Ball State University's athletics department has fired three fall sports coaches this semester. It's going to be busy in the coming months finding replacements to keep the programs from regressing.
Unfortunately, if the programs aren't on the proverbial marquee, they probably won't receive the funding to become successful even with new and improved coaches.
First, women's tennis coach Kathy Bull was fired on Oct. 20 for NCAA violations. Then, on Wednesday, field hockey coach Annette Payne and soccer coach Michael Lovett were fired.
They may have not been the greatest coaches in the world, as is evident by their records in the past few years. Payne inherited a program that lost only five conference games throughout the 1990s. The team hasn't done better than 6-4 in the MAC this decade. Lovett took over a team that won the previous two regular season MAC championships.
But their teams may have had a more impressive showing if they had more money for their programs.
The field hockey team's operating expenses for the 2007-2008 fiscal year was $59,779, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Web site. The other five Mid-American Conference teams had no less than $70,408. Kent State University's field hockey team had $115,863 and shared the best record in the MAC this season.
The soccer team had operating expenses in the middle of the pack at $97,109. It finished near the bottom of the MAC this season. Central Michigan University's women's soccer team had the best record in the MAC and an NCAA Tournament berth while spending the most on operating expenses.
Pumping more money into the less prominent sports at Ball State also could attract good coaches to the university that could lead Ball State teams to success.
If Ball State wants the smaller teams to be successful, this is one thing it needs to consider despite the tough economy.
It also needs to take its time replacing the coaches. Tom Collins said the athletics department won't rush to fill the positions and it shouldn't.
Say what you will about Collins, with exception to Ronny Thompson, he's hired good coaches when conducting long, national searches. The athletics department took its time and conducted a national search for Kelly Packard and Craig Nicholson.
Packard led the women's basketball team to an NCAA Tournament berth last season and a first-round upset of the University of Tennessee, one of the most prestigious programs in the country.
Nicholson led the softball team to a MAC West Division Championship in only his third season as head coach in the spring. He took over a squad that had won about 10 games.
Those two teams saw improvement and success almost immediately. On the other hand, the decision to promote Stan Parrish to head football coach seemed rushed. Maybe the attempt to avoid a distraction before the football team's bowl game led to the hasty decision. But it's safe to say the team hasn't shown much, if any, improvement under Parrish's leadership. It is a young team, but it hasn't gotten much better as the season progressed.
The smaller programs don't make as much money for the university as basketball or football, but the programs deserve the funding to have a fighting chance. Good, up-and-coming coaches across the country won't want to come here to take over a struggling team if they don't have the money to do what they want.
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