What is a good coach?

I saw something online yesterday, I should have saved it because now I can’t find it. The gist of it was why an athlete would leave a coach that she had success with for an “unknown” coach. Then there was a poll listing some high profile track and field coaches asking the reader to rate them. My initially response was how absurd was this on two counts. First there are many “unknown” coaches who do a great job, they chose not to have a spotlight on them or they coach at levels were they will not receive outside recognition. Second, rating coaches is a futile exercise, what is the criterion that makes a great coach? Some of these “great” coaches have millions of dollars of shoe company money to recruit athletes, the survivors run fast and you never hear of the ones they break. I know a whole bunch of relatively unknown coaches in clubs, high schools and even middle and elementary schools that I would go to before some of the high profile coaches mentioned in this list. Great coaching is what you do with what you have. I could go through a whole list of the characteristics; I really do not think that is necessary. All I know is that I have been fortunate to work with some great coaches and be coached by some great coaches, most of whom are “unknowns.”