Major college football coaches make a lot of money trying to win championships, take their teams to bowl games and produce NFL talent, but they often pay the price with their health.
What coaches do to take care of themselves during the season was a popular topic Monday on the Big 12 coaches' teleconference in the wake of Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio suffering a heart attack over the weekend.
Dantonio's Spartans defeated Notre Dame in overtime on a gutsy fake field goal call by the coach, who found himself in a local hospital with chest pains just a few hours later. Dantonio is taking an indefinite leave of absence to recover. Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell is managing the program until Dantonio returns.
By all accounts, Dantonio is a 54-yard-old who did his best to take care of himself and was thought to be healthy right up to the point when he began to experience chest pains, which is why news of his heart attack was such as eye-opener for others in the profession.
Based on comments from coaches Monday, it's clear they have a difficult time balancing the demands of the job in the modern era with eating right and getting enough exercise and sleep.
"We make sure in our schedule that guys can get some sleep and I want guys to get down there in the weight room and work out and get a little sweat going cause all that stuff is important," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said. "It's hard. There is no question it's hard. It's a hard balance because you don't do a lot of other things, but we definitely try to encourage our guys to go for a jog and lift someweights and make sure you get some sleep. It is a grind though, no question."
Colorado coaches can be seen heading for the weight room or out to jog or walk along Boulder Creek around the noon hour most days. Hawkins generally tries to use a treadmill with a view of Folsom Field in the Dal Ward Center.
Many of his peers around the league said they also emphasize living a balanced life with their assistants, but talking about it and actually doing it is difficult from August through December.
Head coaches have myriad responsibilities that go well beyond spending three hours on the practice fields each day and the Xs and Os side of the job.
They deal with fundraising, recruiting, academics, alumni and community relations and an ever-growing media horde. They also deal with the personal problems of more than 100 players and the concerns of those players' parents. They also have personal lives of their own.
What coaches do to take care of themselves during the season was a popular topic Monday on the Big 12 coaches' teleconference in the wake of Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio suffering a heart attack over the weekend.
Dantonio's Spartans defeated Notre Dame in overtime on a gutsy fake field goal call by the coach, who found himself in a local hospital with chest pains just a few hours later. Dantonio is taking an indefinite leave of absence to recover. Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell is managing the program until Dantonio returns.
By all accounts, Dantonio is a 54-yard-old who did his best to take care of himself and was thought to be healthy right up to the point when he began to experience chest pains, which is why news of his heart attack was such as eye-opener for others in the profession.
Based on comments from coaches Monday, it's clear they have a difficult time balancing the demands of the job in the modern era with eating right and getting enough exercise and sleep.
"We make sure in our schedule that guys can get some sleep and I want guys to get down there in the weight room and work out and get a little sweat going cause all that stuff is important," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said. "It's hard. There is no question it's hard. It's a hard balance because you don't do a lot of other things, but we definitely try to encourage our guys to go for a jog and lift someweights and make sure you get some sleep. It is a grind though, no question."
Colorado coaches can be seen heading for the weight room or out to jog or walk along Boulder Creek around the noon hour most days. Hawkins generally tries to use a treadmill with a view of Folsom Field in the Dal Ward Center.
Many of his peers around the league said they also emphasize living a balanced life with their assistants, but talking about it and actually doing it is difficult from August through December.
Head coaches have myriad responsibilities that go well beyond spending three hours on the practice fields each day and the Xs and Os side of the job.
They deal with fundraising, recruiting, academics, alumni and community relations and an ever-growing media horde. They also deal with the personal problems of more than 100 players and the concerns of those players' parents. They also have personal lives of their own.