Big Money Creates Big Expectations
The Omaha World-Herald discussed the salaries for Division 1 head football coaches. The dollar amounts are startling. Thirteen different coaches make $2.0 million a year or more in total compensation (base salary plus various bonuses). Two coaches - Charlie Weis at Notre Dame and Pete Carroll at USC - make $3 M or more. NU's Bill Callahan makes $1.5M in total compensation, and is in the third year of a six-year contract. Seeing these big dollar amounts got me thinking about expectations and how schools and fans may actually be getting a bad rap for their zeal in expecting results.
Every time a seemingly adequate coach is fired or called out for not meeting the expectations of a program, many bemoan how unfair the expectations have gotten. It's very common. Think not just of Solich at NU, but also Willingham at ND, Zook at Florida, and back to John Cooper at Ohio State. While universities make the call, the notion of unfair expectations is often laid at the feet of fans and boosters. After all, it is the fans who "vote with their pocketbooks" by purchasing tickets at ever-increasing prices, making donations to the program, and purchasing merchandise. There's an added layer of accountability for coaches at state-run schools, because the citizens in general also play some small part in paying them.
Those who believe expectations have run amuck might want to take a good look at the dollar amounts on this list.
Weis (ND) -- $3.3M
Carroll (USC)-- $3.0M
Ferentz (Iowa) -- $2.7M
Tuberville (Auburn) -- $2.6M
Brown (Texas) -- $2.5M
Stoops (OU) -- $2.5M
Tressel (Ohio State) -- $2.4M
Beamer (Va Tech) -- $2.1M
Bowden (FSU) -- $2.1M
Fulmer (Tennessee) -- $2.1M
Meyer (Florida) -- $2.0M
Franchione (A&M) -- $2.0M
Richt (Georgia) -- $2.0M
Keep it in Context
If those amounts lack meaning for you, I ask that you stop and consider them in some different contexts.
This is quite a bit like corporate America, where there is a great amount of accountability when it comes to finances. Those guys are paid like top executives in corporations or partners at firms. At those places, you're accountable to the board of directors and - in many cases - the shareholders. In that setting, getting paid these kinds of amounts means you accept that you are only as good as your last quarter or your last stock price. When a company underperforms and the stock price falls, executives often pay the price with their jobs. Nobody lines up to talk about how unfair it is for a fired CEO. Is college coaching really all that different any more?
Now take the big dollars away from the boardroom or the skybox and think about it in real provide-for-your-family terms. In that way, I don't feel bad for the guys on that list. I certainly don't want to hear about how a coach is under "pressure" in tough situations. Think of a family struggling to make their mortgage payment or a single mom working two jobs to feed her kids. Those people are under pressure. I'm not saying that college coaches are lazy, spoiled or pampered. By all accounts I've heard, they work extremely hard for their money. Callahan is a confirmed work-a-holic. But many other people work 60+ hours a week for far less and under very scary circumstances.
What's at Stake? The Root of Inflated Amounts And Expectations
You might have heard the phrase "a rising tide lifts all boats." Well, the college football tide is rising, both in terms of money and expectations, and coaches salaries just reflect that. In the age of the BCS payouts, conference title games, apparel deals, and big media money there is just a lot at stake for schools, financially. And, the more that is at stake or won, the more you can pay the folks to go and get that money. Yes the expectations are very high, but so is the salary, and so is the reward for the employer. It's pretty cut and dried.
And, at the end of the day, many coaches actually want high expectations. They thrive on them, or they wouldn't be in this job. If you want low expectations there are plenty of opportunities to flip burgers, or mow lawns, or...start a blog site.
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