A Day in the Life of a High School Athletic Director

By Robert Zayas, CAA

Have you ever wondered what your school's athletic director does in a given day? Well, the National Federation of State High School Associations examined the roles and responsibilities of five athletic directors on one common Friday in the fall to gain a better understanding of the challenges, difficulties and experiences faced by a high school athletic director in our nation today.

The most common similarity between these five athletic directors is that they perform many more roles than just "athletic director." These individuals are also assistant principals, activity directors, teachers and coaches. Athletic directors are often the first to arrive and the last to leave their schools and have little help or assistance.

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) estimates that more than 21,000 individuals nationwide serve their schools and districts as athletic directors.

The five athletic directors surveyed, who were randomly selected, estimate they often work between 60 and 70 hours a week. The median age is roughly 44, and their combined years of experience in the position of athletic director total just 27.

Their commitment to the students they serve and the communities they influence is evident through their work. Each athletic director responded to a series of questions; following are highlights of their responses.

Michael Rowan
Location: Tampa, Florida
School: Wharton High School
Age: 38
Athletic Director: 2 Years
Years in Education: 14 Years
School Enrollment: 2,400

A Day in Michael Rowan's Life
5:45 a.m. - Wake up and get to work
7:00 a.m. - Hall duty
8:00 a.m. - Duties not related to athletic director
9:00 a.m. - Check on football field
Noon - Break up fight between students
1:00 p.m. - Parent meeting
5:00 p.m. - Dinner with family
7:00 p.m. - Kickoff
11:30 p.m. - Head home

Michael Rowan's day is filled with hall duty, administrative meetings and many thrills that come with the title "athletic director." Rowan said, "In my school district, athletic directors are also school administrators. So along with the athletic responsibilities, I also oversee school facilities, custodians and the student affairs office."

11:00 a.m. - Putting Out Fires
During his first two years as an athletic director, Rowan has put out many fires; however, none of them involved an actual fire extinguisher. Rowan's morning concluded with a surprise call over the radio requesting that he report to the rear of the cafeteria, near the football stadium. Apparently, the hot coals used to cook the junior varsity football team's pregame meal the night before were poured into the dumpster, which ignited the fire.

3:30 p.m. - Time to Dance
Rowan met with the student government and sponsor to discuss and possibly resolve a homecoming venue problem; the ballroom originally reserved for the homecoming dance was too small to accommodate the student body expected to attend the dance.

7:00 p.m. - National Television Trumps High School
Rowan's responsibilities for a football game are plenty. Those responsibilities become more challenging when many of his "normal" workers attend a nationally televised college football game.
The University of South Florida football team was ranked No. 18 in the country and hosted No. 5 Virginia Tech at nearby Raymond James Stadium. Rowan said, "Our normal public-address announcer, business manager, one of our school administrators and many volunteers, who are all USF alumni, went to the game, leaving us with fill-ins."

In addition to finding "fill-ins," Rowan had to ensure the parking lot was set up to accommodate reserved parking, the field was lined and cut to perfection, security and administrators were in place at game time and the score was reported to the state association by the end of the night.



Thomas Mabrey
Location: Farmington, New Mexico
School: Piedra Vista High School
Age: 40
Athletic Director: 2 Years
Years in Education: 12 Years
School Enrollment: 1,300

A Day in Thomas Mabrey's Life
5:30 a.m. - Wake and head for the office
8:00 a.m. - Meeting with superintendent and school board
10:00 a.m. - Monitor school hallways
Noon - Leave for away football game
5:00 p.m. - Kickoff
10:00 p.m. - Start the drive home
11:15 p.m. - Bus breaks down
3:30 a.m. - Arrive at home

Mabrey recently accepted the position of executive director of the New Mexico High School Coaches Association - a position he starts later this spring. In his second year as an athletic and activities director, he also serves as the school's assistant principal. Mabrey's days are often filled with many issues - some of which are absolute surprises.

8:00 a.m. - Changing the Status Quo
When Mabrey assumed the role of athletic director at Piedra Vista High School, he never thought he would be in the middle of a communitywide controversy. Several weeks before Mabrey was surveyed for this article, a group of students asked to form a Gay/ Straight Alliance Club. After consulting with his superintendent and district attorneys, Mabrey realized that not permitting a Gay/Straight Alliance Club would violate these students' constitutional rights.

10:30 a.m. - Parent Meeting
Athletic directors are often required to meet with parents for various reasons. Unfortunately, the majority of the time the parent is upset and wants immediate answers and action. Today, Mabrey met with a parent who felt that her daughter was being mistreated by the coach. The meeting ended successfully and the parent left Mabrey's office understanding that everything that her daughter told her was not the truth.

Mabrey said, "I have parent meetings almost every day. These parents are amazing sometimes. Dealing with parents may be the most difficult thing about being an athletic director today."

10:00 p.m. - Late-night Check-in
After the victorious away football game, Mabrey began the four-hour drive home, following the team bus in his truck. Approximately an hour into the drive, the bus broke down, leaving the team stranded in Albuquerque. With nearly three hours remaining in the trip and no access to a mechanic until the next day, it was Mabrey's responsibility to find hotel accommodations for the team and coaches. This setback resulted in him arriving home about 3:30 a.m. To make matters worse, Mabrey had to be at the gymnasium the following morning at 8:00.

Mabrey said, "We got lucky finding a hotel for the team; however, the biggest issue in this situation was that none of the athletes or coaches had their cell phone chargers."



Janet Erhardt
Location: Center, North Dakota
School: Center Staton High School
Age: 48
Athletic Director: 5 Years
Years in Education: 27 Years
School Enrollment: 100

A Day in Janet Erhardt's Life
6:45 a.m. - Wake up
7:45 a.m. - Meet with guest speaker
10:15 a.m. - E-mails and administrative duties
12:30 p.m. - Physical education class
2:30 p.m. - Players' practice gear in the wash
3:30 p.m. - Volleyball practice
5:30 p.m. - Prepare for tournament
10:30 p.m. - E-mails and administrative catch-up
12:15 a.m. - Head for home

Erhardt estimates that she is one of approximately eight female athletic directors in the state of North Dakota. She teaches five different classes at Center Staton High School while juggling the role of athletic director, activity director and head girls volleyball coach. Her team finished the 2007 season with a 34-5 record, placing sixth in state. Center Staton lost in the opening round of the state championships to the team that went on to win the state title.

8:00 a.m. - So Much More Than Athletics
Erhardt met with Dr. Bob Edwards, who was scheduled to speak to the Center Staton student body about suicide prevention. According to a North Dakota Legislative Council report, more than 30,000 individuals commit suicide every year and it is the second- leading cause of death among those between the ages of 10 and 24. In 1999, North Dakota was faced with data showing the suicide rate for North Dakotans in this age group was almost twice the national average.

2:30 p.m. - Fifty Minutes A Day
In addition to teaching five classes, Erhardt had to cover two other classes toward the end of the day for teachers chaperoning a science class field trip. This time was typically reserved for athletic director planning, which meant that Erhardt's work was left for later that night. At Center Staton High School, similar to most high schools, teachers are asked to use their prep time to substitute for absent teachers.
Erhardt has a 50-minute period dedicated to athletic director duties and another 50-minute period devoted to teaching responsibilities each day. When asked how much time she would need if it was available for her athletic director business, she said "at times 50 minutes is enough; at other times during the year it doesn't even make a dent on the ‘to-do' list."

3:30 p.m. - "Athletic Director" and "Coach" and "Mom"
Erhardt enters the gym for another afternoon of practice. Her day has been hectic and practice provides her with the only opportunity to focus on volleyball and her team. In the gym, the phone does not ring and she cannot see the e-mails entering her Inbox. She says, "I love seeing my kids have success."

Erhardt says, "Being an athletic director and a coach is extremely difficult at times; however, after 27 years of coaching I am getting better every year. I tend to spend a lot of time on the weekends in the office trying to catch up during the fall . . . and that is OK with me. At times, the athletic director's role and the coach's role overlap and I ask for help from other administrators."



Luis Macedo
Location: Hudson, Massachusetts
School: Hudson High School
Age: 50
Athletic Director: 9 Years
Years in Education: 28 Years
School Enrollment: 1,169

A Day in Luis Macedo's Life
6:15 a.m. - Meet with principal for coffee
7:00 a.m. - Welcome students
8:30 a.m. - Administrative work
10:00 a.m. - Line soccer fields
1:45 p.m. - Bus duty
3:30 p.m. - Soccer games
5:30 p.m. - Family time
6:15 p.m. - Leave for away football game
10:30 p.m. - Arrive at home

Luis Macedo begins each day with a quick meeting with the principal at a local coffee shop. He refers to this 15-20 minute meeting as "heads-up time" when he and the principal discuss events for the day or week. This communication with the principal is one of the most important parts of Macedo's position at Hudson High School. As the athletic director, he also oversees the activities and assists with various monitoring duties throughout the day.

8:00 a.m. - The Wheels On The Bus
Much of Macedo's day is spent scheduling teams and the busses used to get those teams to their games and contests. He says, "Everyday I have to look at the schedules and confirm the busses for the day. I have to make sure that the busses pick teams up with enough time to get the team to its destination with enough time to warm up and get ready to participate."

Macedo schedules games, contests and busses for 24 varsity teams and nearly 30 subvarsity teams. This requires constant attention to detail and an incredible amount of organization.

5:30 p.m. - Family Time
On this particular Friday, Macedo actually gets to spend 45 minutes with his wife over a quick dinner before he heads out the door for an away football game. During home games, he leaves the house at 6:30 a.m. and often does not return until after 10:30 p.m.

When his kids were playing - they are now 21 and 26 years old - Macedo's wife attended all of the games. He says "this was quality time for our family . . . I never missed one of my kids' games." Now that his oldest son is part of his coaching staff, his wife has started coming to more and more games to watch her son which affords this athletic director the opportunity to spend a little time with the woman he has been married to for more than 27 years.

6:15 p.m. - Football Kickoff
An away football game presents it own set of responsibilities compared to that of a home game. He always attends every away football and hockey game. Going to away basketball games is difficult because if the boys squad is playing away, then the Hudson High School girls basketball team is at home. "If the game is a big rivalry, I will get another administrator to fill in for me so I can attend the away game," Macedo said.

For the visiting athletic director, away games are obviously much easier than home games. On this night at Auburn High School, similar to all away games, Macedo was responsible for the Hudson High School crowd and its actions. He says, "Our fans are usually great. My attendance just helps the home athletic director and ensures that our school's fans don't get out of control."



Stan Leech
Location: Boerne, Texas
School: Boerne High School
Age: 47
Athletic Director: 9 Years
Years in Education: 26 Years
School Enrollment: 2,026

A Day in Stan Leech's Life
5:15 a.m. - Wake up for a morning jog
7:45 a.m. - Arrive at school
9:45 a.m. - PR at the coffee shop
10:30 a.m. - Meeting with principal
11:00 a.m. - Basketball practice
1:30 p.m. - Visit friend whose husband passed away
2:45 p.m. - Pep rally
7:30 p.m. - Kickoff
11:30 p.m. - Leave stadium after game

Stan Leech fills the role of athletic director and head boys basketball coach at Boerne High School in Boerne, Texas. He has spent the majority of his career in Boerne, which has resulted in him building lasting relationships with members of the community. He serves the role of athletic director, but in this small Texas town he is often viewed as much more than an athletic director or coach.

5:30 a.m. - Start The Day Running
Leech starts each day with a three-mile jog around his neighborhood with a group of friends. The group can be as large as 10 and as small as three. He says "We have all been running together each morning for about 10 years. We don't run as fast as we used to, but it is still a lot of fun."

The purpose of the morning runs for Leech, who was the NFHS Basketball Coach of the Year during the 2006-07 school year, is both social and health-related. "Without my group of friends, I doubt I would run as often as I do," he says when questioned how much the group really means. He added "running is more fun and a lot cheaper than golf and I don't ever break anything!"

With his busy schedule, the early-morning hours are about the only real time Leech has for a workout. The role of the athletic director today is so unpredictable that any type of routine is difficult to keep. Leech says his day really begins around 3 p.m. "At 3 o'clock is when the kids are out of school and the parents are getting off from work. In the morning, I deal with e-mails, phone calls, budget concerns and administrative meetings. In the afternoon, it really gets busy."

9:45 a.m. - The Coffee Shop
As often as possible, Leech stops by the coffee shop in the small but growing, central Texas town. It doesn't occur every day, but it is an important part of each week and school year for Leech to be an active member of the community.

"I often stop by on my way to other campuses, just to say 'hello,'" he said about the regular coffee shop visits. Just being seen in the community and being available is essential to Leech, who has been in Boerne for 22 years.

The questions and comments regarding the athletic programs are plenty, and Leech believes that the coffee shop and other establishments throughout the city are great ways to build relationships. He says, "In today's world, people cannot just stop by my office to visit; that is why it is so important for me to stop by and see them."

High schools are constantly seeking assistance from the community, and in Leech's case, he believes it is equally essential for him to give back to the community.

1:30 p.m. - More than Sports
Leech visited the wife of a good friend who recently passed away after having a heart attack. "The most challenging aspect of my day was attempting to do my job while mourning the loss of my good friend." His friend served as vice president of the booster club and his son plays on the varsity football team. Leech was later asked to deliver the eulogy at his friend's funeral.

The job description for a high school athletic director may vary depending on the school or school district. As we have seen, athletic directors are often called upon to oversee areas that have nothing to do with athletics. They put out dumpster fires, arrange hotel rooms in the middle of the night, generate positive public relations within the community, schedule busses and teach classes.

These women and men often serve as the "backbone" of the school or school district. They are the ones who other administrators rely on for help and assistance.

Robert Zayas is in his sixth year as an assistant director of the New Mexico Activities Association and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in sports administration at the University of New Mexico. He is a member of the High School Today Publications Committee.