Should Saban Surpass Brown in Salary?

[crimsonaudio]

Good grief! Don't these head coaches already make enough money? It is absolutely ridiculous to insist that Coach Saban be the highest paid coach in the country because he won the MNC. So, we give him a raise and pay him $6 mill because of the championship win. What if next year Texas wins the championship, does Brown's salary then go to $7 mill. If Bama wins the following year does Saban's salary go to $8 mill. This stupid trend has to stop at some point. I say UA makes a stand now and leaves the salary alone, unless coach Saban insist on renegotiating it.

For the record, after last season the Uni approached CNS offering him a pay increase and he asked to extend his contract instead.

I think we sit back and give him what he wants - if he doesn't ask, then what's the point?

 

[JPT4Bama]

I am a bit disappointed in some here who feel like Coach Saban is all about the money.

This usually reveals more about the individual's (poster) point of view than the reality of what Coach Saban is about. IMO

If money alone drove the man he would return to the NFL.

 

[Hal Bennett]

Another First for Nick Saban?

In about 1956 I was a young teenager when Mickey Mantle made $100,000.00 a year and this was considered an astronomical sum to pay a professional athlete.

Then in 1965 Joe Namath came along and was paid $400,000.00 by Sonny Werblin to sign with the New York Jets. This was just garish and uncalled for -- that was the national perception.

Then the salaries got into the millions of dollars -- and then the tens of millions of dollars. A hundred million dollar contract for someone like Chipper Jones or Alex Rodriguez is ho-hum, par for the course now.

And we are asking whether it is OK to raise Nick Saban's salary from around four million a year?

Hey, you know, Bear Bryant spent his career doing things that caused the NCAA to change the rules. They don't seem to ever gotten over thinking that Alabama is the squeaky wheel that needs the grease.

The SEC broke the mold when they established two divisions and a league football championship, and Alabama was one of the two teams that began this trend -- the other being Florida. This practice has been followed by the Big 12, and now the Big Ten is considering it.

Nick Saban has established quite a few "FIRSTS" here in three years. First Heismann winner, first time for two undefeated regular seasons, first time a coach has won two NCAA football championships at two different schools, etc, etc.

Hey, man -- you want to KEEP this guy? The figure I keep hearing is $30 million he's responsible for that wouldn't have been in the school's coffers.

Posiitive reinforcement -- that turns the key to keeping someone -- ANYONE -- happy at what they are doing.

Alabama is FIRST in college football right now -- let's keep that in mind when it comes to our response as to what this great college football coach has done here.

 

[bmcklv]

An additional bonus (and pleasant one) for us fans is the fact that if we give him say $5.2M/yr., doesn't that mean that LSWho has to give the hat $5.201M for losing 5 games?

 

[crimsonaudio]

An additional bonus (and pleasant one) for us fans is the fact that if we give him say $5.2M/yr., doesn't that mean that LSWho has to give the hat $5.201M for losing 5 games?

No, those contracts are fulfilled at that time - IOW, when he won it all, he became the highest paid at that time.

Otherwise, if any other coach in the country has that in their contract, both salaries would continually escalate.

 

[ABamaManNTX]

The answer to the question posed is a definite: YES!

This year has surpassed anything that I expected. I have enough memories from this Great Season to last the rest of my life. However, I would like to add to my Bama memories.

Who is RESPONSIBLE for our excitement?

Coach Saban.

He deserves it more that the Kobe Bryants, et al who have HUGE salaries. He doesn't score 50+ points in a game, hit mega home runs, etc. He has turned around the fortunes at The University of Alabama. He has put our frustrations of the past 17 years in the rearview mirror!

 

[Rasputin]

The answer to the question posed is a definite: YES!

This year has surpassed anything that I expected. I have enough memories from this Great Season to last the rest of my life. However, I would like to add to my Bama memories.

Who is RESPONSIBLE for our excitement?

Coach Saban.

He deserves it more that the Kobe Bryants, et al who have HUGE salaries. He doesn't score 50+ points in a game, hit mega home runs, etc. He has turned around the fortunes at The University of Alabama. He has put our frustrations of the past 17 years in the rearview mirror!

Due to the type of economy we live in; free enterprise capitalism, the Kobe's of the world will continue to make more money than head football coaches in college.

We all agree Saban is a great coach, but we don't dictate the salaries of football coaches by our opinion, nor should we. The almighty dollar sign will continue to do so!

I also agree that Saban has brought us back to prominence as quick or quicker than any of us could have imagined...but this is not a reason for him to become the highest paid coach in the game.

Here is what Mal Moore could say to Saban if he theoretically wanted a new raise (which I don't believe he does)

Personally I enjoy diet dr. pepper immensely and would probably pay 2 dollars per can to drink one, at times. Does this mean that diet dr. pepper should now start to charge 2 dollars for every can to every person just because I personally like it so much...

Thank you Coach Saban for all you have done for this program, you are my diet dr. pepper. Unfortunately your salary falls right into line of where we think it should within today's economy.:biggrin2:

 

[cbi1972]

No, those contracts are fulfilled at that time - IOW, when he won it all, he became the highest paid at that time.

Otherwise, if any other coach in the country has that in their contract, both salaries would continually escalate.

Urban Meyer got a raise. Does that mean Les Miles gets one too? - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Not so fast, says LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette, who I called up for the fine print: Miles will only get the $1,000 bump "if he wins the national championship this year," Bonnette said, which corresponds with the AP's widely disseminated accounts then and now. (Go AP.) This should have already been obvious, because Miles already made slightly less than Saban last year. Originally, Bonnette said, the clause would make Miles the highest paid coach in the country, but it was amended to avoid any ludicrous raises -- or expensive new hires -- at USC or Notre Dame that a public school couldn't justify.

The applicability of Miles' salary-matching contract is much more limited than most media reports would indicate.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

For the record, after last season the Uni approached CNS offering him a pay increase and he asked to extend his contract instead.

I think we sit back and give him what he wants - if he doesn't ask, then what's the point?

That's exactly what will happen, and he will be given exactly what he wants. However, what he wants, most don't understand. The initial salary, less than what he made in Miami, was theoretically the highest coach in the land. It was always an illusion. He turned around and gave back one million to the University, so it was really 3 million. CNS wanted the PR splash for recruiting purposes - "Highest Paid Coach in the Land." Don't think recruits didn't notice that. Now, the money is almost an afterthought.

On the incentive question, the "matching" provision really doesn't usually include incentives, TV contracts and the like. FOT, that would be rewarding one coach directly for another's success. In many cases, those side deals are private matters between booster groups and private corporations. They aren't usually discoverable by state FOI statutes. AL's is notoriously weak. SC's is surprisingly strong.

Thank you Coach Saban for all you have done for this program, you are my diet dr. pepper. Unfortunately your salary falls right into line of where we think it should within today's economy.

That's about the most unMal-like remark I've ever heard...


Edit: CB, your post came in while I was typing. Thanks...

 

[JeffAtlanta]

Texas can afford to pay mack b/c we make more money than any other college sports program. By a lot.

Is this accurate? In a report I saw a year or two ago, UGA was the most profitable athletic department in the country.

 

[TommyMac]

Good grief! Don't these head coaches already make enough money? It is absolutely ridiculous to insist that Coach Saban be the highest paid coach in the country because he won the MNC. So, we give him a raise and pay him $6 mill because of the championship win. What if next year Texas wins the championship, does Brown's salary then go to $7 mill. If Bama wins the following year does Saban's salary go to $8 mill. This stupid trend has to stop at some point. I say UA makes a stand now and leaves the salary alone, unless coach Saban insist on renegotiating it.

That's kinda the way it works, the most successful among us make the most money. Its the way we keep score in the game of life. '

 

[hornfan06]

I am not in any way saying that Saban doesn't deserve to make as much money as Brown, but Texas does indeed have a great deal more revenue/profits than Alabama does, which obviously has an effect on how much you can pay the coach.

In the last year, Texas had revenue of $119 million, and profits of $59 million (1st among all programs), while Alabama had revenue of $92 million, and profits of $38 million, according to Forbes. Those are pretty significant differences.

In Pictures: College Football's 20 Most Valuable Teams - 1. Texas Longhorns - Forbes.com

 

[NYBamaFan]

I am not in any way saying that Saban doesn't deserve to make as much money as Brown, but Texas does indeed have a great deal more revenue/profits than Alabama does, which obviously has an effect on how much you can pay the coach.

In the last year, Texas had revenue of $119 million, and profits of $59 million (1st among all programs), while Alabama had revenue of $92 million, and profits of $38 million, according to Forbes. Those are pretty significant differences.

In Pictures: College Football's 20 Most Valuable Teams - 1. Texas Longhorns - Forbes.com

LOL - maybe, but we don't care...

 

[SeattleBama]

Saban deserves more IMHO.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I am not in any way saying that Saban doesn't deserve to make as much money as Brown, but Texas does indeed have a great deal more revenue/profits than Alabama does, which obviously has an effect on how much you can pay the coach.

You do realize the school only pays a small fraction of the total salary, right?

Besides, unless we're talking about paying $20M/year (or more), it matters not - both schools can afford to pay whatever they want.

And oh yah, you may make more money, but we won. :biggrin2:

 

[davefrat]

Do you really think Coach Saban is overpaid? I don't, he has easily justified his salary, both in prestige and the old bottom line. If he were a stock, he'd be considered a phenomenal buy.

yes. i think it's absurd for a college coach to make 5 million a year. i'm not saying he shouldn't be allowed to make that, or 10 or 20 million a year. but i still think it's absurd.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

yes. i think it's absurd for a college coach to make 5 million a year. i'm not saying he shouldn't be allowed to make that, or 10 or 20 million a year. but i still think it's absurd.

Twice during interview in CA, Saban said "we're in the entertainment business." It brought me up short. It's the truth. Entertainment salaries and budgets do seem to be "absurd" to us work-a-day types. But it's a very big stage...

 

[DemTide]

I didnt read the whole thread so I dont know if this has already been said...

What exactly did Alabama expect from Saban when they all agreed to pay him an avg of $4 mil/ year? I confidently assume that they paid him that much to win a National Championship (ok, they wanted him to resurrect this program, but to do that by winning a NC, among other things). Yea, he did it a little faster than expected, but its not like Saban has come in here and surprised ANYONE by winning a NC. The day he was hired, everyone (including ESPN, who allegedly hates UA) knew he was here to win a NC. We hired him becasue we wanted to dominate college football, and we are doing just that. So, basically what Im getting at is, has Saban really surpassed expectations, or simply met them?
Dont get me wrong, I am estatic over the job he has done, but that doesnt mean we have to throw MORE money at him. Texas thinks that an elite coach should be paid $5 mil/year, Alabama thinks an elite coach should be an avg $4 mil/year. If Saban came asking for a raise because he thought his performance thus far has exceeded his initial salary, then by all means, I would not be opposed. I highly doubt Saban will do that, because in my mind he is verrry business oriented, and he knows exactly what he was hired for. I have never even sniffed a fraction of that amount of money, but it seems like I would feel a little weird getting hired to accomplish 'x', and then doing just that, and my employer says "Well, you actually did 'x', so lets throw you another $1 mil". I know the circumstances are a little different, but in some ways it is the same.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I didnt read the whole thread so I dont know if this has already been said...

What exactly did Alabama expect from Saban when they all agreed to pay him an avg of $4 mil/ year? I confidently assume that they paid him that much to win a National Championship (ok, they wanted him to resurrect this program, but to do that by winning a NC, among other things). Yea, he did it a little faster than expected, but its not like Saban has come in here and surprised ANYONE by winning a NC. The day he was hired, everyone (including ESPN, who allegedly hates UA) knew he was here to win a NC. We hired him becasue we wanted to dominate college football, and we are doing just that. So, basically what Im getting at is, has Saban really surpassed expectations, or simply met them?
Dont get me wrong, I am estatic over the job he has done, but that doesnt mean we have to throw MORE money at him. Texas thinks that an elite coach should be paid $5 mil/year, Alabama thinks an elite coach should be an avg $4 mil/year. If Saban came asking for a raise because he thought his performance thus far has exceeded his initial salary, then by all means, I would not be opposed. I highly doubt Saban will do that, because in my mind he is verrry business oriented, and he knows exactly what he was hired for. I have never even sniffed a fraction of that amount of money, but it seems like I would feel a little weird getting hired to accomplish 'x', and then doing just that, and my employer says "Well, you actually did 'x', so lets throw you another $1 mil". I know the circumstances are a little different, but in some ways it is the same.

Well, by not reading, you missed my point above that the 4 million was a sham, non-Lane-type PR. He turned around and gave 1 million back to the University. But making him the "highest-paid" coach garnered a lot of recruiting attention. He's made his four since then, but he's also carted home a bushel of incentives, including west last year, west + SECC this year and then $400K for the MNC. We'll pay what he asks, but he won't ask for much more, except for assistants and facilities...

 

[CapstoneGrad06]

I am not in any way saying that Saban doesn't deserve to make as much money as Brown, but Texas does indeed have a great deal more revenue/profits than Alabama does, which obviously has an effect on how much you can pay the coach.

In the last year, Texas had revenue of $119 million, and profits of $59 million (1st among all programs), while Alabama had revenue of $92 million, and profits of $38 million, according to Forbes. Those are pretty significant differences.

In Pictures: College Football's 20 Most Valuable Teams - 1. Texas Longhorns - Forbes.com

Yes, us poor Alabama folk and our small revenue producing football program.