Consider these statistics: The William and Mary athletics program is ranked fifth in the nation by the NCAA for academic achievement and for graduating 95 percent of its scholarship athletes. The Tribe placed 76th overall out of 327 Division I schools, according to 2004-05 standings from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, which evaluates a program's performance in competition. And with a total of 23 athletic teams, the College provides one of the broadest offerings among all universities.

As impressive as these figures are, another set of numbers stands in stark contrast. Tribe coaches -- a large part of the athletic success story at the College -- are paid in the bottom third of William and Mary's peer group.

"Traditionally we have lagged behind both our academic and our athletic peer groups in terms of compensation for our coaches," says Terry Driscoll, director of athletics. "Assistant coaches are affected the most and many of them consequently are staying at the College for a shorter period of time rather than a longer one."

Peel Hawthorne '80, who has been the head field hockey coach at the College for nearly 20 years, knows that assistant coaches sometimes simply don't have enough resources. "Over the years, I've had about five coaches stay at my house rent-free," she says. "It's a sacrifice I have been willing to make to have an assistant rather than not have one."

Fortunately, a group of alumni and friends is helping to address this need with the Fund for Coaching Excellence, an endowment that will help the athletics department improve the salaries of its coaching staff. The fund initially will focus heavily on improving compensation for assistant coaches.

"William and Mary is very vulnerable to losing talented coaches to other institutions that could easily double their compensation overnight," explains Chip Kerby '67, who -- along with Terry Thompson '67 -- is one of the fund's main proponents.

"Many assistant coaches have to get second jobs just to support themselves," Thompson adds, noting that she first became aware of the situation in the 1990s while serving as a trustee of the Endowment Association (now The College of William & Mary Foundation). At every meeting, Bill McCuen '59, then chair of the athletics committee, would ask the Association for any funding they could spare to supplement assistant coaches' salaries.

"I finally said, 'We need to establish an endowment,'" Thompson recalls. "We had to do something that would ensure larger salaries on which coaches can count."

Since that time, a group of about 20 core supporters have been working behind the scenes to raise monies for the endowment. They are challenging others to make a pledge to the Fund for Coaching Excellence, and have committed to matching every dollar raised up to $1 million over the next four years.

"Everybody in this group has been supportive of the concept," Thompson says. "And while we are working to raise $2 million, I hope alumni and friends will continue to support it so that it ultimately totals much more."

Thompson and Kerby say the stability an endowment provides will help secure steady, larger salaries for coaches.

Chris Norris '95, head coach of men's soccer and formerly an assistant coach, is optimistic that the Fund for Coaching Excellence will help retain coaches and give them more incentive to stay and grow in their profession. "Although the assistant positions have always been very beneficial from a learning standpoint, in the past I think they were viewed as stepping stones to better assistant positions," he says. "Now, many of these positions will be able to be considered stepping stones to head coaching positions."

Increasing longevity among the coaching ranks will also enhance the environment for William and Mary student-athletes. "Assistant coaches are a critical element to our success," adds Driscoll. "Experienced assistant coaches bring great stability to the program and allow the head coaches to focus on fulfilling our academic and athletic mission."

Hawthorne says assistant coaches play a vital role in the success of her team, helping to run the daily operations of the program and strongly influencing student-athletes in terms of developing skills and tactics. "The value of assistant coaches -- especially those you have trained -- is evident in every aspect of the program. We have most of our athletes with us for four years," Haw-thorne says. "Their training and overall experience are enhanced if we can retain the same staff during most, if not all of their playing career."

Hawthorne and Norris agree that -- despite the salary restrictions -- there are many benefits to coaching at William and Mary. Paramount among those is the Tribe's singular commitment to the student-athlete ideal. "The best thing is the tremendous balance between academics and athletics," Norris says. "William and Mary doesn't sacrifice standards in order to be successful. And the coaches here are people with integrity who do things the right way. There is also great camaraderie across the teams. It all makes for a great working environment."

And with the Fund for Coaching Excellence now in place, assistant coaches will have even more incentive to continue their work at the College, playing a significant role in the overall education and development of William and Mary students.

"Participating in athletics plays an important part in developing well-rounded people who will do well in the broader world," Thompson says. "Coaches are teachers for athletics just as professors are teachers for academics. We therefore can't run the risk of losing exceptionally well-qualified people because of low salaries. I'm confident that once the broad message gets out, the Fund will get a very good response."