After spending 29 seasons as head coach of the U of M Bisons football team, Brian Dobie is set to retire at the end of the 2024-25 season. Dobie is leaving behind a legacy worthy of emulation and celebration.
It is vital to acknowledge that in the world of sports, coaches – regardless of years spent and accolades achieved – would one day exit the scene, say goodbye, for another person to take charge. Instances could be drawn from how reputable and legendary coaches like Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United and Arsene Wenger of Arsenal all retired from their teams after spending memorable years filled with nostalgic and indelible moments.
Even though the retirement of legendary coaches will obviously not come easily for the fans, players, technical team and officials, one crucial approach that would be a deciding factor is how the team transitions from one coach to the other. That is, who takes over as head coach following the retirement of the current coach.
In this piece, I explore five key aspects in hiring a successor to coach Brian Dobie.
One major aspect to look out for in the next coach is knowledge of the entire football program. The next coach has an enormous task of ensuring that the U of M Bisons football program runs smoothly after Dobie leaves. This would require that the next coach has a deep understanding of the program’s nitty-gritty.
The person must possess an appreciable idea of where the program is now and how it will be in years to come. Even if the person has a different idea, having knowledge of the football program would supplement whatever that person wants to bring on board. Also, his technical understanding of the game must be top-grade to meet the rudiments of the football program. Any loopholes in a coach’s technical capabilities could lead to a dire impact on the team and the program.
The next key aspect is experience. Coach Dobie took over the Bisons football program after garnering football coaching experience by having served as head coach of the Churchill High School football program for 21 years.
Gathering experience makes a person suitable for positions across many fields. Presently, Bisons football is at a level where hiring an experienced coach to assume the head coach role is non-negotiable. An experienced coach would be in a good position to handle all that matters, which may not create a gap in the team’s transition. Once an experienced person is hired, there would be that assurance that the direction and focus of the football program will be on track and delivered as projected.
Another key component is ambition. Going in for a coach whose ambitions synchronize with those of the team or club is vital. The two, that is, the team and the coach, must be at the same level of thinking in terms of where to reach in the foreseeable future.
The Bisons football program has its ambitions, and it would be in the team’s best interest to go in for a coach who would come on board and move that ambition along with what they have to offer. It would be completely out of place to appoint a new coach whose ambition veers off from that of Bisons football.
Again, hiring a coach who can play a supportive role for the athletes must be another key aspect to look out for. The football players have the daunting task of representing the school on the field and excelling in class concurrently. The demands and expectations of playing football and attending class must be supplemented by a coach who renders immense support for these student-athletes.
The new coach must master the skills of a supportive role to get the best out of the players because anything bereft of that would breed a great misunderstanding and miscommunication between the coach and the players.
The last key aspect to consider when hiring a new coach is commitment. A coach could be knowledgeable, experienced and ambitious, but the absence of commitment in the line of his duty could sink all efforts made over the years. Hiring a committed coach plays a major role in the direction of the Bisons football program. Athletes’ commitment moves along the commitment level of their head coach.
The consideration is that decision-makers should hire a new coach who will continue the good work of retiring head coach Brian Dobie. The new football coach would assume an enviable role that would demand that they live up to expectations. The critical components mentioned above should be examined at all hiring process levels. It is with great hope that more laurels will be won by whoever takes over as the new head coach of Bisons football.
