Nearly everyone that has stepped on the gridiron has dreamed of playing in the NFL, and the equivalent can be said for the majority of coaches. The NFL is the pinnacle of football across the board, so when Reggie Davis compares coaching in the NFL to getting a doctorate degree, it makes a lot of sense.
Prior to joining Mike Riley's Cornhuskers staff this past off season, Nebraska running backs coach Reggie Davis spent four seasons coaching with the 49ers, coaching the tight ends and offensive line. Prior to that he served as the running backs coach at Oregon State.
Davis, who has coached at the college level at Oregon State, UNLV, San Diego, and now Nebraska, explained during his mic'd up session that you get your Ph.D. in football when you hit the NFL ranks.
"It's been said that you get your Ph.D. in football when you go to the NFL," Davis explained. "I can definitely see why they say that. I can say that I've gained a lot of knowledge and learned and I was with some incredibly great football minds."
If that's to be believed, consider coaching at the high school level your Bachelor's in coaching and coaching at the college level the Masters degree equivalent.
This past off season saw a number of guys make the jump from college to the NFL. Coaches like Stan Drayton (who coached the running backs at Ohio State before taking the same position with the Chicago Bears), and Mike Bajakian (who was the offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach at Tennessee before leaving for the quarterbacks job with the Tampa Bay Bucs), and a number of other coaches will soon be earning their Ph.D. in coaching,. according to Davis.