Quote:Football Head Coach Thomas Hammock’s contract will keep him at NIU through January 2024, making a base salary of $500,000 per year.

The contract, acquired by the Northern Star through a Freedom of Information Act request, also awards $100,000 in donor engagement compensation based on evaluations from the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

https://northernstar.info/sports/hammock...e8b19.html

Less than Rod Carey. Makes sense, he has no head coaching experience and mostly experience as a position coach.

Or maybe he agreed to take less so that they could focus on increasing the rest of the staff's coaching salaries.

Or shows the dire financial situation we are in. Hammock will be one of the lowest paid coaches in the MAC and all of FBS.

Right guy. Right time. Thank you Temple.

If he wins I’m sure he’ll get a raise and more money. Smart move and I like the bonus for donor engagement. I don’t want the focus to shift from winning to making money but we need a guy that can do both.

Kind of rough to make ends meet on $600K in DeKalb though.

(01-25-2019 09:16 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  Kind of rough to make ends meet on $600K in DeKalb though.

Especially with a comp car, free NIU gear, food readily available. Tough sledding.

(01-25-2019 07:54 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  Right guy. Right time. Thank you Temple.

Thanks again Temple!

I do not get this. Seems like they low balled him. Carey was going to make $675k and Coach U $125k. If school is broke and and Carey never left how were they going to pay him? Also, our MAC coach should not be among the lowest paid, since we are not finishing in the lower part of the standings. NIU is arguably the best MAC coaching position in conference and should be treated as such. Finally, I believe the University got a $1.8 million check for the FSU game alone last year. You would think they would value the football program a little more.

(01-25-2019 10:34 AM)JKHuskie45 Wrote:  I do not get this. Seems like they low balled him. Carey was going to make $675k and Coach U $125k. If school is broke and and Carey never left how were they going to pay him? Also, our MAC coach should not be among the lowest paid, since we are not finishing in the lower part of the standings. NIU is arguably the best MAC coaching position in conference and should be treated as such. Finally, I believe the University got a $1.8 million check for the FSU game alone last year. You would think they would value the football program a little more.

Why would you pay somebody more than you have to? What kind of business model is that?

(01-25-2019 06:35 AM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Less than Rod Carey. Makes sense, he has no head coaching experience and mostly experience as a position coach.

Or maybe he agreed to take less so that they could focus on increasing the rest of the staff's coaching salaries.

I would guess that has something to do with his lower salary. Start paying all of assistant coaches (not OC/DC) closer to $100k and will have a better pool of options IMO. The OC and DC would have to be close to $200k now if that is what U was making?

(01-25-2019 10:43 AM)7 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:34 AM)JKHuskie45 Wrote:  I do not get this. Seems like they low balled him. Carey was going to make $675k and Coach U $125k. If school is broke and and Carey never left how were they going to pay him? Also, our MAC coach should not be among the lowest paid, since we are not finishing in the lower part of the standings. NIU is arguably the best MAC coaching position in conference and should be treated as such. Finally, I believe the University got a $1.8 million check for the FSU game alone last year. You would think they would value the football program a little more.

Why would you pay somebody more than you have to? What kind of business model is that?

Why would you pay somebody less than all your competitors and keep expectations of outperforming them?

A business model that tells the employees you value their positions and shows the seriousness of the program with respect to it competitors (other MAC teams). Also, being properly compensated raises employee engagement.

Coach didn't have to take the offer and his compensation is probably more accurately stated as $600,000 because of the marketing "bonus". Then compared to last years staff salaries you get an "extra" $75,000 for the assistants. Also there are probably bonuses available for winning the MAC, going to bowl game etc.

(01-25-2019 10:43 AM)7 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:34 AM)JKHuskie45 Wrote:  I do not get this. Seems like they low balled him. Carey was going to make $675k and Coach U $125k. If school is broke and and Carey never left how were they going to pay him? Also, our MAC coach should not be among the lowest paid, since we are not finishing in the lower part of the standings. NIU is arguably the best MAC coaching position in conference and should be treated as such. Finally, I believe the University got a $1.8 million check for the FSU game alone last year. You would think they would value the football program a little more.

Why would you pay somebody more than you have to? What kind of business model is that?

Liberal

(01-25-2019 09:16 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  Kind of rough to make ends meet on $600K in DeKalb though.

About the same cost of living as Tuscaloosa.

(01-25-2019 11:07 AM)klake87 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:43 AM)7 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:34 AM)JKHuskie45 Wrote:  I do not get this. Seems like they low balled him. Carey was going to make $675k and Coach U $125k. If school is broke and and Carey never left how were they going to pay him? Also, our MAC coach should not be among the lowest paid, since we are not finishing in the lower part of the standings. NIU is arguably the best MAC coaching position in conference and should be treated as such. Finally, I believe the University got a $1.8 million check for the FSU game alone last year. You would think they would value the football program a little more.

Why would you pay somebody more than you have to? What kind of business model is that?

Liberal

Why would you pay a CEO a salary in the 10's of millions, millions more in bonus and the millions more at buyout?

Because they "have to?" More like the trustees making these decisions are usually in bed with ceo's, are trustees on multiple boards.

Big difference when a school's trustees vote on it. And I am sure there are some schools where the trustees are cozy with coaches. Just not to the tune of deals in the millions.

I am not condoning huge amounts of money, but it is ridiculous to run around and stick your chest out about conference titles and boneyard victories, you lose a coach, as expected, due to pay. Top that off with the fact they are what, bottom 5% in salary? Then you pay the new guy 15% less. They do have a guy who obviously loves HIS school, has HIS dream job. Hope we don't lose him, should he succeed, due to nickel and diming. I also hope he has some decent bonuses included.

(01-25-2019 01:53 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 11:07 AM)klake87 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:43 AM)7 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:34 AM)JKHuskie45 Wrote:  I do not get this. Seems like they low balled him. Carey was going to make $675k and Coach U $125k. If school is broke and and Carey never left how were they going to pay him? Also, our MAC coach should not be among the lowest paid, since we are not finishing in the lower part of the standings. NIU is arguably the best MAC coaching position in conference and should be treated as such. Finally, I believe the University got a $1.8 million check for the FSU game alone last year. You would think they would value the football program a little more.

Why would you pay somebody more than you have to? What kind of business model is that?

Liberal

Why would you pay a CEO a salary in the 10's of millions, millions more in bonus and the millions more at buyout?

Because they "have to?" More like the trustees making these decisions are usually in bed with ceo's, are trustees on multiple boards.

Big difference when a school's trustees vote on it. And I am sure there are some schools where the trustees are cozy with coaches. Just not to the tune of deals in the millions.

I am not condoning huge amounts of money, but it is ridiculous to run around and stick your chest out about conference titles and boneyard victories, you lose a coach, as expected, due to pay. Top that off with the fact they are what, bottom 5% in salary? Then you pay the new guy 15% less. They do have a guy who obviously loves HIS school, has HIS dream job. Hope we don't lose him, should he succeed, due to nickel and diming. I also hope he has some decent bonuses included.

I was not in the negotiations. I wonder if for the big 3 (Hammock, Kane and Canada), if they inquired what amount they were looking for in salary? Did that have a decision I assume Canada wanted $1 million.

They're fortunate to get Hammock for that amount. Let's hope it all works out. If it does, he'll end up getting paid a bunch more eventually.

(01-25-2019 02:03 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  They're fortunate to get Hammock for that amount. Let's hope it all works out. If it does, he'll end up getting paid a bunch more eventually.

I’m sure that if we’re winning and fans are in the stands that raise will come quickly.

(01-25-2019 10:55 AM)JKHuskie45 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:43 AM)7 Wrote:  

(01-25-2019 10:34 AM)JKHuskie45 Wrote:  I do not get this. Seems like they low balled him. Carey was going to make $675k and Coach U $125k. If school is broke and and Carey never left how were they going to pay him? Also, our MAC coach should not be among the lowest paid, since we are not finishing in the lower part of the standings. NIU is arguably the best MAC coaching position in conference and should be treated as such. Finally, I believe the University got a $1.8 million check for the FSU game alone last year. You would think they would value the football program a little more.

Why would you pay somebody more than you have to? What kind of business model is that?

Why would you pay somebody less than all your competitors and keep expectations of outperforming them?

A business model that tells the employees you value their positions and shows the seriousness of the program with respect to it competitors (other MAC teams). Also, being properly compensated raises employee engagement.

NIU is all about more with less. The school is in a pretty dire situation because of the state and rapidly declining enrollment. Don't believe me? Walk into Reavis Hall and tell me what you see.

Carey was on the high side of what NIU could afford. And his salary was ranked 103 of the 130 FCS D1 coaches. So why would they go all in and give the top of their budget away to an unproven head coach?

Yeah the expectations are high. But that's part of the Hard Way culture. More with less...