BY LOU SOMOGYI
O
n March 2, Notre
Dame head coach
Brian Kelly officially an-
nounced the completion
of his on-field staff with
four new hires to round
out his nine-man crew of
assistant coaches.
That was Phase I in
his operation. Still to be
completed in Phase II
were three more hires in
newly created "support-
ing roles."
In these days of "su-
persizing" fast food
menus, this practice is
now occurring in colle-
giate athletics adminis-
tration, and particularly
in football offices.
A staff of nine assis-
tants has remained rela-
tively unaltered the past
30 years, but the support
system has expanded
significantly. One of the
best examples is head
coach Nick Saban's ma-
chine at the University
of Alabama.
An April 2013 fea-
ture written by Chase
Goodbread of The Tusca-
loosa News revealed the
Alabama Crimson Tide
UNDER THE DOME
SUPPORT SYSTEM
Coaching staffs today go well
beyond nine on-field assistants
In his new role of the special assistant to the head coach, Bob Elliott
will serve in an administrative and consulting capacity.
PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND
