Parents calling college coaches ?

Dad04,
The only time we as parents called was when it was requested that we do so via mail or email, other than that we let our son handle that before July 1 of senior year.
Coaches are far too busy now with their programs to return phone calls. You could contact someone at the school regarding admissions for baseball/academic. Sometimes there is a secretary in the office who can be very helpful at answering your questions. You might want to consider visits before application time, e.g. late spring or summer. Get all the admission books.
I would go about your business visiting schools because that is where he wants to attend school, not just play baseball. After July 1 if he is being considered most coaches will contact you and be happy to let you know all you need to about their program. They also appreciate that you have done your homework on their program as well.
Hope that this helps.

First off there are no rules or protocol. I was ignorant too and we know ignorance is bliss… I didn’t “know” I wasn’t supposed to call college coaches during the recruitment of my son ….. So….. I made the calls. Our son was receiving recruiting mail and the ones he was interested in I would call and ask questions. My main question was about the scholarship amount. He was a two-way player and he also wanted to make sure he was not being recruited as a pitcher only. Things were pretty hectic during his recruitment and he really needed an adult advisor during this time. Granted he did most of the talking with the coaches but he also asked for my input and advice. I say if you have a specific question(s), pick up the phone and call the coaching staff. Common sense would dictate how the conversation should go. Refrain from trying to “sell” your son to a college coach or a pro scout. They hate those conversations as much as you and I.
If I had it to do over again I would make the phone calls again. It may be different in different areas of the country, but in the southern section of the United States it seems as if the coaching staff recruits the player AND his family. So for this area, at least during the recruitment period, coach/parent conversations are fairly common.
Fungo

Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.

I would only call the coach if I needed extra money for the Land Rover's gas tank.

Of course, according to some of the "news" that I've read, I would also call the coach for the charge card to use at the strip club--provided that I was a combination baseball/football recruit. It would be the football side of me that would want to go to a strip club to vent some aggression.

Beenthere

You might find the AMEX Gold Card in use already, if you're calling the 'Bama football coach.

While we have left all the phone-work for the boy to handle, I can't imagine any coach would have an issue with a parent calling. Unfortunately, it's the parents who don't understand common courtesy, can't shut up about their son's stats and think he's way more talented than he is, who make us think twice about calling.............if you're not one of those, Call! If you are that type of parent...........DON'T CALL

_______________________
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Rogers Hornsby, Hall of Famer

I think Mr&Mrs has it right. Its best if the boy calls - shows some maturity. But it looks like you're an 04 dad - and so if the boy just won't call - then I guess you'll have to do it.

I did make a phone call or two, but only after we were deep in "negotiations" following an offer and we were tying up details like transcripts, applications, etc... I also recieved a phone call or two from coaches who wanted to make sure I understood where they were on our son. All of those phone calls were extremely good ones. Otherwise, son did it all and in fact wanted to do it.

________________
"The only people I ever felt intimdated by in my whole life were Bob Gibson and my daddy," Dusty Baker.

Couldn't agree more with fungo. If they are interested in your son then they should be interested in his family. My calls are always welcomed. my sons as well. The better you know the coaches and program the more comfortable you and your son will be. My advice is to call with questions (which we all have) and get the info needed. IMO spending time on campus on visits is THE most important thing you can do.

Fungo is correct, lots of schools recruit the player and his family. You would not believe how important that is to them. But that actual recruitment ,IMO, does not come until after July 1 of senior year. Until then we knew that there were hundreds who also received the same letter.
If you have questions by all means call to ask, just know Dad04 at this time they cannot call you back, so it may be frustrating. And as I said they have their season upon them at this time. That is why sometimes you might get some valuable info from someone in the office.
I think that this is the reason why the recruitment period is so emotional for many families. Between July 1 and the time they make the offer goes very quickly, if you havenot done homework it might become overwhelming.
We never made calls to coaches during his junior year, but during the summer after July 1,many calls were specifically directed to us. Our questions included programs, philosophies, scholarships, academics etc. At that point he pretty much knew where he wanted to go, it was just a matter of when he was going to tell them!

Isn't Dad04 a father of an 04? If so, they can call him back. Waiting until July 1 is too late in his case.

________________
"The only people I ever felt intimdated by in my whole life were Bob Gibson and my daddy," Dusty Baker.

Not to make a big deal out of it but it does happen prior to 7/1 on occasion. my son committed on 7/02 of his rising junior year. he has been treated royally by a major program on 2 subsequent visits and numerous phone calls from both of us.

Justball,
Duh, we are confused there is 04Dad and Dad04. Shows you how we don't pay attention sometimes.
04Dad,
help us out here, is your son graduating this year? If so you can call and they can call you back.
Dad04,
Sorry, you must think me nuts!

I heard a coach say this last week...

"I have a girl who I would really like to recruit and have on our team, but I am afraid if I recruit her that I will be recruiting her mother too, and I don't want to deal with her mother for the next 4 years any more than I already have."

There's nothing wrong with a parent calling a coach or talking to a coach. However, it absolutely must be secondary to the athlete/coach conversations. I have had several situations where an overly aggressive parent muddies the water.
Common sense is the key. The player will be living with them for the next several years, not the parent.

www.azdiamondreport.com

Bull Jr did all the talking with the head coach's and asst. coach's. Jr is great in school, great on the field, but not great on the phone. Each coach made sure he was comfortable and understood the process. The only time Mrs Bullwinkle or I talked to schools was picking it up and then calling Bullwinkle Jr to the phone. All three of us discussed the conversations, and gently reminded him on questions that needed to be asked. Much was learned thru this process, and I think Bull Jr., grew during the ordeal.

We are at the start of this process a second time, this time with Little Miss Bullwinkle and Field Hockey. She has started getting letters, e-mails and questionnaires from colleges (she's a 06) We are taking advantage of all the information we have learned and read here for the second time through. It is amazing how the information here easily converts to girls sports.

Look! Bullwinkle can clap and wink at the same time!

ghouse, thats exactly why the coaching staff will want to speak with and meet the parents, if Mom or Dad is a nutcake,your kids stock can plummet.

Monday is a good day to try and make contact with a coach. It usually the "off day" during the season.

Bob,
"Doing nothing is still a course of action"