOTBALL MONTHLY THE #1 RESOURCE FOR FOOTBALL COACHES
ABOUT |  CONTACT |  ADVERTISE |  HELP  



   User Name    Password 
      Password Help





Article Categories


AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Success is Coming in Bunches at Wisconsin

Success Is Coming In Bunches At Wisconsin.
by: Timothy Nott
© More from this issue

Click for Printer Friendly Version          

According to the Acromania Index on the Ziff Davis website www.zdnet.com, Information Technology is defined Pronounced as separate letters, IT refers to the broad subject of managing and processing information. In contrast, Vince Lombardi noted, "football is only two things - blocking and tackling." How can one reconcile the differences between the general study and application of data and this strict, physical discipline? Barry Alvarez and company at the University of Wisconsin have been working on the equation for the past decade.

An initial technology investment in video has slowly grown to incorporate additional aspects of the program. In the past four years alone, recruiting, public relations, fundraising, gameplans, play analysis, scouting and video editing have all come to rely on technology. Not all of the technologies are in the hands of the coaches, but each makes its impact on the program. Boosters, sports information and office staff have also come to depend upon technology to get their jobs done - one less thing on the minds of the coaches, granting them the freedom to focus on how technology can make their lives easier.

1990 brought two significant changes to UW football. The most obvious was the acquisition of Barry Alvarez from Notre Dame. The second was the decision by the Big Ten Conference to move from film to video. The former meant a new winning tradition, increased fan support and financial solvency. The latter would be the first of many tools adopted to maintain and improve upon these successes. Wisconsin's investment in video included an in-house production studio and the staff to run it. Long-time equipment manager Jim Roberts was asked to assume the role of Video Coordinator, and so Information Technology took root at UW.

Since its inception, video has evolved from analog tapes to the digital format. Roberts notes the difference comes down to speed. "Synchronizing edits took hours in analog for a 30-minute tape. . . this is now done in only half an hour."

The real advantage comes when coaches want to answer 'what if' questions with video. Graduate assistant Matt Sheldon analyzes footage, recording backfield sets, field position and down-and-distance to empower the coaching staff to be able to filter, sort and view the video they need on demand.

Tony Yacu, a UW student majoring in Computer Science, works with both systems to provide printed reports using Microsoft Excel. Yacu and Sheldon have collaborated to implement formulas, AutoFill, searches, sorting, macros and Visual Basic for Applications to fix incompatibilities between the two systems and reduce the data entry necessary to produce the reports coaches need. Less data entry means faster turnaround and more specific reports.

Offensive coordinator and running backs coach Brian White also uses Excel. He takes information provided in the reports and creates game plans using the spreadsheet program. This makes formatting the information easier and allows for more readable information on a page, for easy access in the coaching booth.

Each of these uses of IT spring from the introduction of video to the program. Likewise, video acted as a seed that grew into the Technical Services department within UW Athletics. Roberts, now Director of Technical Services, oversees all aspects of both video and computing. Once a small crew of three full-time employees with student assistants, the department has grown to over 30 employees. The majority of staff is devoted to either video production or computer support and implementation.

Computer support has been a valuable tool behind the scenes, providing the technology necessary for office staff to do what they need to do efficiently. Whether it's comparing travel costs or mapping routes from hotels to facilities, it's all getting done on the Internet - and getting done quickly. Phone calls and faxes have given way to websites and email. Expedia.com, priceline.com, and MapQuest are all favorites of staffer Sandy Frye. Asked for hotel or flight information, Sandy can turn to her computer and have an answer in moments. Sure beats being put on hold by a busy airline.

Another role for the Internet has been in serving the university's public relations and sports information personnel. Wisconsin boasts an award-winning athletics website (www.wisc.edu/ath) that gets millions of visits from rabid Badger fans each football season. In addition, fund-raising functions have found a home on the Web.

Although the Web does not currently affect the coaches directly, harnessing its power will soon be a reality for them, as well. UW already uses a database to track recruit information, but this data is not available to coaches while they travel on recruiting trips. One plan to fix this problem calls for cell phones with email capability. This tool would provide crucial, up-to-the-second information about who has committed, and where coaches should direct their efforts. White has devised an immediate solution using Lotus Organizer. Organizer tracks contact information such as names, phone numbers and addresses. White uses Organizer's calendar function to document calls placed to recruits in order to comply with NCAA regulations. He also keeps notes on each call and can view these notes when he calls a specific recruit. In this way, his laptop computer acts as a central collector of recruit info, eliminating the need for - and the failure rate of - handwritten notes.

White and Joe Baker (now with the New Orleans Saints) were the first on the Wisconsin coaching staff to use personal computers to improve how they coached. Orders have now been placed for four more computers to outfit the remainder of the staff - even the head coach. Alvarez is going deluxe digital with a 600 MHz processor and a 17" flat panel monitor. What will he do with all that computing power? Check email, sources say, but plans are in the works for a completely tape-free video system, which would let coaches use their PCs to view video-on-demand right at their desks.

While the first two machines purchased for coaches were laptops, the recent purchases have all been desktop units with plenty of power and large monitors. "I don't see them carrying traditional laptops (on the road)," says Roberts. For traveling, the full size laptop is simply too big. Its dimensions and weight (5-8 lbs.) make it impractical for coaches who are accustomed to carrying only a game plan, a clipboard and a change of clothes.

This is in keeping with current trends showing a move from laptops to portable devices. These devices - such as cell phones, palmtop computers and hybrids of the two - sport the scaled-down functionality of personal computers without all the bulk. These devices would provide for last-minute edits to gameplans and instant access to breaking information such as weather conditions and injury reports.

Although football was the first UW sport to use video as a tool, as a sport, it has lagged behind other programs at Wisconsin in the widespread implementation of Information Technology. Most coaches have been using computers for everything from communication with recruits to tracking student-athlete NCAA eligibility. Though they are late techno-bloomers, UW football has embraced IT as a tool necessary to getting the job done.

White recalls how IT tools helped alleviate frustration with the outside run through the first four games of the 1999-00 campaign: "We weren't having success with our best play, so we looked at all the video of those plays after the Michigan game and found the problem. Then we brought Ron [Dayne] in and we could show him exactly what was happening."

Dayne made the correction, and the rest is history.

For UW, technology has become a teaching tool that gets results - an alternative to lectures and a chalkboard. "We've only just hit the tip of the iceberg," says a smiling White when asked about the future of technology in the program.

Indeed, there are many tools available to any coach looking to integrate IT into the gameplan, but there is a cost. Technology changes every day and personnel who are proficient in computer skills are paid top dollar in every industry.

Aside from timesavings and results, what does IT have to offer today's football coach?

"We have to stay ahead of the learning curve," White says. "The tools give us more time to spend with the players, working on the intangibles like team building. If we're on top of technology, we can maintain an advantage that would otherwise go to someone else."

If Lombardi were with us today, I'm sure he'd agree. Technology has found a place in football - somewhere amidst the blocking and tackling you'll find frequency sorts and video reports. So long as it translates into winning - "the only thing", IT will be integral. Timothy Nott, a UW Athletics IT professional from 1997 to 2000, is a developer for Omni Resources (www.omniresource.com) and proprietor of The Clue Bus Information Technology Group (www.thecluebus.com).






NEW BOOK!

AFM Videos Streaming Memberships Now Available Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach



















HOME
MAGAZINE
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE COLUMNISTS COACHING VIDEOS


Copyright 2024, AmericanFootballMonthly.com
All Rights Reserved