Football and basketball coaches’ salaries at big universities are jaw-droppingly high. They’re also pretty substantial at lesser schools too. And it’s not always easy to find out exactly how much they’re being paid.
In today’s Martin Center article, Ashlynn Warta looks at head-coaching salaries throughout the UNC system, ranging from the big powerhouses (Chapel Hill and NC State) to the small schools like Elizabeth City State.
She reports that base salaries are a matter of public record (topped in football by the $2.4 million the head coach at NC State makes) but also that there is a good deal of supplemental compensation that is not. Warta writes, “While these base-pay data are helpful, they don’t give the entire picture. With ‘other pay’— sponsorships, benefits, etc.—it is likely that base pay is merely the tip of the iceberg.”
Also, most coaches have a “buyout” clause that can add a lot to the total. “As with salaries,” Warta continues, “buyout amounts vary widely, but they can become hefty depending on which coach is under discussion. For example, Roy Williams, who retired as UNC-Chapel Hill’s men’s basketball coach last year, had a total compensation package of $4,168,250 in 2021 and a whopping $7,612,500 buyout.”
Nice work if you can get it.