In the course of examining the head coaching changes in football this year, I came across a mystery: position coaches being named assistant head coach even though they nominally report to either an offensive or defensive coordinator. I asked Chris Mortensen at ESPN a month ago to explain this and he never did (boo hiss) but now, over at the Sporting News, Dan Pompei answered my question. I expect he and his bosses won’t be too upset if I quote his answer here:
“It doesn’t mean much, really. In most cases, calling someone an assistant head coach is just a way of showing respect to a coach who either has accomplished quite a bit or who is a hot property. In rare instances, the assistant head coach actually is an assistant head coach whose authority is greater than the other head coaches. When Dave Wannstedt was an assistant head coach to Jimmy Johnson in Miami, he was a true assistant head coach.” Of course Wannstedt was the offensive coordinator so this isn’t a perfect example but I get the point. Thanks Dan!
BillSaysThis 