FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[sigma one]

The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR)   annually publishes a list of  median salaries by category (administrators, faculty, coaches, etc.).  They divide into bachelors degree schools, masters schools, doctoral schools, as pertinent examples. 
     The figures from them do not account for any individual coach, e.g. ER, but they provide an accounting of salaries that is instructive.  Recently, that is to say for a year or two ago, CUPA-HR's median salary by head coaching category is as follows:
                         Bachelors institutions                         Masters Institutions
  HC football            $72,837                                            $90,750
  HC basketball         60,971                                              77,170  (could be men's/women's
                                                                                                     combined)
  HC baseball            46,512                                              50,650

These figures encompass all kinds of colleges and universities.  It's safe to say, I think, that most DIII schools would fit into the categories above.  Though DIII includes a wide variety of institutions--selective, less selective, small, medium, large, public, private, and more--most schools are either bachelors or masters schools.  A few offer the PhD (some of the larger institutions, particularly). 
     Again, obviously not selecting any individual coach, one can see that in general these salaries are probably lower than most fans or other individuals on the street would guess. 
But there they are.  Worth noting is that these salary categories do not take into account time in the position.  Salaries increase with longevity.  Still, head coaches make less than even mid-career faculty in most institutions. 
     The published salaries of big-time coaches tend to skew the publics' thinking about coaching salaries in general.  At the DIII level, 100K+ salaries are extremely rare.  Since LL was making 100K with all his accomplishments to believe that ER is making three and one half  times that number at a small, liberal arts college defies logic whatever some "key player on the team"  tells his parents. 
     At DIII schools with their lack of sports-related revenue  the highest paid employees are the president, chief fundraising officer, and chief academic officer (vice presidents and/or provosts).  Occasionally, a full professor or other administrator (from admissions, finance, or research [rarely]) might creep into the highest salary level.  But not coaches.
     
 

[BashDad]

I would pay Connor Rice and/or his dad $350k.

#hireRice

[BayernFan]

A parent of a key player told me at the UW-W game.

I love the "key" modifier as if that mitigates the blatant rumor mongering of a parent in the stands.

All of this is gross.

Wasn't in the stands.  It was in the parking lot during the tailgate.  I have no idea if 350 is accurate.  I wouldn't be shocked if it was.  Frankly though I'd be shocked if it was 100 or less.  In my opinion, in this day and age, a successful football coach is worth more than the President, at least in terms of garnering recognition for the school and leading to more contributions and student recruiting.  I wouldn't recognise the president of wabash if he walked right past me. Maybe I'm the only one like that....maybe not.

Paying a coach 350 isn't going to detract wabash one bit in its educational mission.  It would probably enhance it.  Who is to say that 350 is too much?  Is 300 too much?  How about 250?  200?  You pay what you need to pay.

I can't believe raeburn would be leaving to coach anywhere for 100.  He can do, and probably is doing, a lot better than that.

So those of you who have examined wabash tax returns....... Who makes the most?  President or deans?  And how much?  Would it be shocking or distasteful to you if ER was in the same ballpark?  If so why?  Isn't he a teacher and mentor like all the rest?  Doesn't he have a greater impact on the students?

[BashDad]

ew. no.

[wally_wabash]

My son was recruited heavily by Wabash for Baseball. At one point it was his number one choice. So I am familiar with the recruiting for Baseball. Because my son had the grades one of the landmarks was the Honor Scholarship weekend that Wabash has every year, for students to come in and compete (maybe not the right word) for scholarship money. I believe that happens in April. If Raeburn leaves, does it lower the number of Football Recruits competing for Scholarships this weekend?

I'm not sure Honors Scholar weekend and football S-A recruitment are all that related.  Pretty much every incoming freshman is going to be a part of Honors Scholar weekend whether they can play football or not. 

A parent of a key player told me at the UW-W game.

I love the "key" modifier as if that mitigates the blatant rumor mongering of a parent in the stands.

All of this is gross.

Wasn't in the stands.  It was in the parking lot during the tailgate.  I have no idea if 350 is accurate.  I wouldn't be shocked if it was.  Frankly though I'd be shocked if it was 100 or less.  In my opinion, in this day and age, a successful football coach is worth more than the President, at least in terms of garnering recognition for the school and leading to more contributions and student recruiting.  I wouldn't recognise the president of wabash if he walked right past me. Maybe I'm the only one like that....maybe not.

Paying a coach 350 isn't going to detract wabash one bit in its educational mission.  It would probably enhance it.  Who is to say that 350 is too much?  Is 300 too much?  How about 250?  200?  You pay what you need to pay.

I can't believe raeburn would be leaving to coach anywhere for 100.  He can do, and probably is doing, a lot better than that.

So those of you who have examined wabash tax returns....... Who makes the most?  President or deans?  And how much?  Would it be shocking or distasteful to you if ER was in the same ballpark?  If so why?  Isn't he a teacher and mentor like all the rest?  Doesn't he have a greater impact on the students?

Dude- that number is fantasyland.  That's so far and gone beyond market price for Division III that it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.  Division I FCS coaches don't make that much.  Your parent friend doesn't know what they are talking about.  If you believe that just because somebody's title is "Head Ball Coach" that they instantly make hundreds of thousands of dollars per annum, you watch too much TV.  That's not the market in Division III. 

I told myself I wasn't going to get sucked in to this garbage.  Sigh.

[ExTartanPlayer]

A parent of a key player told me at the UW-W game.

I love the "key" modifier as if that mitigates the blatant rumor mongering of a parent in the stands.

All of this is gross.

Wasn't in the stands.  It was in the parking lot during the tailgate.  I have no idea if 350 is accurate.  I wouldn't be shocked if it was.  Frankly though is be shocked if it was 100 or less.  In my opinion, in this day and age, a successful football coach is worth more than the President, at least in terms of garnering recognition for the school and leading to more contributions and student recruiting.  I wouldn't recognise the president of wabash if he walked right past me. Maybe I'm the only one like that....maybe not.

Paying a coach 350 isn't going to detract wabash one bit in its educational mission.  It would probably enhance it.  Who is to say that 350 is too much?  Is 300 too much?  How about 250?  200?  You pay what you need to pay.

I can't believe raeburn would be leaving to coach anywhere for 100.  He can do, and probably is doing, a lot better than that.

So those of you who have examined wabash tax returns....... Who makes the most?  President or deans?  And how much?  Would it be shocking or distasteful to you if ER was in the same ballpark?  If so why?  Isn't he a teacher and mentor like all the rest?  Doesn't he have a greater impact on the students?

I really thought that D3boards were generally above outright trolling posts, but this has to be trolling. 

I don't even know where to begin with someone who thinks that a Division III football coach should be paid in the same ballpark as the university/college president and deans, using logic like "football drives the money train at all levels" and appears to have a straight keyboard when they say it.  You cannot possibly believe the stuff you're typing.  You just can't.

"I can't believe raeburn would be leaving to coach anywhere for 100.  He can do, and probably is doing, a lot better than that."

Lance Leipold made $100K (public info, not overheard from a parent of a key player) while winning multiple national titles at a monstrously large (for D3) state university that has committed to athletics like no Division III school ever has.  I'm rehashing what other folks have already said, but tha $100K is going to be darned close to, if not the highest, coaching salary in D3 football.  Period.  The discussion really ought to be over there.

[Li'l Giant]

So those of you who have examined wabash tax returns....... Who makes the most?  President or deans?  And how much?

It's public record and can be easily found by searching. Personally, I'm not going to post a list of the salaries of people I know and respect so we can argue over whether our football coach is appropriately compensated. That's between ER and the College.

Looking at the return I think we can safely say the $350k number has been debunked.

Would it be shocking or distasteful to you if ER was in the same ballpark?  If so why?

Yes. It would to me. We as a College and community place a fairly high level of importance on our athletic teams. I am not saying that emphasis is inappropriate. It works for our campus culture. Yes, it helps keep alumni connected engaged. Yes, the teams are a source of pride, especially when they're doing well (beating DePauw, winning conference titles, going to Nationals, etc.)

Ultimately we are a school which has chosen to adhere to a philosophy that athletics is but one part of that educational experience.

A great example of this is the outpouring of praise and support that I saw on social media when Wabash's Jacob Burnett won a Rhodes Scholarship. Alumni everywhere were proud of that accomplishment, just as if we had won a Bell Game.

It's worth pointing out a tweet congratulating Jacob was Coach Raeburn's first tweet after beating Franklin in the playoffs.

I found it, frankly, awesome, that our head football coach thinks highly enough of our students academic accomplishments to do such a thing.

That's the balance we as a community and College have decided we want.

To pay a coach as if we were an FBS school would be something I wouldn't support at Wabash. Having any coach be the highest paid employee of the College simply shouldn't happen.

[BashDad]

I'm starting a kickstarter for Connor Rice's Dad. We're cool with that, though, right?

How pissed are ER's players? Someone find out.

[BayernFan]

I'm no accountant, but are there ways to pay someone without it showing up on those tax returns?  Say deferred comp?

I've always said I don't know if the 350 figure is accurate or not.  Unlike all here, I guess, I am not inclined to disbelieve or believe it out of hand.  I do disagree with all of you that Wabash or any other D3 school is automatically going to pay a successful football coach significantly less than the President or Deans or profs.  I don't know if they do or not.  To me, it is a business decision that is based on two criteria.  Does the employee further the educational mission of the school?  If so, how much is he worth?

Arguably, even at the D3 level, a successful football coach does more to further the mission than the president or deans or profs.  A successful football program raises the stature and recruiting reach of the school.  Not just for athletes either.  It also increases the pride that alums have in the institution.  More alums are more likely to learn of the school's success when the football team is good.  They are then more apt to open their checkbooks to fund all of the school's educational needs.    That is just common sense.  So if Wabash spent 100 or 200k more to hire and keep say ER, wouldn't that be worth it if it leads to 500k or 1 mil or 2 mil more in annual giving?

Moreover, I would suggest that ER has more direct impact on the education and lives of more students than the President, Deans, or even profs.  Not to say the latter don't have any impact, or even a lot of impact with some students.  But think about it.  ER has what? 100 students every day for how many hours a week for how much of the year?  Direct contact with those students as he teaches them to plan, practice, work, suffer and sacrifice, persevere, manage their time, and prevail.  These are huge life lessons.  And then those 100 students go live with the other 700-800 students and impart some of that stuff to many of their friends and frat brothers.  Those friends and brothers go to the games, see the product of what they are being taught as part of the team, cheer their buddies, and become intimately inculcated into the Wabash experience.

If you have the attitude of "well its just athletics, not education" then you won't value that as much I guess.  Fair enough.  But I don't believe there is any way you can overestimate the educational impact that ER or any successful coach has on the students in his tutelage and the entire student body.  ER and coaches like him are teachers first and foremost.

Once a school like Wabash understands and embraces that, then it's just a matter of paying ER et al what they are worth, even if it is almost or more than what the President etc make.  Maybe they already have.  Maybe UW-W will.   Perhaps we will find out.

Hey, maybe you think I am wrong.  I could be insofar as what ER makes or ought to make.  That is fair for you to point out.

Finally, just because we disagree and have different opinions, I hardly think that makes me a "troll".  I thought Wabash men were better than that. 

In any event, good luck and best wishes to ER whatever happens.  Have a good day.

[Li'l Giant]

I'm no accountant, but are there ways to pay someone without it showing up on those tax returns?  Say deferred comp?

There is a column for deferred compensation. It would still have to reported in the return for the year it was deferred and the return for the year it was received.

Arguably, even at the D3 level, a successful football coach does more to further the mission than the president or deans or profs.

Um. No. I'm not going to even try to argue with that. Just, no.

[BayernFan]

I'm no accountant, but are there ways to pay someone without it showing up on those tax returns?  Say deferred comp?

There is a column for deferred compensation. It would still have to reported in the return for the year it was deferred and the return for the year it was received.

Arguably, even at the D3 level, a successful football coach does more to further the mission than the president or deans or profs.

Um. No. I'm not going to even try to argue with that. Just, no.

I saw the 2012 990 and ER is not on the top five.  I also saw that Def Comp is included, but it looks as though a personal residence provided to the President and the Treasurer is not included.  So I guess it is possible for say a residence valued at 200k to be provided to an employee would not show on a 990 (I imagine that this would have to pass IRS muster as well).   Not saying it happened here with ER.  I have no idea.  I can't find the 2013 990 and I would imagine the 2014 is not completed.

You don't have to argue my suggestion that a Coach may do more to further the the educational mission of school than a President et al.  We disagree.  That is fine.

[sigma one]

Say all you want about believing or not believing; none of the rest of us can control that.  I repeat myself:  ER is not paid anything close to 350K.  Does he have a major influence on student-athletes and by extension on other students?  Indeed he does.  Is that influence greater than any other person's on campus?  That I don't know and there is no easy way to measure such affects.  You can't assume he does simply because there are 100+ players on the football team.    By the way, the Treasurer (chief financial officer) at Wabash is not provided a house.  The president lives in an official college residence as part of his compensation package.  Several other college officials have, over time, lived in houses owned by the college.  And they have all paid some form of rent or leased those properties (with the possible exception of the Dean of the College--I don't know about that arrangement).
     I'm at the end of my patience on this, so I'll sit out from now on.   
     
   

[smedindy]

As someone who knows about 990s and tax returns, you can't 'hide' anything on there. He's not paid 350,000 and he had to find his own lodging. I've looked at dozens and dozens.

At my time at Wabash, there were several profs who demonstrated a great spirit of the College and personified Wabash. Hall Peebles, Bill Placher, et. al. The current faculty and staff have their own Giants among them. ER is great, yes, but legends and stories are still told about Ed Haenisch and how he used his meter stick to great affect to wake people up for their Saturday morning Phy Chem class!

The College IS...it is everyone and they all contribute in their own way.

[02 Warhawk]

Say all you want about believing or not believing; none of the rest of us can control that.  I repeat myself:  ER is not paid anything close to 350K.  Does he have a major influence on student-athletes and by extension on other students?  Indeed he does.  Is that influence greater than any other person's on campus?  That I don't know and there is no easy way to measure such affects.  You can't assume he does simply because there are 100+ players on the football team.    By the way, the Treasurer (chief financial officer) at Wabash is not provided a house.  The president lives in an official college residence as part of his compensation package.  Several other college officials have, over time, lived in houses owned by the college.  And they have all paid some form of rent or leased those properties (with the possible exception of the Dean of the College--I don't know about that arrangement).
     I'm at the end of my patience on this, so I'll sit out from now on.   

If he is....then he's in for a major pay cut by coming to UWW (if he gets the job). If offered, I highly doubt he'll even get Leipold type money (100K).

With that being said, no way he would knowingly apply for a job that offers a 70% pay decrease.

It doesn't make sense.

[smedindy]

Here at CWU (D2 State School), our head basketball coach is paid $88,000. I don't have the data on what our new football coach was paid, but our basketball coach has been here 20 years and won 300 games.