https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/co...116446002/

Good article, talks about how college athletics and salary compensation kept soaring to ridiculous levels. But now athletic departments will be hurting to keep staff if these overpaid coaches aren't willing to take pay cuts. I wonder if some of our own will do the same so people don't lose jobs. We already know NIU as an institution is hurting for money with decreased funding from the state and a student population that has decreased by 10k in last 13 years.

Many of these college head coaches make over $1 million a year. That's a lot of coin. NIU is allowed 85 football scholarships. Will they have money for them

(04-03-2020 11:57 AM)klake87 Wrote:  Many of these college head coaches make over $1 million a year. That's a lot of coin. NIU is allowed 85 football scholarships. Will they have money for them

If for some reason the non-conference games in football (Iowa, Maryland & BYU) are cancelledI think the department will be in real trouble as those are the games that fund a lot of the programs.

Imo, it might be time to bury some disappointments and dislikes, and give STF at least some due for keeping the program afloat with state budget cuts, etc., at least for a time. How long before major leaks develop is anyone's guess.

According to Equity in Athletics, as reported on another CSNBBS board, NIU's athletic revenues for 2018-19 were $26,795,495, ranked 119th of 130 DI/FBS programs, and 11th of the 12 MAC schools. Unfortunately about $9 million of that is from student athletic fees, and another chunk (I can't seem to find my figures right now) comes from the conference and NCAA.

Much of NIU's revenue comes from required athletic fees -- which depends on enrollment -- and football's ability to get big paychecks from P5 road games. If those games are not played, no paychecks. Also, so much of how NIU reacts will depend on what is decided away from DeKalb.

I don't know what coaches' salaries are at NIU, but that revenue stream tells me they can't be all that huge. We're not talking Nick Saban at Alabama or Dabo Sweeney at Clemson.

As for salary cuts, yes, in all likelihood, but the article you cited was about the apparent runaway salaries of the big programs. Northern will have to make cuts, everywhere, but in athletics those aren't likely to save the millions they might somewhere else.

The only game being played right now is wait-and-see.

And many of the salaries of those big time coaches are paid for or funded by alumni or athletic clubs. Michigan's head coaching position is funded similarly to an endowed scholarship.

Posted in the "SCOOP"

In the first of what will likely be many of these announcements, Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard announced Wednesday that Cyclones coaches will endure pay cuts as the athletics department tightens its belt due to the coronavirus crisis.
“I could not be prouder of all our coaches and staff for uniting as one on these tough decisions that will save over $4M annually,” Pollard tweeted.
While specific cuts were not revealed, Pollard announced coaches across the athletics department will see a combined one year, temporary reduction of $3 million in their salaries.

NIU BofT suspends authority, gives it to Prez. Lisa Freeman:

https://www.niu.edu/board/_pdf/meetings/...report.pdf

(04-03-2020 12:17 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Imo, it might be time to bury some disappointments and dislikes, and give STF at least some due for keeping the program afloat with state budget cuts, etc., at least for a time.

Sorry, but imo, what you describe is him simply "doing his job." And in many respects, he still hasn't done his job too well. So he should be the first one taking a cut or donating back a percentage of his salary.

I concede the point, to a point. I'm not a huge fan of STF, but I said "at least for a time," while we deal with this Covid-19 crisis. Nationwide, politicians et al seem to be having the same difficulty.

"For a time" does not mean forever. Nor is it a pass for when we learn to deal with this crisis. Before retirement, I knew a lot of people who just did their jobs, and the jobs got done, but I expected and got nothing extra. My big beef with STF and athletics in general is that it seems to be introverted; no outsiders need apply when it comes to ideas, directions, possibilities and most especially change. And some kind of change is what athletics needs.

As for taking cuts, I can think of some other people in addition to STF.

(04-09-2020 06:10 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  I concede the point, to a point. I'm not a huge fan of STF, but I said "at least for a time," while we deal with this Covid-19 crisis. Nationwide, politicians et al seem to be having the same difficulty.

"For a time" does not mean forever. Nor is it a pass for when we learn to deal with this crisis. Before retirement, I knew a lot of people who just did their jobs, and the jobs got done, but I expected and got nothing extra. My big beef with STF and athletics in general is that it seems to be introverted; no outsiders need apply when it comes to ideas, directions, possibilities and most especially change. And some kind of change is what athletics needs.

As for taking cuts, I can think of some other people in addition to STF.

Does anyone in the state of Illinois understand how to make cuts? I thought this state just raises taxes and spends more then they have every single year?

(04-03-2020 12:06 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(04-03-2020 11:57 AM)klake87 Wrote:  Many of these college head coaches make over $1 million a year. That's a lot of coin. NIU is allowed 85 football scholarships. Will they have money for them

If for some reason the non-conference games in football (Iowa, Maryland & BYU) are cancelledI think the department will be in real trouble as those are the games that fund a lot of the programs.

Iowa -yes, it would be a hit. BYU - no, we don't pay them as it was a home and home. We'd lose the game revenue but wouldn't have the expense either.Maryland, I believe is also a home and home so if so, we'd get nothing.

With Athletics in a dire financial situation, I see fewer, if any, 1-and-1s, and many more solely away games at the P5 schools. As has been our modus operandi in the past, I would expect to see 3 of the 4 OOC games at the power schools for the money. Try to get the schools that pay the most (like FSU). The lone OOC game at home would be with an FCS school, preferably schools that would cost us the least. If it's in-state FCS schools, great. Athletics can relegate the midweek night games that few attend to SeatGeek. That would give us 5 "home" games for the foreseeable future, with 3 being real home games at Huskie Stadium (2 MAC games and the FCS game). It may be just the way it has to be.