ty. Inability to talk about football raisesnquestions of sexual preference.nIf football intensely matters at thenlocal level, the stakes are infinitelynhigher at the university. Everyone innthe Southwest is expected to have anfavorite college team. In Oklahoma itnis taken for granted that you will supportneither the University of Oklahomanor else its cross-state rival, OklahomanState. Most Sooners choose OU becausenit wins consistently. In Texas thensituation is confused, because therenare seven institutions with pretensionsnto big-time football.nThis public attitude creates an extraordinarynamount of public pressurenon regional university coaches to producenwinning teams. While alumninand friends of the institution are usingntheir considerable influence to demandna bowl-bound team, the athletesnadd their clamor. They have seennprofessional football make instant millionairesnof draftees who have completednfour years of college eligibilityn(notice I did not say “after graduation”).nMuch-recruited high schoolnfootball players, known in the parlancenof coaching as “blue-chippers,” refusento go to a college if its teams do notnwin enough to appear often on nationalntelevision — losers do not attractnscouts from the NFL.nBusinessmen in college towns joinnin demanding the head of a losingncoach: winning teams attract bigncrowds. It takes victory after victorynweek after week to fill stadiums thatnseat 75,000 and more — fans whonspend at motels and restaurants, whonbuy gasoline and souvenirs.nLegislators likewise add to the pressure,nfor they have a way of beingnmore generous to a university with anwinning team than to less fortunatenschools. Moreover, old grads are morenopenhanded to the alma mater when itnis ranked in the top 20 teams in thennation. According to a recent estimate,none university football teamn— in one winning season—brought inn$7 million. Even absentminded professorsnof philosophy seem to havendeduced that it is more to their economicnbenefit for the local warriors tonwin on the gridiron than to lose.nThose same professors find that theynare treated with greater respect at academicnconferences and conventions ifntheir university is nationally ranked.nThere is constant faculty pressure onnthe coach to win.nFor the coach who does make it tonthe top in the university world, that is,nwho becomes head coach in a majornfootball conference, the pressure isnunrelenting. He must win big in ordernto recruit big, and he must recruit bignin order to win big. He must flynaround the country signing blue-chipnhigh school athletes, and he mustnspend large amounts of time in companynwith old grads who contribute thenslush funds needed for such recruiting.nUnfortunately, this leaves the headncoach littie time for coaching. Thereforenhe must recruit and retain goodnassistants. One assistant coach worksnwith the backfield, another for thenoffensive line, yet a third for the defensivenline, another for kicking, anothernfor the quarterback, and yet anothernfor linebackers. Naturally an assistantncoach on a winning team is soonnrecruited away to become head coachnat some school aspiring to more victories,nleaving his former boss with onenmore headache.nThe end result of all this is thatncoaching today has become one of thenhardest jobs in the world. Universityncoaches are running minor league professionalnfootball, but they must do sonin the world of academe — wherenmany professors on the athletic councilndo not realize the direct connectionnbetween money invested and victorynor defeat. Coaches too often are expectednto produce a bowl-bound teamnon an athletic budget of only $2 or $3nmillion a year.nMoreover, coaches live in a cutthroatnworld where fans have an extremelynshort memory. I watched asnone university coach was hanged inneffigy by students and alumni when hisnteam went only 7-4 for the season. Fornthe three preceding years he had beennin the hunt for the national title,nwhich he won once. Seven victoriesnand four losses—and no bowl bidn—no longer was good enough fornstudents and alumni. The coach hadnto go.nFor the successful few, the rewardsnare great. Texas A&M recently gainednnational notoriety for paying its headncoach a quarter of a million dollars anyear. Others must make do on a salarynofonly $100,000 or so.nA . r . t . i . F c . tnContemporarLj Architeclure Exhibi’tn1987 Wichita. Kansas (On Site)nnnJUNE 1987/39n