Building a Championship Team
What Does it Take?

2003 High School State Champion Survey Results
© More from this issue

          
More than a decade ago, Dr. Stephen Covey revolutionized the business industry with his best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In October of 1997, Forbes magazine declared the book one of the top 10 most influential management books ever. Since its publication, companies at all levels have changed their philosophy and approach to both their employees and business principles primarily based on this book.

Dr. Covey found these principles after years of painstaking research. The results of his findings are applied to just about every business. This includes coaching football at all levels. In a similar fashion, American Football Monthly researched the reasons why state high school football champions were successful. Not just the state 6A winners but those at all levels, from private schools with limited enrollment, players, and budget to the large public schools with more funds, athletes, and assistant coaches.

The results: AFM’s first annual, exclusive national survey of high school state champions at all levels. How did they become successful? What are the common threads of becoming a champion? Over 320 detailed surveys were distributed to state champions with early a third returning the questionnaire. Questions ranged from the ages of head coaches to their coaching experience and from educational criteria to returning lettermen.

Preparation’s role as a priority was also included as well as overall budget, offensive and defensive formations, and salary range for head coaches.

The results: an in-depth, informative survey that should guide coaches at all levels on ways to be successful. The overall survey is included below but some general trends of state champions favor the following:

• Age: clearly experience is a factor-most head coaches pay their dues before being a head coach (the average head coach was an assistant for almost 8 years) and many have been in-charge for a long time (the average head coach has been just that for nearly 14 years).

• Experience: many head coaches have experience on the college level with just under a third having coached at an NAIA, junior college, D-I, DI-AA, D-II, or D-III program.

• Importance of education: Almost 60% of head coaches have a Master’s Degree and nearly nine out of every 10 teach a high school subject as well as coach.

• Team make-up: the average number of junior players on a state championship team outnumbered the average number of seniors by one, indicating the importance of a balance in junior and senior classes.

• Scholarships granted: the median average for college scholarships attained by state champions was 2, indicating that college potential was not necessarily a criteria for success.

• Budget: while the overall range of a championship team’s budget ranged from $1,200 to $500,000, the overall median ($15,000) seemed to indicate that budget is not a determining factor for success.

• Salary: While there were many variables related to overall compensation, 70% of head coaches’ salaries ranged from $40,000 to $70,000.

The complete summary of this extensive survey follows. It will, hopefully, help every coach in two areas: where he and his team fall relative to the championship survey and what are the general trends that makes for a state champion. AFM plans to expand the survey each year and welcomes your input.

1. At the time of winning your 2003 state high school football championship, what was your age?
Average age: 43.6
Lowest age: 26
Highest age: 67
Median age: 44

2. Total number of state championships that you’ve won as a head coach?
Average: 2.33
Least won: 1
Most won: 13
Median won: 2

3. Total combined years you have been a head coach?
Average: 13.8 years
Lowest: l year
Highest: 36 years
Median: 13 years

4. Total combined years that you served as an assistant coach?
Average: 7.84
Lowest: 0 years
Highest: 30 years
Median: 5 years

5. As the head coach, what is your primary area of expertise?
Offense: 71.6%
Defense: 26.5%
Special teams:1.9%

6. What level(s) have you coached at in your football career (in addition to high school, if applicable)?
Youth: 5.8%
High School (only): 66.1%
Junior College: 5.8%
NAIA: 7.8%
D. IA: 6.9%
D. II: 2.6%
D. III: 5.2%
Coaching at any college level: 28.3%

7. What is the highest level of education that you have completed?
Associates Degree:1.7%
Bachelors Degree: 39.2%
Masters Degree: 58.9%

8. Are You a high school teacher?
Yes: 88.7%
No: 11.3%
Of the 88.7% ‘yes’ respondents, the subjects and percentages taught:
Physical Education/Health: 47.8%
History/Social Studies: 16.4%
Mathematics: 0.06%
Weightlifting: 0.06%
Other subjects: 34.6%

9. How many state football championships has your high school won?
Respondents average: 4.1
Lowest: l
Highest: 31
Median: 3

10. What is the playing surface of your home field?
Artificial turf:12.3%
Natural Turf: 87.7%

11. What was the total number of players on your championship varsity program?
(The question was asked of all head coaches surveyed to include freshmen, sophmores, juniors and seniors)
Respondents average: 55.8
Lowest: 17
Highest: 131
Median: 52

12. What was the total number of returning starters on your championship varsity team. combined offense and defense?
Respondents average: 11.09
Lowest number of returning starters: l
Largest number of returning starters: 20
Median: 11

13. What was the number of seniors on your championship varsity team?
Respondents average: 18.66
Lowest number of seniors: 5
Largest number of seniors: 54
Median: 16

14. What was the number of juniors on your championship team?
Respondents average: 19.08
Lowest number of juniors: 1
Largest number of juniors: 46
Median: 17

15. What was the number of sophomores on your championship varsity team?
Respondents average: 13.06
Lowest number of sophomores: 0
Largest number of sophomores: 56
Median: 10

16. What was the number of freshmen on your championship varsity team?
Respondents average: 5.79
Lowest number of freshmen: 0
Largest number of freshman: 45
Median: 0

17. How many players on your championship team received post season awards?
Respondents average: 7.36
Team with least awards: 0
Team with most awards: 23
Median: 7

18. How many seniors on your championship team received scholarships for playing college football?
Respondents average: 3.0
Team with fewest scholarships received: 0
Team with most scholarships received: 17
Median: 2

19. How many paid assistant coaches did you have on your championship varsity team?
Respondents average: 5.39
Team with least paid assistants: 0
Team with most paid assistants: 12
Median: 5

20. How many volunteer assistant coaches did you have on your championship varsity team?
Respondents average: 1.64
Team with most volunteer assistants: 13
Team with least volunteer assistants: 0
Median: 1

21. How many former head coaches served as assistant coaches on your championship varsity team?
Respondents average: 0.68
Team with least former head coaches
serving as an assistant: 0
Team with most former head coaches
serving as an assistant: 5
Median: 0

22. What was the total number of assistant coaches on your championship varsity team?
Respondents average: 6.67
Team with least assistant coaches: 0
Team with most assistant coaches: 18
Median: 6

23.What is the approximate amount of your total annual football budget?
Respondents average: $26,458.00
Team with lowest annual budget: $1,200
Team with largest annual budget: $500,000
Median: $15,000

24. How much time per week do you spend reviewing game film and tendencies of your games and your opponents’ games with coaches and players?
0-1 hours: .009%
1-3 hours: .02%
3-5 hours: 14.1%
5-7 hours: 22.1%
7+ hours: 61.1%

25. How much time per week does it take to prepare your game film and your tendency reports for reviewing?
0-1 hours: .04%
1-3 hours: 16.8%
3-5 hours: 30.1%
5-7 hours: 15.1%
7+ hours: 33.7%

26. Are you using a computer video editing system?
Yes: 30.7%
No: 69.3%

27. Do you believe a computer video editing system would enhance your football program?
Yes: 85.8%
No: 14.2%

28. If you could create player highlights faster and easier for more of your players, do you believe this would enhance the number of athletic scholarships earned?
Yes: 59.5%
No: 40.5%

29. What base offense did you run for your 2003 championship season?
I backfield and variations: 27.0%
Multiple Pro Set: 26.1%
Wing T: 23.5%
Other: 23.4%
(‘Other’ offenses include wishbone, veer, wingbone, slot, shotgun, single wing, double wing, option, and run ‘n’ shoot).

30. What base defense did you run for your 2003 championship season?
4-4 (with variations): 21.8%
4-3 (with variations): 16.5%
5-2 (with variations): 16.5%
50 (with variations): 8.7%
Other: 36.5%
(‘Other’ defenses include 3-4, 4-2-5, multiple, over/under, 5-4-2, wide tackle 6, 40, 6-2, 8 man front, 3-3 stack, 5-3, eagle, and Arizona flex)

31. Please circle the salary range which indicates your total coaching and teaching compensation for 2003:
$20-$30k: 0.05%
$30-$40k: 0.08%
$40-$50k: 23.9%
$50-$60k: 22.9%
$60-$70k: 23.9%
$70-$80k: 0.09%
$80 plus: 0.07%

American Football Monthly welcomes your response to this survey. Please e-mail any ideas, thoughts, or comments to Managing Editor Rex Lardner at rlardner@lcclark.com

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