Letter to the Editor

What makes someone a "hot" coach? What does it mean when someone is described as "hot?" Why is it that every year when job openings occur a short list of the same names seem to appear? Before Bob Stoops took the Oklahoma job, he was rumored for every opening for three years. Brian Billick was supposed to be the next coach for about six teams last year. Sometimes a coach becomes hot by having success as a head coach at one program and other schools take notice (Gary Barnett at Northwestern, Dennis Franchione at New Mexico, etc.). These coaches have taken a downtrodden team and revived their fortunes, sometimes overnight (Tommy Bowden at Tulane) and sometimes rebuilding of the program from the ground floor up (Bill Snyder at Kansas State). But, nowadays the one sure way to get hot is to become a coordinator. In the world of politics, they say the vice president is only a heartbeat away