Why some NCAA football coaches justifiably deserve more money

[MamaMia]

Concerning Division I college football coaches, there is such a wide range in the salaries, bonuses and different types of payouts. What all goes into the equation?

[MI Sooner]

Supply and demand

[MamaMia]

So, can anyone apply for one of these gigs? :)

[badger]

Concerning Division I college football coaches, there is such a wide range in the salaries, bonuses and different types of payouts. What all goes into the equation?

Here in Oklahoma, we have three distinct coaches at our three major college football programs. Save the Aggy/Cane jokes, they're Division 1, so that makes them major in this discussion.

OU: Stoops has won a national championship, countless conference championships and keeps OU in the national title discussion most preseasons and most seasons. He gets paid like he does because it adds security and stability to a good thing that we have going on here (compared to what we had going on in the 90s, yes). It might have changed since, but he received a 7-year extension worth $34.5M in 2011. So, just shy of $5 million per season.

OSU: Gundy almost sold himself short by admitting to George Steinbrenner... rather, T. Bone Pick that he was at his "New York Yankees job" when it came time to discuss a contract extension during the last offseason. OSU gave one of their alumni a big break into the college football business by giving a relatively young coach (Come after me! I'm a man! ...you know the rest) a head coaching job in the Big 12. So, they dawdled a bit in settling on a number to pay Gundy, knowing that he was where he wanted to be, but at the same time acknowledge that he won them a Big 12 title and a BCS bowl (DAMN YOU, STANFORD!!!!!). So, they finally settled on about $29 million over 8 years, which was reported to be about $3.7 million per season.

Tulsa: Tulsa tried to stick with their established guy in Todd Graham, and even gave him a 10-year contract. Well, Graham has since jumped from Pitt to ASU (now making $2 mil annually), so TU basically said "Eff it, we are the smallest D1 program and have a 30k stadium we have trouble filling, so let's just go with someone local." And they did, with Bill Blankenship, a former high school coach (Union) with no college head coaching experience. He was TU's wide receivers coach before becoming Graham's successor in 2010. While TU is a private school, Blankenship reportedly makes $900,000 annually.

So, there's a few factors that seem to be in play:

1- What have you done at the college level. Longevity, championships, wins, etc. are all a factor
2- How badly do I need to hire/retain you. Will the fans kill me if you leave, do you have other job offers, do I need to hire you from somewhere else, etc.
3- How badly do you want this job. Have a resume to build? Have something to prove? Have a chip on your shoulder? We'll pay you like it --- on the cheap compared to your colleagues!

One thing that doesn't seem to be a factor is "what have you done for me lately." OU never seems to mind giving Stoops raises and extensions, even after Sun Bowl victories as opposed to Fiesta Bowl victories. So long as you have done it, you'll get raises/extensions.

Also, pay cuts seem to not be a factor, either. Sure, if you go from being Arizona's head coach to OU's defensive coordinator, you might get a pay cut, but if you stay in the same job at the same school, your pay is only going to go up... till you get fired. Then, you can continue getting your pay for years after your firing like Mark Mangino, Turner Gill, and soon, Charlie Weis (YOU ARE IDIOTS, KANSAS! ID-I-OTS!)

[goingoneight]

Bottom line is you pay for a winner and a good staff. If you don't, someone else will. And you won't like what you're left with.

If schools don't like coaches making that much bank, then put a salary cap on D1 coaching.