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UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton met with the media in his office Wednesday to discuss the raises given to coaches Phillip Fulmer and Bruce Pearl and how the athletic department funds them. Watch »
Video
UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton met with the media in his office Wednesday to discuss the raises given to coaches Phillip Fulmer and Bruce Pearl. He also addressed the speculation that Pearl had interest in or was approached to coach somewhere else. Watch »
Video
UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton met with the media in his office Wednesday to discuss the raises given to coaches Phillip Fulmer and Bruce Pearl. He also addressed Coach Fulmer's history at UT and fan perception. Watch »
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The winning records might justify the big salaries, but recent raises for coaches Phillip Fulmer and Bruce Pearl still don't sit well with some University of Tennessee students.
It's hard to accept in the absence of a living wage for UT employees such as janitors, according to Eric Minton, a UT senior.
"I'd be less inclined to be irate if there was a living wage for people," said Minton, who is studying ecology and, at one point, worked as a janitor in Knoxville.
UT announced Wednesday that Fulmer, UT's football coach, and Pearl, UT's basketball coach, both received raises and contract extensions that will pay $2.4 million to Fulmer and $1.6 million to Pearl in annual salaries for their upcoming seasons.
Fulmer's raise increased his salary $350,000. Pearl's pay went up $300,000. Fulmer recently took the Vols to their fifth SEC Championship game appearance since 1997 and beat Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. Pearl led the men's basketball team to their first outright SEC regular-season championship in 41 years, the program's first No. 1 ranking, and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The two UT coaches are noted for what they do in the community, as well, according to UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton. UT President John Petersen sees both Fulmer and Pearl as ambassadors for the university "for years to come" and seemed excited at the prospect.
But there's not a lot of excitement for the pay increases from senior Amanda Rike, who is studying Spanish and history at UT. The high salaries for coaches don't make sense to her in a time when undergraduate students are paying 6 percent more tuition and the university system is cutting budgets at all of its campuses and institutes.
Budget shortfall projections earlier this year called for $11.1 million in cuts to the Knoxville campus budget. The cuts included the proposed closure of three academic programs still under discussion.
"They're looking for ways to balance the budget, but they give coaches pay increases," she said.
Budgets for the Knoxville campus and UT's Athletic Department are separate, and funding for athletics, including coaches' salaries, is generated by athletics and not from state appropriations or other university-related revenues. Much of the funding for UT's 20 sports comes from football and basketball revenues. The UT system oversees athletics, a decades-long arrangement that proved a point of contention for, among others, former Chancellor Loren Crabtree, who abruptly resigned in January.
"Since the athletic budget is largely separate from the campus budget, coaches don't compete directly with faculty for salaries, so it's not an issue of us versus them," said John Nolt, president of UT's Faculty Senate. "Still, faculty do find it discouraging that coaches are receiving raises while our salaries, measured in real dollars, are shrinking, and academic programs are threatened with termination."
Interim Chancellor Jan Simek could not be reached for comment.
Darren Dunlap may be reached at 865-342-6334.
Vanderbilt 93, Tennessee 79, Feb. 9…
Signing day celebration at Neyland…
Notre Dame beats Tennessee 72-44…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 85
IceVol writes:
Difference between janitors and and NCAA coaches. The coaches actually bring income to the University. Wow what a stunning concept. Enjoy studying history ecology and Spanish you fruity students. I'm a real student at UT and I support staying competitive in the SEC.
Volfan1 writes:
Good job, KNS(sarcasm included). Stir the pot during this slow time of year.
BillVol writes:
This is a tired, old non-story. Coaches are always going to make more than the profs. It's the same at UT as it is at Harvard or Stanford or Michigan.
Now, does Fulmer, who hasn't won the SEC since '98, deserve a raise? That is a different story.
BigOrangeVol writes:
Bunch of commie Socialists students and faculty. :-)
vols1314 writes:
Dang
calivol writes:
This is the second straight News Sentinel story that claims Fulmer has taken UT to six SEC Championship Games since '97. I'm no math major, but 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007 equals five appearances. What am I missing here?
P.S. This isn't meant to start a Fulmer argument...but we might as well get the facts correct, no?
zqvol writes:
"Posted by calivol on July 4, 2008 at 12:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is the second straight News Sentinel story that claims Fulmer has taken UT to six SEC Championship Games since '97. I'm no math major, but 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007 equals five appearances. What am I missing here?"
The are counting the tie for the east in 2003, when the Vols did not go to the SEC Championship game.
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
I like football.
Better dead than red.
samjrr writes:
What Ice said!!
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
Consildate the men's and women's athletic departments. Alabama has 224 staff members in the AD and UT AD (men and women) has 284. UT has an AD payroll of close to 13 million. Bama has a payorll of about 9 million.
utchris writes:
Yeah lets model our Athletic Department after Alabama. Their program as a whole is inferior to ours. You can spin any story the way that you want to, but I am sure that you can find other AD's with as many or more workers. Not to mention, as reported by the article, the UTAD pays for everything on their own including a yearly donation to the school, so if they can afford to pay for those people, then so be it. How many times are you going to repost this tired comment? Are you a closet Sabama fan?
Notice in this article, they went for classic interviews of history majors and such who they knew would would speak negatively. Why not poll a sports management or physical education (aspiring coaches) major? Ice said it right when he talked about the coaches bringing in revenue. It may seem unfair in some light, because I am sure that the janitor and the professor, etc all work hard, but coaches like Pearl, Summit, and Fulmer (whether you like him or not) are public figures and when they present well and their sports preform well that in itself does a lot of publicity and advertising for the school as well as bringing in lots of money!
gnm53108 writes:
100% agree with ICE and utchris.Let the market decide what a individual job is worth.
Actually I would like to see CPF inside atleast the top 4 highest paid coaches in the SEC.It may be debatable that he's not the best coach in the SEC but he sure as heck deserves to be in the top half.
And it should be in all the coaches contracts for all of the orange frost brewed kooliad they want.
jimr07 writes:
108,000 people do not attend chemistry experiments.
rusty_shackleford writes:
Funny how no matter how many times it is said, people STILL don't understand that the UT Athletics budget is independent of the UT Academic budget. But it isn't funny how the KNS talks to students (who may or may not be informed) to get a negative quote that denegrates the UT athletics program. How about a quote from a business major who actually understands the capitalist market system. SUPPLY AND DEMAND, PEOPLE!!!
Can anyone say "Hidden Agenda?" Feels like Yellow Journalism and is the main reason the MSM is dead.
87UTVOL writes:
"Consildate the men's and women's athletic departments. Alabama has 224 staff members in the AD and UT AD (men and women) has 284. UT has an AD payroll of close to 13 million. Bama has a payorll of about 9 million."
Uhh, maybe it's because UT has a far superior athletic department, particularly on the women's side. Maybe it's because is far more successful in raisning money than those at Capstone.
Joan Cronan has done a terrific job of increasing the donor and fan base. We have top women's programs in basketball, softball, golf, soccer, track, among others. The women's program is not completely self-sufficient money-wise, but it's light years ahead of most schools.
How many season ticket holders for women's basketball at Alabama pay a donotation for the right to buy season tickets? How many $1,000+ donors do they have exclusively for women's athletics at Bama?
I will echo some of the prior comments about business of the athletic department v. funding of academic departments. The KNS does NOT raise the level of information or understanding with stories like this. How about including information on how the athletic department pays for all the parking garages on campus, yet only uses them 20 or so times a year. How about showing how much money football brings in to support non-revenue sports. Hundreds of young people, particularly women, would not have the opportunity to have an athletic scholarship absent the big-budget sports. How about the million bucks the athletic department contributes to academic programs every year. I guess facts like this would get in the way of a story with a catchy headline.
The raises for our coaches and overall athletic budget show one thing...athletics are successful at Tennessee. That's a good thing.
elmovol#229864 writes:
The athletic program gives money to the university, one of only a handful in the country. The donations may be part of supplying "living wages" to university employees. The ignorance displayed in this article is staggering surpassed only by the ridiculousness of the questions posed by the newspaper.
Maybe the athletic program should supplement the KNS to prop up its pathetic, declining readership and advertising income.
WaltGoVols writes:
I am glad to hear a student even cares what the janitors make.
Hard to fathom a raise for Fulmer when he hasn't even won the SEC in ten years.
Walt
pdhuff#552644 writes:
All this will be passe when Phil hoists the Grail.
Boring to hear from the rabble working peons.
Another fritter, please.
THE_VOL writes:
Those complaining - students, faculty and fans - need to STFU and go do something to make more if they don't like their own circumstance. I have no problem with coaches making big money - as long as they EARN IT! One of these two has in fact earned his. The other should have been gone 3 years ago so my argument is not with the amount but the fact that he's still here at all. It's been a full decade since he delivered anything.
winbigvols writes:
They both deserve the raises, if we are going to compete for championships we are going to have to shell out the money. I like the way the deals are insentive laiden. Coach Pearl has done an outstanding job, (goes without saying) and Coach Fulmer has givin his whole life to the program and I think with Clausen on board, he has the program going in the right direction. Both in my opinion well deserved.
VOLinDAWGland writes:
yaaaaawwwwwnnnn...guess we're going to milk this cow for all she's worth.
Wish the K'ville Sentinel 'journalists' would pay as much attention to recruiting, staff and football related issues as they do discipline and coaches salary. I guess the former takes more work and doesn't generate as many hits to drive their advertising rates.
Doldrums indeed
eduardo writes:
What are we getting out of F$$lmer? The fact remains he is holding the program and the fan base hostage. He is not deserving of a raise or an ext. Very easily could have finished the year 6-6. Could of played in the music city bowl. Is that could enough to merit a raise and an ext. Loyalty? I should would be loyal for a million plus!!! Look for 7-5 this year. What do the powers that be do then?
rccheek#205272 writes:
Pearl DESERVES his. Fulmer DOES NOT.
volfan_brian writes:
I like reading the "CHICKEN LITTLES" on here....you know, the ones who are predicting the 7-5 season coming up....the same ones who predicted it last year after the UF game....you guys sure nailed that one!!!
As for the article, when a Janitor hauls in millions of dollars from donors....sure....give him/her a raise!
Folks, dont forget that Pat is probably going to get a raise as well (no way in Hell does Tena deserve more...my spelling!)....KNS will have to reprint this article and substitute PAT SUMMITT where it says PHILLIP FULMER
aspenvol writes:
Phil and Bruce ROCK.
Fire John Adams.
bhjohnso#207063 writes:
As to the 'market' point...is Fulmer's market value really 2.4 million? Where would he go and get that much? While it's true that most people still don't understand that the athletic dept. and university are separate, that still doesn't excuse fiscal insanity. The main problem with this, other than the fact that all football coaches get paid too much, is the length of the deals. Is Coach Fulmer really going to be here 7 more years? We're getting backed into a corner, because if they do need to get rid of him, say, in 2 or 3 years, the buyout is enormous. As to the living wage nonsense, if they ever figure out what it is and increase the janitors, they better increase my salary as a UT employee by an equal amount at least. No offense to the janitors, but I did get a degree to do what I do.
mattlock writes:
When I first opened this, I thought it might be a sensible debate on whether our coaches deserve raises based on performance, not a freakin' social piece on the unfairness of wages. . .isn't this a sports site?!?!
Policeman and teachers should make more than professional athletes too, but welcome to the real world dear college students - here you'll find out life ain't always fair, and as the great Forrest Gump once said "S^%$ happens!"
volwalker#243749 writes:
Much like many who feel the lack of recognition exists of the UT Athletics financial autonomy relative to the UT budget, this fact continues to elude many: Fulmer's raise still leaves the head coach at The University of Tennessee in 7th place in his own conference, $400,000 short of 6th place.
AlpharettaVol writes:
It's a well-established fact that all people do not earn the same amount of money. Society places different worth on different jobs. If you don't like the worth placed on your job, go out and get another job that pays more. Football coaches make a lot of money, more than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes. Learn to live with it.
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
Try this comparison, if you like.
In 1948, Red Sanders was the coach at Vanderbilt.
His team lost its first two games, then won 8 straight, beating Tennessee 28 to 0. The team was projected to be #3 in the nation the following year. UCLA came calling and offered Red a job as head coach. He went to the administration and told them of the offer. He said they will pay me $20,000 a year, but I will stay in Nashville for $16,000. Puffing up in a high dudgeon, the administration replied, "The very idea of paying the football coach more than the chancellor of the university is absurd!"
Sanders left and Vanderbilt had a 2 - 8 record in 1949 and have been at about that level ever since.
Do we want a similar situation?????
Before you get upset about the pay scale, remember that the 1948 dollar is worth close to a hundred 2008 dollars.
sjenk26#414006 writes:
I don't know why fans would say that Fulmer is underpaid. His favorite quote is " We were just 3 or 4 plays away from being a 11-1 or 12-0 team". Well, he was 3 or 4 plays away from being a 6-6 team last season. I can't remember getting beat by your two biggest rivals by 50+ points as being deserving of a raise. They also got beat badly by a mediocre Pac-10 team the first game of the year.
Fulmer doesn't need to be mentioned in the same breath as Pat Summitt. Not even close.
From what I have been hearing on the sports talk shows, most fans are having problems with the buyout and the raise for an 8 win season. Fulmer should decline a raise for an 8 win season. Maybe he is satisfied with mediocre football. He is also under .500 against the current SEC coaches, unless I am mistaken. Is that worth $2.6 million dollars?
sdye16#641965 writes:
Ok, these coaches bring in a lot of revenue for the university, but the point behind this article is that students feel that the raises do not need to be taken from an increase in the tuition. If you fans that really believe the coaches should get this much more money, YOU dish out more money. YOU take the money that YOU earn to pay their salaries instead of making the students pay even more to get their EDUCATION.
brokebackvol writes:
For those concerned about the academic part of the University - if you want to see things change, then donate money to the school and not the UTAD. Students complain - it's just a fact of life, and they will find SOMETHING to gripe about, a cause to support, an axe to grind. It was that was in the 80's when I was on the hill. Some things don't change.
arkyvol writes:
i'm a supporter of phil fulmer, but i agree with the critics. these salaries are obscene. i appreciate the arguments that the athletic budget is separate, and that the department is a money maker, but it is the athletics-money scene that is turning me off. it may be that the typical season ticket holder is so well off that he doesn't notice how badly he is annually muclted, anymore than he feels a pinch in $4 per gallon gas. i'm happy for him, but i live in the real world, a world that seems to have less and less in common with big time athletics.
alfrizzle097 writes:
I find it amazing how angry people get about this.
I think the point is that the University of Tennessee is an institution of higher learning. For centuries these places have been about pursuing higher ideals. Honesty, knowledge for its own sake, and even social justice. UT has a responsibility to set an example for others. That is what this article is trying to address. It just put more of a sports spin on it.
DadwasaVol writes:
I suppose I'm in a minority here saying academics are still important to a university. And why jump ugly on the janitors? Geez, the negativism gets worse and worse on this board. Oh BTW, Fulmer deserves his raise.
RJ_Vol writes:
That was a weird article...unusual at best. I'm not sure what to think of the student quotes. Not only is the athletic department separate budget wise from the academic departments, I do believe they give money back to the academic part of the university.
Here is the other side of the issue...I do know that UT is suffering from the budget cuts that have been handed down from the state, and they are major cuts for education as a whole. UT is trying to cut the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology (a top 30 program) from its budget. That has been tabled until fall - at least that is the last press release I have read. I hope they don't do that, that is a HUGE service to our community and region by helping young people. And they better not blame the football program if that happens...point the finger at the state beurocrates who seem to think educating our young people begins with balancing the budget at their expense. I can say this, I will be speaking my mind (at the State Government level) based in part on how well the Department of Speech and Audiology is treated - by VOTING.
Link to UT press release in regards to Audiology and Speech Pathology:
http://www.tennessee.edu/system/news/...
TommyJack writes:
naffy: Perhaps you even an alumnus.
faithfulvol writes:
Let's face it....these players (kids) are only here because of Fulmer and the other coaches...not us fans! Just read the articles...they love Fulmer! Whether you like him or not...HE IS TENNESSEE FOOTBALL...PLAIN AND SIMPLE! What spoiled fans...Unbelievable!
Pullingguard writes:
When you really think about and analize these increases in pay there has to be a justification clause and that brings a question...What has Fulmer done to justify these big bucks... Big bucks should be SEC Championships, BCS bowl games, and excelling beyond expectations, and none of this has happened with Fulmer in recent years. What has Fulmer done in the Community to bring change or make it better? Please someone tell me.
I think Fulmer needs to be Tennessee Football coach, but before bestowing him with large increases have him do something to earn the increase.
Bruce Pearl... A deserving increase and he has done lots to improve the Basketball situation at UT and also through this has ignited a spirit in the community that is positive for Basketball, something that did not exsist before...
LouisVol writes:
It's hard to argue with the salaries of Fulmer and Pearl when you compare them with other SEC schools. It's hard to imagine that Arkansas pays Petrino more than Tennessee pays Fulmer. I'm not sure how that is justified. Nevertheless, when academic programs are being cut, the raises look bad.
Perhaps Hamilton and the athletic department ought to be more transparent about their revenue sharing with the rest of the university. Maybe they should fund the veterans oral history project that is grossly underfunded and living on life support or some other worthwhile but underfunded program (that would take less than the donation single season ticket holder makes to "earn" the right to buy season tickets...)
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
jamali76, I was afraid the analogy would not be understood by some. My reference was to the overall situation, not just the present coaches.
Their choice to hire second tier coaches has placed the commode doors where they are today.
I did not mention Phillip, although he is the best coach we have had, based on the record. He has been more successful with his own players, unlike some who have succeeded with players of former coaches (like Wyatt and Battle). He let it be known several years ago that he was not interested in moving elsewhere so no approaches have since been made by others to hire him away from the VOLS.
Ask the city of Knoxville how much the football program contributes to the local economy. A report several years ago said the average expenditure by each fan at each game was about
$200. Get somebody to show you how to multiply $200 by 100,000 and then by 7. How many other enterprises cause a contribution of $140,000,000 per year to the local economy? Then remember that it hasn't been many years that the city wanted the university to move outta town.
I just regret they didn't move. Had it done so, we might have a better base of true VOLS fans today instead of the fair weather crowd on this site.
cainclifton23 writes:
About time we gave Pearl his...
too bad neither coaches are the top paid in the sec east.. not even the whole SEC..
so i dont think it is that big of a deal, except the fact that we are becoming a 8-9 win average football program..
maybe now since clawson is getting rid of these local average players and bringing in play makers we might start being a top program again.
look at the basketball team... best recruiting class in school history?
GreerVol22 writes:
Same phooey that has been going on on campus for years. In the late 80's when I was there the same sandleless flower smokers were griping becaue some psyc department funds were shifted over to pay for something called a PC lab in the new library. If everyone that majored in some liberal arts phooey actually contributed to society after school instead of taking government handouts and dodging taxes then maybe we could all sing koom ba ya hold hands, make love, and take acid hits till China takes over.
But until then, keep your hemp back pack wearing, Budda lovin', agenda to your self and quit ruining our lives by wishing our football away. Have a nice day.
ctmartin writes:
Who cares, let's play ball.
TommyJack writes:
Greer: Twas the same way in late 60's. All students think they're at the zenith of evolutionary thinking. That their thoughts have never been thought of before. Just the nature of the beast. Fortunately most outgrow it. Those that don't remain left leaners.
wskeen#212984 writes:
Posted by sdye16 on July 4, 2008 at 10:24 a.m.
"Ok, these coaches bring in a lot of revenue for the university, but the point behind this article is that students feel that the raises do not need to be taken from an increase in the tuition."
No. You don't get the point. The raises were not taken from the same pool of money that forced your rise in tuition. The Athletic Department raises it's own money from the tickets they sell. The coaches are paid from these funds alone. Not only that. The athlectic department annually donates a portion of the total sports gate receipts into the general education department to help run department and to fund academic scholarships. In addition, Coach Fulmer and his family donated a million dollars to the University of Tennessee to help you get your education.
"If you fans that really believe the coaches should get this much more money, YOU dish out more money. YOU take the money that YOU earn to pay their salaries instead of making the students pay even more to get their EDUCATION."
They do.... Just ask all the season ticket holders who receicved thier letter noting an increase in the price they'll pay to retain those tickets for another year.
N2Motorsports writes:
Why did the KNS interview hippy students for this story? They are the ones that always get interviewed. I go to UT and do not feel the way they do. The AD is seperate from the University so they can pay the coaches whatever they please. Shut your mouth and go study spanish and ecology while the rest of us worry about UT Athletics.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
The Bruins are afeered of us, pay raises or not.
They know Phil comes for them.
movol77 writes:
@arkyvol
You called these salaries "obscene," which actually is a term of disgust or offense regarding the portrayal or description of a sexual matter. It is also a recent buzz word from the liberal activist agenda designed to shock people to further blame and shame something they envy. Then again, that vocabulary might win you a KNS interview. ;)
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