UC Davis coaches’ instruction goes beyond football field

At the University of California Davis the head football coach, Ron Gould, teaches more than the proper blocking and tackling techniques.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Daft’s instruction extends beyond the Power I and defensive coordinator Bert Watts provides instruction in more than the safety blitz.

Apart from their "day jobs" as coaches they also teach classes for the general student body at least one quarter a year in the school’s Department of Physical Education.

Gould, for example, teaches a coaching leadership class a couple of days a week in the spring. Daft instructs a racquetball class and Watts has a fitness class.

It is part of what the Aggies like to call the "Davis Way" — the concept of integrating athletics and and academics, coaches and regular students — a proud holdover from their days as a Division II power.

Gould’s predecessor, Bob Biggs, taught badminton and tennis. A basketball coach held a rock climbing class, a mathematics professor has taught aikido and another coach taught a Sports and Law class.

It is an anachronism that you won’t see in football at Hawaii, which hosts the FCS Aggies (0-2) Saturday at Aloha Stadium, or anywhere else UC Davis plays. Even with Norm Chow’s doctorate in education.

It is a throwback to the 1960s and ’70s before seven-figure coaching salaries when they often taught classes to supplement their income. And while that is unheard of in present-day major college football, it is routine on the sprawling campus 15 miles from Sacramento, where head coaches in all 22 sports — and some of their assistants — are required to teach classes.

"It is not done anywhere else (in Division I), outside of the service academies, as far as I know," said Scott Carrell, an economics professor, who serves as the Aggies’ Faculty Athletic Representative.

Even though Gould is not mandated to teach a class during the season, it comes with some trade offs he didn’t have to make as an assistant coach at Cal. "Coach Gould has had to schedule his recruiting visits and spring practice (work) around when he is teaching his courses," Carrell said.

Still, "The coaches talk positively about the experience and enjoy teaching, but there are time constraints issue which obviously make it tougher to manage than your typical coach," said Carrell, a former Air Force Academy football player. "At the end of the day, I don’t think it hinders them that much."

From 1970 through 2006 the Aggies managed 37 consecutive winning seasons and a 2005 victory over Stanford. Though times have been harder with just two winning seasons since the Aggies elevated to Division I in 2007.

At Davis, where Gould’s combined salary is listed at $238,000, it is also considered part of the deal for having a largely student-funded program. As much as 70 percent of the Aggies’ $25.5 million budget — including all of the scholarships — are underwritten by the more than 26,000 students each paying upwards of $600 per year in fees.

The "Davis Way" isn’t everybody else’s way, but the Aggies are fine with that.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.