Run Away From Coaches Like This!

Recruiting Horror Story: New Coach Who Dis?

By Matthew Reichen|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on June 28, 2022)

Come back every Tuesday for Recruiting Horror Stories™, athletes' first-hand stories on what can go wrong during the recruiting process.

It was the start of this anonymous athlete's second year running track and cross-country. The cross country coach that had initially recruited her ended up leaving the program. The athletic department frantically hired a semi-professional athlete to coach the team, which may seem like a great thing. But the new cross country coach had little experience working with college athletes. His heart was in the right place, but he was underqualified for the position.

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The cross country coach began implementing a new training regime that forced the men and women to run the same mileage. The athletes were required to run 7-mile doubles. This came out to 80 miles a week for the athletes, and such high mileage can lead to injuries. As could be predicted, many of the athletes started to get injured. The cross country coach then began handing out prescription anti-inflammatories to the first-year athletes. The team captains discussed amongst themselves what they should do in this less-than-ideal situation. They found it best to bring it to the athletic department.

When the athletic department caught wind of the drug incident the cross country coach was asked to resign. Afterward, the head track coach was asked to take over while the department searched for qualified candidates. The track coach was angry with the cross country team and told the athletes that their coach left because they weren't good enough. Throughout the season, he would make injurious remarks like, “you're cancerous to the team.” The head track coach was also irritated that the athletes were no longer hitting their times because of injuries. He threatened that if they were not going to hit their times by the end of the season, they would be cut.

Unsure of what was to happen with her spot on the team, our anonymous athlete began applying to other athletic programs. She was accepted into an amazing track and cross country program at a prestigious Ivy League school. She brought her concerns to the head track coach. He reassured her that she was not one of the athletes who was going to be cut from the team. Reassured, she declined her acceptance to the Ivy League school.

At the end of the semester, she was sitting in class and received an email from her coach stating that she had been cut from the team. She was in disbelief–she felt lied to by the head track coach and felt angry that she had given up such an amazing opportunity to attend a different university. Seven other girls were cut from the team.

During that summer, the athletic department re-hired a whole new coaching staff. She approached the department, and new head coaches, with questions on how she could be reinstated as an athlete on the team. They told her that she could try to walk onto the team, however, there was nothing more they could do. When try-outs rolled around, she tried out for the team again. Thankfully, she made it back on the team and continued running for the school until she graduated from the university.