Running head: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HCC FOOTBALL

Executive Summary of HCC Football

Dion Meneley
LEAD 570
Dr. Kristy Smith
March 12, 2016

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HCC FOOTBALL

Executive Summary of HCC Football

Retention and development of student-athletes for the Hutchinson Community College
football team is an issue that must be addressed if the program is to become a true national
power. At the community college level, student-athletes do not tend to possess a feeling of
institutional attachment, and as a result, tend to represent themselves instead of the institution
(Hausfelder, 2014, p. 12). The purpose of this executive summary is to state why HCC is having
a problem with retention of student-athletes within the football program, propose a realistic
solution to the problem, discuss why the proposal will be successful, and clearly define the next
step in the process.
The Problem of Over-Signing Each Year
The Hutchinson Community College football program has 79 active student-athletes
participating in practices and workouts during the spring semester of 2016. The majority of
these student-athletes began their collegiate journey at the school in mid July of 2015. This past
signing day, which was May 4th, the program signed an additional 84 student-athletes to play for
HCC next fall. The total number of players, 163, is an unmanageable number on multiple fronts.
If scholarships were to be counted today, which they are not, the football program would have
more than twice the number of scholarships allowed by the National Junior College Athletic
Association. Since HCC football must be compliant with the scholarship limitation, as set forth
by the NJCAA, a large number of current players will not have their scholarships renewed for the
2016-2017 academic year. These players were recruited because they met a particular athletic
criterion, and have been developed in the HCC football system since mid July of 2015. The
problem with over-signing each year is that student-athletes are not given enough time to mature
physically, emotionally, or academically before they are given no choice except to start their

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HCC FOOTBALL

journey again. The student-athletes within the football program become aware of how the
system works after they arrive on campus; and as a result of their fear of being let go, do not
develop a sense of commitment to the HCC institution or football program. If a player is given
the opportunity to finish their second or third year, they will be older, more experienced, and
more physically and mentally mature (McLaughlin, 2012). Instead of playing with second and
third year players, HCC football is limiting their pool of talent to first and second year players;
and as a result, playing at a disadvantage.
Proposal to Stop Over-Signing
Hutchinson Community College has the potential to be one of the premier destinations
for student-athletes seeking an opportunity to play junior college football. In order for this
potential to become a reality, the football program must stop its practice of signing too many
players each year; and as a result, having to let go of players that have been developing within
the program. Implementing a better system of evaluating potential recruits, being more selective
when offering scholarships to high school seniors, making realistic projections of how current
players are progressing and what their athletic potential is, and investing in the development of
current student-athletes will stop the cycle of over-signing. When organizational strategy
changes, structures, roles, and functions should be realigned with the new objectives
(Corkindale, 2011, p. 1). Each year, specific and measureable criteria for what a scholarship
athlete should be is given to each coach on the football staff and discussed at length; however,
these criteria are not applied when offers are being made. The solution to this problem is for
recruiting coaches to compile a list of qualified scholarship athletes from their assigned
recruiting areas, have each position coach evaluate the players they will coach, pass them on to
the coordinators on each side of the ball, and then have the head coach make the final

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HCC FOOTBALL

determination as to who will be offered a scholarship to play for HCC. Once the final list is
compiled, each position coach and coordinator can then make their case for recruits they feel
may have been overlooked during the process. In addition to being more selective of incoming
players; existing players need to be given more attention to facilitate their development. At the
junior college level, student-athletes are expected to contribute on the field much faster than at
the four year level; however, they are allowed total of three seasons to be in the program at HCC.
They have the potential to redshirt one season and play two seasons. Although there are many
players that can transfer to the four year school after two seasons, some need the final semester
to finish their Associates Degree; and as a result, are given a third season to be a part of the team.
Teams that have been the most successful at the junior college level have played with a number
of these older, stronger, more emotionally mature athletes; and therefore, are at an advantage
over teams playing with kids three to four months out of high school. Instead of letting loose of
student-athletes after two semesters, they need to be invested in as long as they are continuing to
progress and improve.
Why the Proposal Will Work
The ability to recognize high-potential talent builds an organizations competitive
advantage for the future and allows an organization to fill mission-critical roles (UNC
Executive Development, 2015, p.1). The mission critical roles within HCCs football program
are the individual positions that are being filled through player development and recruiting. The
factors that have been identified as vital to the success of a player on the HCC football team are
sound, and will result in championships if they are followed when scholarships are offered each
year. The team with the best players wins most of the time and the odds of HCC football
winning increases exponentially if they have the most talent combined with physical and

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HCC FOOTBALL

emotional maturity. As a student-athlete matures, they are able to make daily decisions that all
them to be more successful in the classroom and on the football field. Herbert (2013) states the
frontal cortex matures very gradually into early adulthood. It is out of sync with the early
development of the emotional brain, and as a result there is a gap between early sensation
seeking and later self-discipline (p. 1). The self-discipline that is more developed in studentathletes that have been in the program for two or more seasons will win on the field versus the
emotional brain of the competition that is younger and less developed. This investment will pay
off when 20 year old young men are lining up against 17-18 year old kids on game day. Finally,
add institutional commitment to the equation. A talented, mature, dedicated student-athlete who
feels like they are a part of Hutchinson Community College will be much more productive than
the player that is simply looking out for themselves and simply using the program as a means to
an end.
Conclusion
The Hutchinson Community College football program has everything it needs to be a
national power. By implementing the changes discussed in this executive summary, the program
will change the trajectory of the program for years to come. Focusing on people and improving
existing processes will translate into both conference and national championships for the school;
and as a result, increase the caliber of individual the program is able to recruit and develop and
increase revenue for everyone involved.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HCC FOOTBALL

References
Corkindale, G. (2011). The importance of organizational design and structure. Harvard Business
Review. Retrieved March 12, 2016 from https://hbr.org/2011/02/the-importance-oforganization
Hausfelder, A. (2014). "How does retention rates of division III football programs differ based on
the type of institution?" Sport Management Undergraduate. Paper 11. Retrieved March
12, 2016 from http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1010&context=sport_undergrad
Herbert, W. (2013). The teenage brain: How do we measure maturity? Retrieved March12, 2016
from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/were-only-human/theteenage-brain-how-do-we-measure-maturity.html
McLaughlin, B. (2012). JUCO route is not for everyone, but can pay off big. Retrieved March
12, 2016 from http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football-news/4410641-junior-collegerecruiting-2013-juco-beau-sandland-miami-martize-barr-illinois
UNC Executive Development, (2015). How to identify high-potential talent in the workplace.
Retrieved March 12, 2016 from http://execdev.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/blog/how-toidentify-high-potential-talent-in-the-workplace