No country for old coaches

Days before they were set to meet in the 2023 SEC championship, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Alabama’s Nick Saban sat down for a brief roundtable on the SEC Network. Smart, in an incongruous blue suit, turned to Saban, in an on-brand crimson blazer, and asked, “What advice would you give me with what you’ve learned, from the point you were at the same age I am? I’m 48.” Smart then added, “I won’t be doing this when I’m your age.”

“That’s because you’re smarter than me,” the 72-year-old Saban said with a laugh.

Saban, New England’s Bill Belichick (age 71) and Seattle’s Pete Carroll (72) all ended their long coaching tenures, one way or another, in the space of a remarkable 24 hours this week. Their departures from the coaching profession — which may or may not be permanent — don’t just represent the end of an era in their respective towns. They likely mark the end of coaches remaining in the profession until well into their 70s. The ever-changing nature of the game, impatient ownership/fans/boosters, and astronomical paychecks will all combine to move coaches from the sideline to the recliner at an ever-faster pace.

With Saban’s retirement, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops is now the longest-tenured SEC coach at 11 years. (Saban, of course, is directly responsible for ending the tenures of numerous SEC coaches.) Now 56, Stoops would have to coach into the 2039 season — with a recruiting class that is literally still in diapers right now — to be on the job at 72 years old.

Over in the NFL, Mike Tomlin — hired in 2007 — is now the longest-tenured coach. Five years younger than Stoops, he would have to coach into the 2044 season to match Belichick at 71 (and likely still counting). Think the Steelers fans will be satisfied with that? (Then again, Tomlin is four years younger than Saban was when he took the Alabama job …)

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (R) and Patriots owner Robert Kraft speak to reporters where…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-country-for-old-coaches-174520662.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-01-11 17:45:20

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