Professionals of the Sport World: College Football

Sport is a passion of my life, particularly, football and everything related to it. As a coach, I aspire to teach my team as much as possible, trying to impart wisdom to the new generation and to show the real essence and purpose of football. The best way to demonstrate that is to provide successful examples of strong individuals who have achieved great results in this kind of sport. The first individual is Nick Saban, the Head Football Coach of the University of Alabama. The second chosen one is Scott Cochran who is the Head Strength Coach of the University of Alabama. The last, but not the least, is John Dorsey – General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nick Saban, the future legend of American football, was born in Fairmont, West Virginia. Saban never intended to be a coach; however, he waited for the graduation of his wife. Therefore, Saban’s coach, Kent State, asked him to be his assistant. That experience has helped Saban in his coaching career that began in 1972. During the period of 1995-1999, he coached Spartans for Michigan State. In 1999, Saban became the head coach of LSU and collaborated with the University until 2004. During that period, he brought the team to the Sugar Bowl and SEC Championship victory. 2005-2006 were the years that Nick Saban devoted to the Miami Dolphins team; luckily, it did not last long. All that previous experience led him to the Alabama football team, which he currently coaches. The winner of four national championships with Alabama in 2009, 2011 and 2012, Nick Saban, gained the reputation of a very successful coach and, obviously, many teams wanted to see him as the head coach. Saban’s advice and the main guidance are simple enough “Think about what you needed to do in this drill, on this play, at this moment. That’s the process: Let’s think about what we can do today, the task at hand”. At present, Saban is one of the most influential coaches in the United States. Over the years of his coaching career, Nick Saban has earned $7.16 million. Moreover, the increases his income every year by $1.6 million. Considering these numbers, his inclusion in the Forbes list cannot surprise anyone. Indeed, Nick Saban is a talented and demanding, and sometimes scary coach who can lead his team to victory no matter what. For Saban, it is normal to be obsessed with the process of every game, to be attentive to each detail of the training and further preparation. He is the leader, the head coach; accordingly, he must be harsh with players to make them follow his guidance strictly. Nonetheless, he remains mysterious as a person for fans and the public.

Another outstanding figure of college football is Scott Cochran who was born on March 21, 1979. He is happily married and has a successful career as the Head Strength Coach of the University of Alabama. As well as other great leaders in the sports world, Cochran has his path. In 2001, Scott Cochran received a Bachelor’s degree in LSU, and in 2003 – Master’s degree in LSU sports management. Cochran has been a strength assistance coach for the New Orleans team for about three seasons. Interesting that Scott Cochran was a part of Nick Saban’s staff, so he had a very good teacher to absorb all the peculiarities of training of a college football team. In 2008 and later on in 2011, Cochran was announced as Samson Strength & Conditioning Coach. Alabama team got his assistance in 2007, where he received the position of the Head Strength Coach of the University of Alabama. According to the latest data of 2012, Cochran earned $290,000 per year; obviously, the salary increased every year, and it was $310,000 in 2013. A coaching career is very promising and beneficial only on a condition if a person devotes 100% of his/her time and energy to that. Scott Cochran is one of them. One of the beloved quotes of Scott Cochran is “It all begins with goal setting. It expresses his strong will and personality. Clearly, Scott is a goal-oriented, persistent, and hard-working strength coach whose behavior inspires many players.

John Dorsey is not a current coach, but he is as influential as the two previous college football leaders. He was born on August 30, 1960, in Maryland. Certainly, Dorsey is known rather well as a Green Bay Packers player. John Dorsey never intended to leave football, so after his career as a player ended in 1989, he devoted his efforts to coaching as a college scout in the Green Bay Packers. After that, in 1999-2000, he collaborated with Seattle Seahawks. Despite that experience, Dorsey returned to the Green Bay Packers as a Director of College Scouting. In 2013, Dorsey joined Kansas City Chefs, where he is currently the General Manager of the Kansas City and National Football League. Sometimes, Dorsey shares his thoughts about his job: “Nobody ever wants to lose good football players, and I wish all of those guys the best because not only did they help the Chiefs (by) contributing in 2013, but they’re good guys too” (“Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey Quotes”, 2014). Moreover, Dorsey expresses his vision of the coaching (“Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey Quotes”, 2014):

Anytime you can get another opportunity to evaluate the players that don’t get to contribute on a week basis, that’s very helpful. What it does is it helps the coaching staff get a degree of comfort that those guys in the personnel department as they build this thing. That’s what the communication between the coaches and the personnel staff does.

This man is known as an inspirational coach and persuasive manager of the Kansas City Chiefs. Due to his efforts, the team increased its popularity and it had many victories.

Each of the described professionals in college football has succeeded in their careers. Truly speaking, not everyone can handle all the pressure of such a brutal kind of sport, not to mention coaching to be tough, strong and goal-oriented entire teams of players. In addition, these three leaders are incredibly devoted to their professions because without that special sparkle they would not be so successful in the field. Actions are louder than words, and Nick Saban, Scott Cochran, and John Dorsey prove that every day. They never stop achieving another victory; it is a part of the teams’ development and improvement. A victory is also not a final aim, but one more goal of the collections of achievements. Without any doubt, it takes efforts, energy, years of experience and hard work to succeed in any field, especially in football. Such obstacles like professional injuries, team issues, and low salary prevent from achieving great results. Nevertheless, despite all problems, courage, persistence, and strong will elevate average sportsmen on a professional level. The mentioned leaders of football teams are living examples of the truth: impossible is possible. After all, people, who overcome fears and reject difficulties, become positive examples of success. The essay has reflected the descriptions of three strong individuals Nick Saban, Scott Cochran, and John Dorsey in the history of college football. They are the coaches who have made valuable contribution and difference in the sports world.