Eric the Red
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Callahan won't see his salary take a giant leap
Published Wednesday
July 19, 2006
Callahan won't see his salary take a giant leap
BY RICH KAIPUST
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN - More than 10 percent of all NCAA Division I-A head football coaches reportedly are making $2 million annually, but Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson said there is no pressure to rush Bill Callahan toward that category.
Bill Callahan is in the third season of a six-year contract that pays him more than $1.5 million in total compensation. He was granted a 12 percent raise a year ago that bumped his base salary to $364,088.
Callahan is heading into the third season of a six-year contract that pays him more than $1.5 million in total compensation.
"We've always said we want to pay our coaches fairly, and when we think they're doing a good job we're going to pay them," Pederson said. "I think we paid aggressively in the beginning when Coach Callahan signed his contract."
There has been a recent spike in college football, including Kirk Ferentz doubling his salary at Iowa (to $2.7 million) and Jim Tressel signing an extension at Ohio State with a $500,000 bonus that will help him make $2.4 million in 2006. Bobby Petrino last week signed a 10-year contract with Louisville that will start him at $1.6 million in base salary next season, although bonuses also could take him over the $2 million mark.
At midseason in 2005, Notre Dame used a reported $3.3 million annual package to make Charlie Weis the highest paid college head coach. Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll is at $3 million after making the Trojans the nation's most dominant program in recent years.
Overall, 13 coaches will make $2 million next season in Division I-A. Three of those are in the Big 12 - Mack Brown at Texas ($2.55 million), Bob Stoops at Oklahoma ($2.5 million) and Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M ($2 million).
Pederson said he isn't necessarily concerned that some schools are driving up the prices for others.
"I think it just depends on what the institution wants to do," he said. "I don't know if you can judge what somebody else is doing. I think you just make the best decisions with your coaches at that time. Obviously some schools feel like that's where they need to be with their coaches."
Of those in the $2 million club, all but Weis and Florida's Urban Meyer have shorter tenures at their current school than Callahan. Six of the 13 have won at least one national championship.
Callahan was up for a pay raise July 1, but Pederson won't comment until his annual NU athletic department budget meeting with reporters in coming days. Although Callahan's contract does not require that he receive annual increases, he was granted a 12 percent raise a year ago that bumped his base salary from $325,000 to $364,088.
Asked if Callahan might be in the $2 million range soon, Pederson said: "I don't know if I want to get into discussing salaries. I know Bill's not a guy who spends a lot of time thinking about it."
Gary O'Hagan, Callahan's agent, said his client was treated well financially when hired in January 2004, just after being let go by the Oakland Raiders.
"I think Nebraska was great in hiring Bill in the way they did and I think Bill was great for Nebraska," said O'Hagan, president of the coaches division of the International Management Group in Minnetonka, Minn. "I think it was a fair exchange of where the market was and where Bill was at that time."
O'Hagan, who represents more than 40 college and National Football League coaches, said some salaries are deceiving, particularly those that are part of long-term contracts.
"The most important thing in the contract, as far as what's real, is how much is guaranteed," he said.
Other coaches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Charlie Weis, Notre Dame, $3.3 million
• Pete Carroll, Southern Cal, $3.0 million
• Kirk Ferentz, Iowa, $2.7 million
• Tommy Tuberville, Auburn, $2.6 million
• Mack Brown, Texas, $2.5 million
• Bob Stoops, OU, $2.5 million
• Jim Tressel, Ohio State, $2.4 million
• Frank Beamer, Va. Tech, $2.1 million
• Bobby Bowden, Fla. St., $2.1 million
• Phil Fulmer, Tennessee, $2.1 million
• Urban Meyer, Florida, $2.0 million
• Dennis Franchione, A&M, $2.0 million
• Mark Richt, Georgia, $2.0 million
Note: Compiled through newspaper reports
Published Wednesday
July 19, 2006
Callahan won't see his salary take a giant leap
BY RICH KAIPUST
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN - More than 10 percent of all NCAA Division I-A head football coaches reportedly are making $2 million annually, but Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson said there is no pressure to rush Bill Callahan toward that category.
Bill Callahan is in the third season of a six-year contract that pays him more than $1.5 million in total compensation. He was granted a 12 percent raise a year ago that bumped his base salary to $364,088.
Callahan is heading into the third season of a six-year contract that pays him more than $1.5 million in total compensation.
"We've always said we want to pay our coaches fairly, and when we think they're doing a good job we're going to pay them," Pederson said. "I think we paid aggressively in the beginning when Coach Callahan signed his contract."
There has been a recent spike in college football, including Kirk Ferentz doubling his salary at Iowa (to $2.7 million) and Jim Tressel signing an extension at Ohio State with a $500,000 bonus that will help him make $2.4 million in 2006. Bobby Petrino last week signed a 10-year contract with Louisville that will start him at $1.6 million in base salary next season, although bonuses also could take him over the $2 million mark.
At midseason in 2005, Notre Dame used a reported $3.3 million annual package to make Charlie Weis the highest paid college head coach. Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll is at $3 million after making the Trojans the nation's most dominant program in recent years.
Overall, 13 coaches will make $2 million next season in Division I-A. Three of those are in the Big 12 - Mack Brown at Texas ($2.55 million), Bob Stoops at Oklahoma ($2.5 million) and Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M ($2 million).
Pederson said he isn't necessarily concerned that some schools are driving up the prices for others.
"I think it just depends on what the institution wants to do," he said. "I don't know if you can judge what somebody else is doing. I think you just make the best decisions with your coaches at that time. Obviously some schools feel like that's where they need to be with their coaches."
Of those in the $2 million club, all but Weis and Florida's Urban Meyer have shorter tenures at their current school than Callahan. Six of the 13 have won at least one national championship.
Callahan was up for a pay raise July 1, but Pederson won't comment until his annual NU athletic department budget meeting with reporters in coming days. Although Callahan's contract does not require that he receive annual increases, he was granted a 12 percent raise a year ago that bumped his base salary from $325,000 to $364,088.
Asked if Callahan might be in the $2 million range soon, Pederson said: "I don't know if I want to get into discussing salaries. I know Bill's not a guy who spends a lot of time thinking about it."
Gary O'Hagan, Callahan's agent, said his client was treated well financially when hired in January 2004, just after being let go by the Oakland Raiders.
"I think Nebraska was great in hiring Bill in the way they did and I think Bill was great for Nebraska," said O'Hagan, president of the coaches division of the International Management Group in Minnetonka, Minn. "I think it was a fair exchange of where the market was and where Bill was at that time."
O'Hagan, who represents more than 40 college and National Football League coaches, said some salaries are deceiving, particularly those that are part of long-term contracts.
"The most important thing in the contract, as far as what's real, is how much is guaranteed," he said.
Other coaches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Charlie Weis, Notre Dame, $3.3 million
• Pete Carroll, Southern Cal, $3.0 million
• Kirk Ferentz, Iowa, $2.7 million
• Tommy Tuberville, Auburn, $2.6 million
• Mack Brown, Texas, $2.5 million
• Bob Stoops, OU, $2.5 million
• Jim Tressel, Ohio State, $2.4 million
• Frank Beamer, Va. Tech, $2.1 million
• Bobby Bowden, Fla. St., $2.1 million
• Phil Fulmer, Tennessee, $2.1 million
• Urban Meyer, Florida, $2.0 million
• Dennis Franchione, A&M, $2.0 million
• Mark Richt, Georgia, $2.0 million
Note: Compiled through newspaper reports
