M. Soccer seeks coach to market program

The search committee has made it clear that winning on the field is just one part of coaching. The committee searching for a new head men's soccer coach is looking not only for someone who can improve the team's on-field performance, but also its off-the-field fundraising performance. Committee members and players alike are making it clear that the win-loss record is not the only basis for judging both current and prospective Penn coaches. The ability to recruit new players and retain alumni interest is also important. "[Fundraising] is a big part of the job now for all of us," search committee member and veteran baseball coach Bob Seddon said. "There are a lot of alums who can be very supportive. There is major support in the budget, but the budget alone isn't going to do it. Some have had more experience [fundraising] than others. That is something we think about." Seddon, however, pointed out that the new men's coach will have an advantage in fundraising due to the shared facilities of the men's and women's teams. In large part, all donated money jointly funds both the men and women. Rules governing gender equity in collegiate athletics, including the Title IX act of 1972, prevent some Quakers teams from using all of their donations. "I wish I had that [equality]," Seddon said. "I raise money and I can't use it because softball doesn't have the same." Even the players are aware of and interested in the economic capabilities of prospective coaches. Reggie Brown, who along with Mike O'Connor represents the players on the committee, said that the coaches who can fundraise tend to be, "honest and personable", two characteristics he said he would like to see in a new head coach. In addition to alumni fundraising, the players are also interested in a coach's ability to get a corporate sponsor for their equipment. "We've had shoes and some stuff in the past," Brown said. "This year was better, but its not what some people get at other colleges. We are not going to get a full-blown sponsor, but we would like to get more along the lines of what other colleges get." In addition to fundraising, recruiting is also a major issue the search committee is examining. Seddon said that the committee considers the candidate's experience in recruiting the same academic caliber of student that Penn demands. When selected, the new coach will likely struggle during his first year because of a lack of time to learn about the Penn program and find the necessary players. Of course, the ability to win games still remains a major issue in the selection process. Brown and O'Connor have told the coaches that winning is definitely possible in the very near future. "We've been highlighting that we have a good corps of players and that we will win," Brown said. "[The candidates] like to know our work ethic, why our record turned out the way it did, and what needs to be done by a coach to change things. "Our guys want to know what preseason and training are going to be like." Prospective coaches, meanwhile, are looking to make sure that they have support from the Athletic Department to turn around a program that had a terrible 5-11-1 season after an encouraging 1996 campaign. "[Prospective coaches] want to know if the resources are here to get better," Seddon said. "There is only one way to go -- up. The women's program is suddenly winning, which is only going to help the men's program." Other enticements for prospective coaches are the new coach's offices scheduled to be built this summer and the prospect of creating a new stadium with lights at Rhodes Field. A fundraising campaign is currently underway to complete that project, but final details still haven't been announced. The selection process, which is expected to be completed in the next few weeks, is monitored by other Penn coaches who are no doubt curious how both this slot and the women's volleyball coaching vacancy will be filled. Women's basketball coach Julie Soriero, for one, said that the coaches are generally aware of what is going on in the department and that the coaching staff is a close group. The message sent to current coaches is that winning is not close to being the whole story when it comes time to find, or retain, a coaching job at Penn.

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