Climb the coaching ladder--from the pros to college.(why NFL coaches are taking jobs as college football coaches)(Brief Article)

Just coach the team. That's the sign Al Groh has on his desk. It's a simple and powerful message, but it has different meanings depending on where you are coaching. For Groh, Virginia's new head coach, the meaning has changed now that he's back in the college ranks after serving as the New York Jets' boss last season.

"In order to `just coach the team,' you have to spread yourself wider ... in college," says Groh, who coached Wake Forest from 1981-86. "To put your team together, you have to be on top of the academic situation with your players. In the NFL, when I say, `just coach the team,' it's just a straight football issue."

That's one of the subtle differences between coaching a college team and a pro club, though there is more commonality between the jobs than most think. Football is football. Still, upon close comparison, the college coaching gig is better, as evidenced by the recent run of NFL head coaches to take over college programs.

Former Jets and Patriots boss Pete Carroll took over at Southern California this offseason. In 1999, Dennis Erickson left the Seahawks for Oregon State. John Robinson (UNLV) and John Mackovic (Arizona) also have returned to the college ranks from the pros.

One reason might be that the gap between pro and college wages has narrowed, with many college coaches now demanding the seven-figure salaries of their pro counterparts.

"I would say it's a factor," Groh says. "In my case, my compensation isn't what it would have been in the NFL, but it was close enough that I was able to take the job under consideration."

Though the pay is nearly a wash, the workload isn't. Mackovic, who coached the Chiefs from 1983-86, thinks NFL jobs have lost appeal because of their demanding schedules. Though NCAA rules limit the time college coaches can work with student-athletes, coaches have long days that include recruiting and alumni functions.