$200K for a head football coach?

[usc4valpo]

In another post, they showed that the head football coach at Valp  is paid $200K annually. In reality, Valpo has a non-scholarship, Div 3-like football program. Is this reasonable? Are Division I non-scholarship and Division 3 coaches getting paid this much? I am blown away by this.

[valpotx]

Sounds about right to me.  I would hope that we pay that much, and imagine that many D-3 schools pay similar.  I remember that my HS football coach made over $100k back in 1999, so I have to think that our salary is more than fair to both coach and Valpo.

[usc4valpo]

ok, thanks.

[agibson]

Sounds about right to me.  I would hope that we pay that much, and imagine that many D-3 schools pay similar.  I remember that my HS football coach made over $100k back in 1999, so I have to think that our salary is more than fair to both coach and Valpo.

I'm not _surprised_ to hear the HS salary, exactly, particularly if it was in TX. But, it really is something that already at the HS level a coach might be a school's highest paid employee (or maybe comparable to a superintendent or something?). At least some places, some of the coaches are working for modest/moderate stipends, very much part time.

Maybe it's my comment that USC's referring to, but I was a bit surprised to see the VU football salary. I guess they have a bigger staff, and more athletes, than other sports, but...

He seems to prune his Twitter feed heavily, but Landon Donovan (one of the greatest, male?, US soccer players all-time) said it well recently, "In my opinion, all great teachers should be paid more than great athletes. Unfortunately, society doesn't agree." I don't know if I _100%_ agree with the statement. But, you have to wonder about a society's priorities...

[VUOR63]

Keep in mind, the football program is non scholarship.  100 players x $25K tuition is an extra $2,500,000 to the University.  No football team means you'll have less men in the pool of students which is also a problem at smaller private schools.  Not to mention, football alumni generally give more back to the athletic department than athletes in other sports.

All those variables means $200K is more than reasonable.

[usc4valpo]

That last post made the coach look like a used Chevy dealer! SOunds like he is making big dollars to bring in cash.

[VU2624]

That last post made the coach look like a used Chevy dealer! SOunds like he is making big dollars to bring in cash.

To a certain degree he, as with all collegiate football coaches, are.

I would have been shocked to find out he was paid less than that.

[VUOR63]

USC4Valpo, I bought a used chevy from the used car dealer four years in a row and given the chance to do it again, I'd definitely make the same purchase.  I got a degree, sure.  But I consider myself an alum of the football program. 

[usc4valpo]

I get the message. But it does appear Valpo brings in students and much revenue through the football program. We now need to see sustainable success, which has not been seen in a while.

[ml2]

The only salary information publicly available is from Valpo's form 990, which all tax exempt organizations have to file. The most recent form available is from 2013, which lists Coach Carlson as making over 200k. However, Coach Carlson does not appear on the list of highest compensated employees on either the 2012 or 2011 form 990s. Combining these facts with the timing of his departure after the 2013 season and my guess would be that 200k did not reflect his actual annual salary, but rather a buy out of his remaining contract at the time he was let go as coach.

This discussion of football salaries peaked my interest, so I pulled up the 990s for some other schools as well. For the 2013 year (again, the most recent available) only one PFL school listed their football coach among their highest compensated employees, and that was Jacksonville, who reported paying Kerwin Bell $365,000. Below are the lowest "top" salaries listed for each private PFL school in 2013, which doesn't tell us exactly what their football coaches made, but does give us a ceiling on what the most they possibly could have received is.

Butler: $205,000
Davidson: $176,000
Dayton: $162,000
Campbell: $127,000
Drake: $201,000
San Diego: $171,000
Marist: $197,000
Stetson: $153,000

In addition, valpotx also raised an interesting point about D3 coaches. Obviously, this is a small sample, but I checked a few of these as well. Neither DePauw nor Wabash lists a football coach among their highest paid employees, nor does St. Thomas in Minnesota, who was this past year's runner up. However, D3 football juggernaut, Mount Union did pay their Athletic Director (and retiring football coach), $321,000. Hope this information is helpful. If anyone else is interested in looking at form 990s I recommend getting a free Guidestar account. You can look up any private, non-profit university in the country and see their top employee's job titles and salaries for the year in question.

[FWalum]

The only salary information publicly available is from Valpo's form 990, which all tax exempt organizations have to file. The most recent form available is from 2013, which lists Coach Carlson as making over 200k. However, Coach Carlson does not appear on the list of highest compensated employees on either the 2012 or 2011 form 990s. Combining these facts with the timing of his departure after the 2013 season and my guess would be that 200k did not reflect his actual annual salary, but rather a buy out of his remaining contract at the time he was let go as coach.

This discussion of football salaries peaked my interest, so I pulled up the 990s for some other schools as well. For the 2013 year (again, the most recent available) only one PFL school listed their football coach among their highest compensated employees, and that was Jacksonville, who reported paying Kerwin Bell $365,000. Below are the lowest "top" salaries listed for each private PFL school in 2013, which doesn't tell us exactly what their football coaches made, but does give us a ceiling on what the most they possibly could have received is.

Butler: $205,000
Davidson: $176,000
Dayton: $162,000
Campbell: $127,000
Drake: $201,000
San Diego: $171,000
Marist: $197,000
Stetson: $153,000

In addition, valpotx also raised an interesting point about D3 coaches. Obviously, this is a small sample, but I checked a few of these as well. Neither DePauw nor Wabash lists a football coach among their highest paid employees, nor does St. Thomas in Minnesota, who was this past year's runner up. However, D3 football juggernaut, Mount Union did pay their Athletic Director (and retiring football coach), $321,000. Hope this information is helpful. If anyone else is interested in looking at form 990s I recommend getting a free Guidestar account. You can look up any private, non-profit university in the country and see their top employee's job titles and salaries for the year in question.

Good insight and information. The buyout certainly makes sense. Wouldn't surprise me if Cecchini is making more than Carlson.

[agibson]

Well done. I'd noticed that the coach was a new addition that year, but didn't think of the buy out.

[usc4valpo]

Excellent information - thanks!!

[valporun]

Coach Carlson may have had some of the salary backloaded to the end of the contract. Also, many D-3 schools pay the head football coach to work as the AD or in another capacity in the athletic department, or to actually teach a few courses in an academic department to help them with their yearly salary. Wasn't it true that Homer had to teach some PE courses in his initial years at Valpo to compliment his salary?

[vu72]

Coach Carlson may have had some of the salary backloaded to the end of the contract. Also, many D-3 schools pay the head football coach to work as the AD or in another capacity in the athletic department, or to actually teach a few courses in an academic department to help them with their yearly salary. Wasn't it true that Homer had to teach some PE courses in his initial years at Valpo to compliment his salary?

[/b]

No idea about Homer, but I took Tennis and Bowling from Gene Bartow back in the day!