Jude 2

Roll Tide.

I think it's sickening what he's paid. The following is taken from the Sunday edition of the Huntsville Times.

Per terms of the original deal, Saban's salary was set to increase each year during the next four years. He made $3,750,000 during the 2008 season, with incentives pushing the total past $4 million. He was scheduled to earn $3.9 million this season, $4.1 million in 2010, $4.15 in 2011 and $4.2 million in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The new per-year average will be higher than the $4.125 million Saban was set to earn through the remaining six years on his original contract, though it's unclear if Saban receives a raise initially in the first years of the new arrangement.


I'm sorry but no coach is worth that kind of money. However, I think many of the teachers in today's schools deserve a much better salary. Our priorities here in Alabama are terribly out of order!

OK, I'll go back to my little corner and be quiet now.

Martha wrote: Our priorities here in Alabama are terribly out of order!

I wish it was isolated to only Alabama, but it's not. It's actually our society.

It isn't public money that pays him, though, beyond his base salary which is only about $300,000. Keep that in mind. It comes from boosters, appearance money, personal services fees, etc. That's all part of the contract. And, Saban isn't the highest paid coach in the SEC, let alone the nation. Les Miles, Urban Meyer make more than he does, as does Bob Swoops at Oklahoma.

When you consider all the money that Bama football generates for the University, and how much more since Saban was hired, it is a very fair deal. BUT, having said that, I personally hate the big numbers that are college football today. Who do you blame? ESPN? Fans? Alumni? I dunno.

All I know about it is I want my team to win.

dolfan wrote:It isn't public money that pays him, though, beyond his base salary which is only about $300,000.[/quote[

I'm not sure what you mean by "Public Money". Somebody in the public, be it a booster, an appearance fee, shoe contract, TV show is still public money. It may not be coming for the University and tax payers, but still public money.

Keep that in mind. It comes from boosters, appearance money, personal services fees, etc. That's all part of the contract. And, Saban isn't the highest paid coach in the SEC, let alone the nation. Les Miles, Urban Meyer make more than he does, as does Bob Swoops at Oklahoma.

As I stated earlier it's not a situation isolated to Alabama.

When you consider all the money that Bama football generates for the University, and how much more since Saban was hired, it is a very fair deal.

Is it? Because the football program is making money for women's soccer, women's softball, baseball, and the non-revenue sports.

BUT, having said that, I personally hate the big numbers that are college football today. Who do you blame? ESPN? Fans? Alumni? I dunno.

All I know about it is I want my team to win.

I think you answered your own question. You don't care what a coach is paid as long as your team is winning. Let Saban start losing, (which I don't see happening) and see how fast the Tide Nation turns on him. It's not ESPN's fault, it's the fans, Alumni who want to see their team win. Sometimes they will hire a guy with a checkered past, just to win. e.g. UK and John Calipari.

Public money, meaning from government funds. I don't know about you, but my money is mine. It isn't public. Let someone come into my private residence and try to get what little private money I've got and we'll have a very quick civics lesson. Unless the government directly pays someone, it isn't considered "publicly funded". That's what I mean by "public money".

I'm not justifying Saban's or anyone else's salary. The market sets it like it does everything else. It is what it is. Personally, I wish they all made something more down-to-earth, but while big money is still being paid to these guys, yeah I want my university and its supporters to fork out some and get a Saban and then win. Whether it is $4 million or $400,000 is not really important --- that's the scale we're on and so it is.

Bear Bryant got a cut of the gate when he was coaching Texas A&M in the 1950's, and got a salary of $25,000. He took a pay cut to $18,000 when he returned to Bama in 1958 because he didn't want to make more money than deans. But, he was sharp. He negotiated and got the rights to all Alabama game films. He was making about $200,000 per year (before he retired) from Coca-Cola and Golden Flake for sponsoring his coach's show. This was in the 1970's and early-early 80's. He never took a salary more than one dollar less than the university president. All of the rest of the money was the result of his own business acumen, and that's no different for many of these guys today. Bear Bryant owned part of Zeigler (the meat company), had a Volkswagen dealership, was a large shareholder in Alabama Farmers Insurance (now called Alfa, and which probably has offices in your state if you're in the southeast). He said, "I've been lucky that I've had a lot of good friends who've helped me make money." We should all be so lucky. He wouldn't have been had he not been good at what he did. Nor would any of these other coaches today.