If 50% Of Marriages Fail, What About Coaches?

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

There has never been a study completed by any national sports governing body (NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA) to find out the divorce rate of college head coaches and assistants in baseball.

An even more important question is can the divorce rate for coaches be minimized?

The ugly reality is that almost 50 percent of all marriages in the United States end in divorce or separation, according to government data and studies over the years.

Researchers estimate that 41 percent of all first marriages will end in divorce.

In addition, 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce while 73 percent of all third marriages dissolve into divorce.

Collegiate Baseball decided to send out a survey to head coaches in college baseball on all levels to find out if there truly is a serious problem with divorce, as many believe, and what the mitigating issues are with failed marriages in this difficult job.

Collegiate Baseball was not interested in bachelors in this special survey — only married coaches who ultimately stayed together with their spouses or saw their relationship deteriorate into divorce.

We received 229 responses from head coaches in NCAA Div. I, II, III, NAIA and junior colleges.

Surprisingly, 194 head coaches out of 229 who responded (85 percent) are married and have never been divorced. It is interesting to note that 158 head coaches in this group have been married for 10 years or more, 81 for 20 or more years while 30 head coaches have been married for 30-plus years.

The amount of divorces were surprisingly low with only 35 out of 229 head coaches.

The top three factors for divorce among head coaches in college baseball are:

• Rarely home: 22 (63 percent).
• One partner not being faithful: 7 (20 percent).
• Combination of factors: 3 (.8 percent).

Other reasons given were that the couple was too young when they got married and the wife was not happy which led to the demise of the marriage.

As far as assistant coaches, 54 have suffered through divorces, according to the 229 head coaches who responded.

Only a few reasons were given as causes for divorces since many head coaches never asked what happened because they didn’t want to pry into their personal lives.

The top 3 factors for divorce in assistant coaches from head coaches were:

• Financial problems:13 (24 percent).
• Rarely home: 9 (17 percent).
• One partner not being faithful: 8 (15 percent).

To read more of this in-depth story or subscribe to Collegiate Baseball, CLICK HERE. It delves into tips of 47 coaches who have thoughts on this important subject. Plus, another story explains retreats that are being utilized by the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association for married coaches. In addition, if divorce is inevitable, an important book to navigate it without losing your kids, money and mind is available.