Strib: Up, up and away: Gophers coaches' salaries are on the rise

[AO54]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/150251295.html

The latest data I could find from 2009 shows:
Wisconsin spent $22 Million on football for a $16.6 Million profit.
Minnesota spent $17.4 Million for a $14.9 Million profit.

From the article

Anderson earned $13,000 his first season as Gophers baseball coach in 1982, the job considered part-time despite the program having won three national titles. After threatening to resign, he became a full-time coach in 1986 at a salary of $25,000, which adjusting for inflation would be worth $52,525 in 2012.

Today Anderson earns $232,443 in total compensation. Nice bump from the $52K equivalent from the 80s despite zero College World Series appearances. He seems to realize he's not worth that as he's pushing for summer baseball to prove his worth a bit better. Would he quit if offered half of what he's getting now? What about the 15 or so other non-revenue coaches earning greater than $100k. How many more wins are we getting out of our $100k coaches that we couldn't get out of a $50k coach?

 

[dlw4gophers]

I don;t care how you look at it. In Minnesota the womens basketball coach should not be making more than the mens hockey coach. If this is what title IX has brought us, then it;s wrong.

 

[beavergopher]

I don;t care how you look at it. In Minnesota the womens basketball coach should not be making more than the mens hockey coach. If this is what title IX has brought us, then it;s wrong.

Please don't bring logic into this discussion.

 

[GoAUpher]

What about the 15 or so other non-revenue coaches earning greater than $100k. How many more wins are we getting out of our $100k coaches that we couldn't get out of a $50k coach?

And this $750,000 in "excess" non-rev coach salary that would be saved would do what exactly? It's not going to turn FB or BB around.

EDIT: And to clarify, I'm simply working with an arbitrary 100K to 50K comparison (which itself is an arbitrary number to use). I'm aware that the actual numbers of the non-revs vary.

 

[zambam]

And this $750,000 in "excess" non-rev coach salary that would be saved would do what exactly? It's not going to turn FB or BB around.

To be used on said non-revenue sports probably.

 

[AO54]

And this $750,000 in "excess" non-rev coach salary that would be saved would do what exactly? It's not going to turn FB or BB around.

EDIT: And to clarify, I'm simply working with an arbitrary 100K to 50K comparison (which itself is an arbitrary number to use). I'm aware that the actual numbers of the non-revs vary.

Lower tuition of course.

But I mean really, what's a million dollars. Can't build a new boathouse for less than $10 Million.

 

[RodentRampage]

Lower tuition of course.

But I mean really, what's a million dollars. Can't build a new boathouse for less than $10 Million.

No one is promoting building a new boathouse.

 

[highwayman]

Lower tuition of course.

But I mean really, what's a million dollars. Can't build a new boathouse for less than $10 Million.

How does lowering coaching salaries lower tuition, since they are in no way financially related?

 

[AO54]

it was a joke people......I know that they're not going to lower tuition or build a boathouse. Just poking fun at GoAUpher for trying to make it seem like $750K was nothing. $750K doesn't mean much when you're talking about a billion dollar football stadium, but when you're talking about it taking multiple years to scrape together $20 Million for a baseball stadium or basketball practice facility, it matters.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

Women's basketball shouldn't be in that big of a negative deficit ( 2 million +) It has been proven when the ladies win, they draw. ( Whalen era) Teague has to change that to at least sustaining, and maybe a small profit. It will be interesting to see how Teague handles Borton and that " Great Wall of China" she has built around her with the matriarch alumni circle. I honestly think one of the main reasons Maturi retired was he got tired of dealing with the everyday whining of Borton and her pack of matriarch bitches.

 

[GoAUpher]

$750K doesn't mean much when you're talking about a billion dollar football stadium, but when you're talking about it taking multiple years to scrape together $20 Million for a baseball stadium or basketball practice facility, it matters.

When the athletic budget is over 75 million, 750K is 1%. When it comes to the biggest and most important changes that need to be made it really isn't much. It won't turn around FB or BB. It won't get a practice facility built for BB. That money will not be used for capital projects because that's not how these projects are funded. At best, it might allow them to hire another strength coach and get a nicer training table. But those aren't going to cure what ails FB.

But most importantly, you haven't bothered to actually make an actual argument. You take an idea (non-revs are overpaid) but don't bother to investigate whether that is true compared to other coaches at this level or when compared to coaches whose teams fare comparatively well in competition. You then tie it to an idea (look at the money we could save if we simply paid for cheaper coaches) without bothering to show whether you could hire a credible coach for any sport you group together for the price you list. All for saving approx 1% of the budget, a number that won't begin to address the institutional and structural issues that face basketball or football.

 

[AO54]

When the athletic budget is over 75 million, 750K is 1%. When it comes to the biggest and most important changes that need to be made it really isn't much. It won't turn around FB or BB. It won't get a practice facility built for BB. That money will not be used for capital projects because that's not how these projects are funded. At best, it might allow them to hire another strength coach and get a nicer training table. But those aren't going to cure what ails FB.

But most importantly, you haven't bothered to actually make an actual argument. You take an idea (non-revs are overpaid) but don't bother to investigate whether that is true compared to other coaches at this level or when compared to coaches whose teams fare comparatively well in competition. You then tie it to an idea (look at the money we could save if we simply paid for cheaper coaches) without bothering to show whether you could hire a credible coach for any sport you group together for the price you list. All for saving approx 1% of the budget, a number that won't begin to address the institutional and structural issues that face basketball or football.

A strength coach and nicer food at the training table? Are we hiring Schwarzenegger and eating nothing but caviar?

Zimbalist said a recent study comparing program expenses for the FBS (I-A) schools to FCS (I-AA) showed that on the average the FBS schools were spending $351,517 more per program -- and the difference was at least $250,000 in every sport. Baseball teams were spending an average of $830,000 more per school, women's rowing $707,573 and men's and women's track and field both more than $500,000 per sport

So, yes, many other schools are spending a lot less than we are, and I couldn't really care less how much less successful those programs might be.

 

[GoAUpher]

A strength coach and nicer food at the training table? Are we hiring Schwarzenegger and eating nothing but caviar?

You actually think replacing all the non-revs with a cheaper alternatives is going to happen? At best, your "plan" could be executed for a handful of sports (thus the savings would be much lower). As a result, you wouldn't even be talking about the full 750K. The savings your talking about are on the margins and are a drop in the bucket. Better fundraising is the key to improving things for the rev sports.

So, yes, many other schools are spending a lot less than we are, and I couldn't really care less how much less successful those programs might be.

Translation: I'm too lazy to actually defend my argument or even attempt to do so. I'd rather say folks are overpaid, pick an arbitrary number that sounds good and is round, and then point to this as the salvation for football.

 

[station19]

Often when there is a management change, things seems to stay pretty much the same or a least appear to. Most often there are subtle changes behind the scenes.

I don't think that will be the case with Teague. I think there will be some 'oh really' type changes in the near future. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[AO54]

How is $351,517 an arbitrary number? Read the quote from my post again. That's per program, not just per school. The $750K is just the head coaches. It's not just head coaching salaries that have shot up. We don't spend 72 out of the 75 Million on football, men's basketball and hockey.

You're making a lot of assumptions about my plan. My plan would be to jettison football and men's basketball from the athletic department and let them operate independently. Title IX can stick it!

 

[RodentRampage]

You're making a lot of assumptions about my plan. My plan would be to jettison football and men's basketball from the athletic department and let them operate independently. Title IX can stick it!

It wouldn't be the Minnesota Gophers anymore if they were somehow spun off from the University. If you don't like Title IX, there's the NFL, the CFL, the Arena League and semi-pro football. There is plenty of football that doesn't have to deal with Title IX at all. Feel free to watch as much of it as you like.

 

[AO54]

It wouldn't be the Minnesota Gophers anymore if they were somehow spun off from the University. If you don't like Title IX, there's the NFL, the CFL, the Arena League and semi-pro football. There is plenty of football that doesn't have to deal with Title IX at all. Feel free to watch as much of it as you like.

Last I checked, 6 national titles had nothing to do with title IX.

 

[RodentRampage]

Last I checked, 6 national titles had nothing to do with title IX.

What's your point? Here's a news flash for you, those 6 national titles had EVERYTHING to do with the University of Minnesota. If you spun off the football team into a private entity, it would simply be just another minor league football team, they wouldn't be the Minnesota Gophers anymore if they weren't part of the University of Minnesota. They would become no more meaningful than the Minnesota Sting, the semi-pro team in Roseville.

 

[AO54]

What's your point? Here's a news flash for you, those 6 national titles had EVERYTHING to do with the University of Minnesota. If you spun off the football team into a private entity, it would simply be just another minor league football team, they wouldn't be the Minnesota Gophers anymore if they weren't part of the University of Minnesota. They would become no more meaningful than the Minnesota Sting, the semi-pro team in Roseville.

I didn't say spin football away from the U, just from the rest of the sports. The profit would still flow to the U, but the budget would not be constrained by the desire for a high-priced new volleyball coach.

 

[dpodoll68]

I didn't say spin football away from the U, just from the rest of the sports. The profit would still flow to the U, but the budget would not be constrained by the desire for a high-priced new volleyball coach.

If this were legal, every football program in the country would do it. You may as well advocate for eliminating womens' sports altogether.

 

[GopherHomer]

Title IX is not the only villain in the situation. John Anderson and J Robinson, as well as the other non-revenue coaches are paid about decimal point more than they should be. I see no difference between our wrestling program and our women's rowing team. Title IX makes things difficult, but there are just as many problems on the men's side. Football, Basketball, Hockey...all the rest can take whatever crumbs are left.

 

[Deleted_User]

If this were legal, every football program in the country would do it. You may as well advocate for eliminating womens' sports altogether.

Couldn't the U athletic department become separate operating companies and the U be the holding company of record? Just saying it is possible to skirt the law using existing law as a framework. Not sure how this would affect Title ix, if at all. I think a sure fire way to make it work is have all the football home games be played in Canada, or better yet, Jamaica. All revenue would be offshore, and would not have to be repatriated.