In any football program, the toughest group is not the 3-techniques or the offensive line. It's the coaches' families -- and specifically the wives. They're the ones so often left to run the household from A to Z, managing move after move after move, all while subjecting themselves to the proverbial slings and arrows that go with that life.
Kristi Mazlahn knows that better than just about anyone.
But Malzahn says it's not the losses, the moves or the time away from her spouse that's the hardest part of life as a coach's wife. Quite the opposite, actually.
"Staying secure in who and what you are, regardless of the outside noise, whether it be positive or negative," she told Auburn's team site. "Because some of the hardest to stay straight with yourself on, is the positive. When they start telling you how great you are, it's really harder to keep perspective, and not get caught up in that. So that when the negative day comes, it's a bigger fall."
Malzahn also offered a bit of advice for coaches looking for a prospective wife and prospective wives evaluating whether or not the football life is for them.
"Find her identity. Know who she is. And understand that her identity is not wrapped up in what he does, or what people say about what he does. Because that's going to change on an hour to hour basis," she said.
Spoken like someone who's been around the block a time or 20.