Andrew Sachs, 54, hopes to put the icing on the cake of his coaching career by advancing to the next level. With high school and collegiate coaching experience, he has played the role of administrator in the past.
“I’ve done game management. I’ve raised money. I’ve managed budgets. I’ve hired coaches. With a quality degree, I would hope that doors will open for me to become an athletic director.”
That’s where Arkansas State University comes in — Sachs completed A-State’s online Master of Science in Sport Administration program in August 2021.
“I did some research on sports administration programs,” he said. “A-State had good reviews and fit financially for me.
“I also talked to Dr. David LaVetter. We hit it off because his dad was a junior college coach for 25 years at Eastern Arizona. It was a good fit.”
The stars also aligned for Sachs, who recently started his third year as head coach at Chesapeake College (Maryland), to complete the master’s degree program in 15 months. He guided the Skipjacks to an 18-8 record in his first season at the helm in 2019-20.
“Going full-time in the fall and spring was taxing for me,” he said. “But because of COVID-19, all we did was practice — we didn’t play. That led to me having time to do the program. It would be hard to finish during the season with all of the travel.”
Courting Success
Sachs is from the Baltimore area. He followed his passion for sports and teaching after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and science in 1990, followed by his first master’s degree in guidance and counseling two years later. Both degrees came from Salisbury University.
“Coaching is something that I always wanted to do,” he said. “I worked a lot of basketball camps during my younger years. You make a choice in life to do something that’s comfortable.
“I had a kid visit me recently who I coached four years ago. I have a wedding to go to of another former player next month. I have another wedding in April, and another one in May. That’s why you do it. You do the same thing as an administrator.”
After landing his first coaching position as an assistant at his alma mater, Sachs gained experience at the high school and college levels before he got his first head coaching gig at Bethany College in 2009.
Sachs believes that the online M.S. in Sport Administration program at A-State prepared him to face a new challenge in his career. His favorite course was ESPE 6113: Sport Law.
“It was also the hardest course. There was a lot of writing. It was really good, though. I learned a lot. I believe the program prepared me well. I’m sure I was one of the older students in the program,” said Sachs who finished the program with a 4.0 GPA. “I wanted to make sure I could be a coach and an athletic director. There are transferable skills.”
Taking a Shot
Sachs had a strong support system from his family, friends and Chesapeake College basketball family. He has two children — Derek (12) and Meredith (9).
“They thought going back to school was a good thing if that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “It took a lot to get it done in 15 months. If we had traveled for games this year, it would have been hard.”
Now that he holds a master’s degree, Sachs believes an athletic director position is on the horizon for him.
“Obviously, you want to get a job with the degree,” he said. “This enables me to be more marketable as I gauge the process. Everybody is going younger, but experience is the best teacher.
“Becoming an athletic director is the natural progression of any coach. Especially at my age, you want to be part of the community.”
Sachs, who enjoys attending his kids’ extracurricular activities, games and concerts in his free time, is happy he chose to become a Red Wolf.
“You get a lot of bang for your buck at Arkansas State University,” he said. “You are definitely going to get good value out of the master’s degree program.”
Learn more about A-State’s online M.S. in Sport Administration program.