A good friend of mine is a corporate jet pilot for a major grocery store chain. For years he served as the jet’s captain and enjoyed the money and prestige that came with being a “captain.” He was damn right cool. (Mr. FishDuck took a break from his fun at OneWin because he loved the message in this article)
But, it was also hard and stressful work. He had to coordinate flight plans, do the administrative work, constantly communicate with his employer, and deal with the egos of the CEO, division presidents and vice presidents. The job was very demanding, and he was experiencing burnout.
By contrast, the co-pilot had no responsibilities except to fly the airplane. No stress, no ego massaging, no endless planning and paperwork; just fly the damn airplane. On overnight trips, instead of working when they reached their destination, he could play for the rest of the trip while my friend the captain had to hole up in his hotel room and work.
One day in his office at the hangar during an extremely stressful and manic period, he was stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed his co-pilot sleeping away on the office couch, and thought to himself, “I wanna do that!”
And, he did just that.
Shortly after his “road to Damascus moment” on the ills of being “the guy,” he traded spots with his aspiring captain to be co-pilot, negotiated a handsome contract (by co-pilot standards), and never looked back. Now he is the one nodding off on the office couch while his former co-pilot runs around like a chicken with his head cut off.
And, he cannot help but chuckle.
Before the Playoff, Ryan Day never looked happy. (Photo credit: Eric Becker)
The Chipster
My guess is that Chip Kelly must have had a similar “being the head honcho sucks” moment as he possibly pined for his days as the OC at Oregon and could be the full-time mad scientist, and offensive genius while not being weighed down with other head coaching obligations.
Recruiting, hobnobbing with donors, and dealing with the press were not things that naturally suited Kelly. He is no politician. The recent additions of NIL and the transfer must have been the final straw that pushed Kelly out of the captain’s chair and into the co-pilot’s seat. The multifaceted job of a college football head coach has become overbearing, especially when all you want to do is coach.
Why suffer the drudgery of a place like UCLA when you can run off to a fantasy land of talent at a place like Ohio State and win a national championship? OC Chip with Buckeye talent is like a kid playing his favorite video game. All the while sleeping well at night, having a smile on your face, still making millions of dollars, and all you have to do is the one thing you love: coach football.
Chip got his natty so now he is off to the NFL to win a Super Bowl with the Raiders. (Good luck, “Just lose, baby!”) As an OC, he’s checking off boxes.
I think you will see a trend of this with some guys with head coaching potential not even putting themselves on the market to be the head guy. Guys will continue to position themselves as in-demand, top-dollar coordinators who will be a “must-have” guy if you want to win a national championship. Much the same way head coaches are now.
Much has changed in the past few years for head coaches and players, now the door is open for assistant coaches as we enter the era of superstar coordinators.
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: X via @NFL
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah.
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Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.