Byline: Chuck Barney Contra Costa Times
Back in 1988, Jerry Reynolds flicked on the radio in his car and received his first overpowering signal that coaching in pro sports wasn't all it's cracked up to be.
Reynolds was about to drop off his 6-year-old daughter Danielle at school when the radio commentator began ripping into the man who was then the top dog for the Sacramento Kings.
``He was saying things like I was the `dumbest, low-life stumblebum that ever existed,' `` Reynolds recalled. ``I looked over at my daughter, and she was crying. She asked me, `Why are they saying such mean things about you?' At the time, I was thinking this makes no sense at all. It had a jolting effect.''
Not long afterward, Reynolds received another jolt. In the middle of a game at Arco Arena, he was stalking the sidelines when he suddenly collapsed face-first onto the court. A stunned crowd looked on in silence as paramedics tended to the fallen coach a victim, it turned out, of unregulated stress.
Said Reynolds: ``I remember thinking around that time that the first chance I get, I've gotta find a better way to make a living.''
A better way indeed. These days, pro coaches appear to have it tougher than ever before. They deal with greater obstacles, intensified media scrutiny, less cooperative athletes and always-increasing pressure to win. In the NFL alone this offseason, 11 teams are making coaching changes including the San Francisco 49ers, who put the squeeze on George Seifert.
Seifert, of course, was the winningest coach (by percentage) in league history. But even that wasn't good enough to keep him in good graces. With that kind of job security and all the brutal pitfalls, one has to wonder.
Who would want this job anyway?
``That's a good question,'' former 49ers coach Bill Walsh said. ``But it would be like asking a person why he would want to go into the military. Why would he want to be a fighter jet captain, flying planes at high speeds and risking his life?''
For one thing, Walsh said, there's a ``dedication to a cause'' and a ``passion for the game'' that keeps men hungering for coaching positions.
There also is the spotlight. Mike Holmgren, no doubt, is looked upon as a saint right now in Green Bay. Steve Mariucci, the man who replaced Seifert, talks about how he went to a restaurant the night after his hiring and had people flocking to greet him.
And then there's the money. Seifert was a $1 million coach. Don Nelson got that much from the Golden State Warriors just for walking away in the wake of the Chris Webber debacle. Miami Heat coach Pat Riley makes $350 a day in meal money.
``At least now, you can be compensated well. You can become a rich man,'' Walsh said. ``It wasn't always like that. I can remember John Madden in his early days with the Raiders getting around $30,000 and thinking that's hardly better than a department store manager.''
But as the salaries rise, so do the expectations. Mike White was dumped after only two years with the Raiders. Nelson didn't even make it one full season with the New York Knicks. The coaching merry-go-round is moving at a breakneck pace.
``Every situation is different, so it's hard to generalize,'' Norv Turner, coach of the Washington Redskins, said. ``But I do know one thing: In a lot of cities, the five-year plan is out.''
It certainly is in the NFL, where two expansion teams Carolina and Jacksonville both made it to the playoffs in their second year of existence. Now, it would seem, everything is accelerated.
``I don't want to say it's scary, but it is,'' Chicago Bears coach Dave Wannstedt told USA Today. ``You just never know in this business. A year ago, June Jones got some votes as coach of the year.''
Jones was fired after three seasons with Atlanta and was replaced by Dan Reeves, who was let go by the New York Giants, who hired Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Jim Fassel.
``Free agency makes you nervous,'' Wannstedt said. ``It disrupts a lot of programs. You can lose a good player or a team in your division can get one in a heartbeat.''
Marty Schottenheimer, who just had his contract at Kansas City extended to 2001, says continuity is the key, but some owners lose patience.
``In many cases, a winning season isn't enough anymore,'' he said. ``Owners and the general public are looking for immediate success at a very high level. Only one team can win the championship, and, for the rest, there are always questions.
``In the real world, most businesses are not as high profile. Generally, corporations aren't under the day-to-day scrutiny to show improvement.''
And in the effort to keep up, coaches always are looking for that edge. When he managed the Oakland A's, Tony La Russa was known for staying late at the ballpark or never leaving at all. Football and basketball coaches study film until all hours of the night. During the season, family life is a precious commodity.
``And now, it seems like free time even during the offseason is becoming harder and harder to find,'' Walsh said. ``I can remember giving our assistant coaches two full months off after the season. Now you've got scouting, free agents and mini camps to deal with. The year gets so crowded, I can't understand how you can even have a normal life.''
Said La Russa: ``You have to thrive on the pressure. You have to take that (pressure) and channel it into a positive. You want it. You deal with it. The intensity brings out the best in some players and coaches.''
But increasingly, the same level of commitment doesn't exist among the players. They have their multi-million, long-term contracts and their endorsement money. So they're in no mood to take any guff from coaches. Just check out the NBA, where Webber made his stand against Nelson, where Tim Hardaway called Rick Adelman a liar and Robert Horry openly defied Danny Ainge, etc., etc.
``Players are more secure and less mature,'' Reynolds said. ``Then they've got agents constantly in their ear telling them, `Hey, you're not getting your 20 shots a game. They're screwing you. It's costing you this and this. So then you get players thinking `me' and not `team.' ''
CAPTION(S):
3 Photos
Photo: (1) Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer recently signed a contract extension that should keep him in the NFL through 2000.
(2) Bill Walsh, former 49ers coach, knows the pressures of NFL coaching first hand.
(3) Replaced by young gun Steve Mariucci, former 49ers coach George Seifert is no longer a target of local radio talk shows.
Daily News File Photo
