FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Nescacparent]

Onto another NESCAC athletics topic. Heard this on the radio: http://www.wbur.org/2015/08/11/coaches-salaries-liberal-arts-colleges
The most interesting/concerning aspect of this report is summarized in this chart: https://infogram.io/p/a6d774b6eb5547f11e6292075d9e38ae.png

The questions raised by this piece to me are (along with my answers-would love to see other posters' questions/answers):
1) Is assistant coach pay in the NESCAC an issue? Yes, the pay is too low
2) If an issue, what can/should be done? Possibly this is a clarion call to AD's around the 'CAC to lobby for improved pay for their assistant coaches. How about if one is donating to your chosen 'CAC school earmark the donation for assistant coach salaries?

[PolarCat]

Wow.  Very interesting post.  What shocks me even more is the disparity between men's assistants and women's assistants, in this Title IX-crazed environment.  Trinity pays their women assistants LESS THAN HALF what the men make, and Bates and Wesleyan are almost as bad.

Makes you wonder what some of the high profile AC's (like Dave Caputi) are paid, and how some of the long-time assistants can stay with the programs.

[NewtoNescac]

Let's add to the list of things that can go wrong: "Getting sucker punched by a teammate."

Between Sexy Rexy, the UFC Nyets and the Goodell-Brady Circus, the NFL is starting to rival Keeping Up With the Kardashians.  Probably only a matter of time before we get Real Housewives of the AFC heading our way.

At the risk of sounding patronizing, PolarCat, I found your post very funny.

[nescac1]

The pay on its face does appear insanely low. But I think we need more data.  For example, aren't many of these part-time gigs for folks who are in grad school and/or have other jobs?   How many hours per year are we talking about?  Do some of three folks also get housing or other benefits like tuition assistance?  Do they get paid extra for things like offseason clinics? Obviously no one is living entirely on 10k or less per year do there must be more to the story. Being for example a RB coach at a Nescac school can't be close to a full time gig when there is no work all offseason; that's like a three month job and maybe four hours per day during those three months.   

[PolarCat]

While it's true some of the AC's may not have off season responsibilities, others do: recruiting coordinators for specific geographical regions, strength and conditioning coaches, etc.  Assuming that the chart includes ALL AC's, the ones with off-season responsibilities are presumably making more than what's shown ... which in turn means the others are making even less.

In other words, the pimply faced kid at the fast food restaurant may be making more than your kid's coach.  "There are some great fringe benefits to this job: You get 5 polo shirts, a team jacket ... and food stamps."

[polbear73]

Agreed, PolarCat.  One would think football coordinators, who are clearly full time, would be making quite a bit more than the average salaries as shown.  Which makes the salaries below the average even lower. 

[PolarCat]

Also makes you wonder how Wells was able to get his staff to relocate from Endicott to Bowdoin.  Presumably some of them had to sell homes, pack up their wives and kids, find new jobs for the wives in Brunswick, put the kids into new schools, etc.  Probably tougher for them than for empty nester Dave Caputi moving to Midd.

[amh63]

Lots of chatter with respect to salaries of average assistant coaches in the CAC.  Sort of wonder about the "source".  Today's WSJ had an article about farm workers....lack of them....as their pay has risen to over 12 dollars an hour.
There has been a lot of movement of coaches in the CAC....including assistants...lately.  Movement into the positions available.  Raises the question of what OTHER conferences pay their coaches.
There is one IVY school that has more reasonable range of salaries.....the Big Green...on the list.
In short, I believe the numbers are flawed.
Yes, all conference schools seek funds to support athletics and different sports are "sponsored" differently as a result. 
The CAC schools, in particular Amherst seek the best people for vacancies in the faculty and their staff.  I am aware of the salary levels and benefits of professors, etc.  they are comparable with the Ivies, etc.  When Amherst hired its present Prez, she was paid more than her salary at the Un. Of Wisconsin-Madison.  Her salary at the flag ship school exceeded her "boss" salary...the person who oversaw all the Wisconsin public colleges.
Also, there are a number of CAC schools that pay their head coaches about the same as profs....with endowed positions and titles as adjunct profs.
I feel the assistant coaches are paid similar to the numbers shown for Dartmouth....a more livable wage, etc. 
Another point....there are several assistants at Amherst....one on the football team and the other on the Basketball team.  They do NOT have e-mail address listed by their names..to be contacted.  The football coach is a full time teacher in the local school system; the basketball coach is an older man who taught elsewhere for a long time.  I believe, such assistants distort the " numbers".

[fulbakdad]

My son is just starting out College Coaching out in the Chicago area.  There are a couple other things to think about when comparing salaries.  Don't forget that some schools offer housing and food. 

But I will say, from what I have seen from the guys in the business I know, it isn't a lot of money they are making.  They have to supplement in other ways.  Most do it for the love of the game....

[madzillagd]

The pay on its face does appear insanely low. But I think we need more data.  For example, aren't many of these part-time gigs for folks who are in grad school and/or have other jobs?   How many hours per year are we talking about?  Do some of three folks also get housing or other benefits like tuition assistance?  Do they get paid extra for things like offseason clinics? Obviously no one is living entirely on 10k or less per year do there must be more to the story. Being for example a RB coach at a Nescac school can't be close to a full time gig when there is no work all offseason; that's like a three month job and maybe four hours per day during those three months.   

I'm sure they are just raking in the cash driving Uber in Williamstown in their free time.  "Which end of the block would you like to go to sir?"

[P'bearfan]

Wow.  Very interesting post.  What shocks me even more is the disparity between men's assistants and women's assistants, in this Title IX-crazed environment.  Trinity pays their women assistants LESS THAN HALF what the men make, and Bates and Wesleyan are almost as bad.

Agreed...I was stunned by the disparity in pay at Bowdoin.  The school emphasizes equality in almost every aspect of campus life (not a bad thing) so a 65% difference was remarkable.

[gridiron]

All NESCAC football players report in 18 days...

Soon the talk will be shifting to on-the-field stuff...

[Pat Coleman]

My son is just starting out College Coaching out in the Chicago area.  There are a couple other things to think about when comparing salaries.  Don't forget that some schools offer housing and food. 

But I will say, from what I have seen from the guys in the business I know, it isn't a lot of money they are making.  They have to supplement in other ways.  Most do it for the love of the game....

Interesting story in the St. Paul paper this week along those lines:
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_28630167/college-football-competition-coaching-jobs-is-fierce

[gridiron]

Saw in the press last week Colby is returning 12 seniors this fall.  While this group will have been let by Head Coach Micheales all four years, this is actually the last group former HC Maesteri recruited to Colby.

[RetiredMule]

Gridiron, Colby does have 12 seniors returning this fall of the 14 on the roster.  Two will not play due to past injuries but will stay on as student coaches/mentors to younger players helping where they can.  Of the 12 healthy returning seniors, 7 would be considered to have had significant playing time or starting experience.  Most notably these would be starting offensive linemen Eddy and Choos, captains Ruiz (DE) and O'Grady (LB) as well as tight end Parsons.  These were the last players brought in under the Mestieri regime, but it is important to note that Michaeles was the recruiting director and interim head coach during this recruiting period.  Mestieri's time ended even before early decision 1 deadlines, so these recruitments were heavily handled by Michaeles.