Poll: What SEC coach is worth the money they're being paid?

What SEC coach is worth the money they're paid?

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Comments » 65

MidTennVol writes:

STUPID poll. Many of these guys are worth what they're being paid -- not just one.

OldBob writes:

No one is worth that kind of money for coaching a silly recreational game. We live in a world of messed up priorities.

nola_vol writes:

Sorry, KNS, but this really IS a stupid poll. It's stupid that only one coach/program can be selected and it's stupid to ask readers to evaluate "worth" without providing the revenues each coach is producing--or knowing what kind of revenues they WILL be producing by the end of their current contract!

Typical modern journalism... generating heat instead of light--and asking the readers to provide the story! Try bringing some integrity to your profession, before it dies. Democracy needs a healthy, vigorous fourth estate more than ever.

ladivolfan writes:

Stupid Poll: make it SEC WIDE and not just football and include Pat Summitt and I'll vote.

nola_vol writes:

Have to strongly disagree with robertstanelle's comment... "worth" is not based on the activity itself, but on the revenues these coaches generate. Think how many thousands of people have jobs that ONLY exist because +100,000 go to Neyland Stadium several times a year expecting to see quality college football, or because another million are proud to wear "orange" throughout the year (not to mention all the charity revenues generated from these coaches' notoriety).

Pretty neat that successful coaches can generate all these public benefits without confiscating a single dime from anyone's paycheck!!

Drew Edward's article ("Price tag for SEC football coaches surges") puts the subject in its proper context:

"In May, the SEC announced shared revenue of $127.2 million, which means $10.6 million per school. That sum would more than cover the combined salaries of every coaching staff in the league with plenty left over.

Of the $127.2 million, some 70 percent comes from football television rights, bowl payouts and the conference football championship game. And shared revenue will surely grow when the SEC signs a new blockbuster television deal later this year."

Compare those ratios of cost/revenue against the rising costs/shrinking revenues of a typical Bachelor's Degree... How many degrees offered by the state university system will even pay for their cost and interest owed from a student loan? What is the "worth" of (just to cite an easy example) a Psychology professor, knowing that fewer than 25% of bachelor degree recipients with a psychology major will find employment in a job EVEN RELATED to that degree? [and, no, neither I nor my kids were Psych majors] Heck--fewer than half of ALL U.T. grads (4-year degrees) find employment within the field of their major!

So you tell me... coaches or professors: who is actually "worth" the money they're being paid? And if you cite the hoary old mantra (which I happen to agree with), "the value of an education goes beyond..." then fine, let the free market determine its value--not a bunch of truth-dissembling, perk-grabbing, tax-nabbing, elected "public servants."

stroker writes:

nola_vol, great post until the last sentence. No doubt some public servants are lacking in integrity just as the general population. A brilliant analysis of a coaches value with a myopic conclusion.

eduardo writes:

F$$$lmer are you people kidding? I wouldn't the guy $1! Sure doesn't need what they are fixing to give him. Forget the ext. Hamilton!

rccheek#205272 writes:

You left off the most important choice in the poll and that is "NONE". The whole thing is so out of control that is is ridiculous. Just a reflection of how the values in this society have deteriorated.

nola_vol writes:

Stroker, you're right (about my myopic conclusion).

Earlier this morning, before I even got to the KNS articles, I had been reading articles on Congress, Obama and McCain, fueling my cynicism about the public sector (nationally). I might also attribute my attitude to having lived and followed politics in Louisiana for 20 years--but that was then and there, and no excuse for today.

In fairness, the few TN State Legislators I do know, I don't know that well, and so I have no basis for demeaning them. My comment on public servants was prejudiced, far too broad, and locally un-informed.

Point taken.

stroker writes:

good job nola respect restored.

stroker writes:

eduardo and rc you need to read nola vol post at 7:19,then if you don't retract your statements you are without lucidity.

TommyJack writes:

Any coach is worth what he can command. Who's too say how much is too much? Are movie/tv personalites paid too much? Their worth is determined by how much they can help generate revenue. Is the scale out of balance? Who knows?
Any coach that can command $1.5 to $4k had better produce. If they don't, the have no beeatch coming. Anyone with an undergraduate in pscyhology is already suspect IMO. What did they intend to do; open a psychology store?

TommyJack writes:

Nola: If the 4th estate did its job, we would not have the sorriest Congress in the history of the Republic. Dissapproval rating prove it. News people don't report it. Term limits please. (this post will get busted)

TommyJack writes:

CatScratch: Danged if I didn't. thanks.

murrayvol writes:

Our system is called capitalism. They're all worth it to the institutions that pay them because that's what their check stub says.

Fast forward to late November for anyone on the hot seat and match the Ws with the dollars and the situation may change. The trend is up and I don't see that changing in my lifetime.

Go4Two writes:

If Fulmer leaves we will need 3.5 to 4 million to replace him. I would say we are getting a pretty good deal at 2.05 million.

budd#207344 writes:

The one thing we all need to remember is that the money that pays for this and all other programs comes to a large degree from highly educated people who have prospered in the society as anything from a CEO to owning a Psychology store. So while society has deemed sports important and we will continue to pay for these coaches and love them or hate them based on their performance, let us not slight the education that is so necessary to a prosperous society. That said if you think it is worthless then why are you reading these articles? Maybe you need to go to your local Shrinks R Us and find out.

walt23tn writes:

Come on people, Fulmer is second in votes among these coaches? That's a joke. Saban, Miles, Meyer, Richt, and Spurrier are five of the best coaches in the country. Loyalty is great but let's keep it real.

abills#477949 writes:

Wow! Evidently Tennessee fans don't think Alabama fans are as delusional as I thought they did. I love the fact that Vols fans have bought into the Saban hysteria that has swept Alabama.

How quickly we forget that at the very least, the valueless Phil Fulmer won all of the games that he was undoubtedly supposed to win last year.

The same cannot be said, on the other hand, for the 3.5 million dollar man.

Granted, that's just a look at last year. But, if I'm paying a coach $3.5 million, the least I could ask for is some assurance that he would win the games that he is undoubtedly supposed to win.

budd#207344 writes:

abills you seem to think that it is Vol fans only voting in this poll. The bama folks come here to learn how to spell so while they are on they vote. Plus its easier thean trying to use those confusing voting machines and this way they can say they voted in an election.
plus the florida fans come here too cause there really isn't a gator site just a porno site called bait that they think is talking about uf

murrayvol writes:

We're not talking about La Monroe are we abills? Any coach worth his salt will tell you those guys are a tough out....even at home.lol

VolinBama writes:

Clearly,the Sabama fans are reading or voting. I cannot come up with any other explanation as why a four million dollar coach with a so far average record at Bama is worth it. Could it by the "mythical" recruiting or attendance at a spring game championships? Hard to figure it out living here in Bama.

krispykreme writes:

41 - 17

That's $120,588 a point for Fulmer and $97,561 a point for Saban.

Sounds like a better deal for me, but I didn't learn math at UT so I could be wrong.

VOLS85 writes:

sad part is that the bama fans are so bored that they feel compelled to vote as many times as possible for saban...talk about having absolutely no life!

Moaninglikeheck writes:

krispy kreme, sounds like u believe the Tennessee game is the only one that matters to Bama. Man, they really do have low expectations! PATHETIC ROTFLMAO!!!

Go Vols!!

krispykreme writes:

Moaninglikeheck

Historically speaking the Third Sat in October has been one the biggest if not THE biggest game of the year for both UA and UT. Does that make you guys pathetic as well?

It's not like Bama's team was supposed to be world beaters last year. UT on the other hand started preseason top 20 and choked their way through the first half of the season.

abills#477949 writes:

krispykreme,

All anyone said is that Tennessee beat the teams that they were undoubtedly supposed to beat last year.

Bama did not.

Please concede that fact. Otherwise, I will take it to mean that you believe Bama was inferior to Louisiana Monroe last year.

bhjohnso#207063 writes:

none of them are worth it...making that kind of money to coach football is ridiculous. having said that, God bless them for getting it, that's the way this country works and I wouldn't change that.

invisiblekid writes:

Pretty simple, if enough people don't think these guys are worth what they are being paid, then they will stop showing up to games, watching on tv, and buying the merchandise and the market will eventually correct itself.

If I had to pick out the most overpaid and underpaid, it would be Petrino and Spurrier respectively. Petrino doesn't have the pedigree(championships and longevity)of the 4 guys that follow him on the list. Spurrier has more SEC titles than anyone else and a NC to go along with it.

pdhuff#552644 writes:

KingsportVol 10:03, I'll go ahead and send you some more kevlar. "Blown out by our biggest rivals" ???? Blaspheming, I tell you! If he'd given up 150 to Fla and Bama, he'd get 5 mil.

By the UTADs thinking , thats worthy of a raise.
You'd best get in line and I'll try to get you at least 300 gallons of koolade and 14-16 shakers and stickers to get your mind right.

Repeat after me,

Phil, Phil, he's our man,
Even if he's gone in the can,
BCS and SEC do not matter,
Just spew the company orange chatter!

That should hold you thru this temporary mental setback....

bobbarbilly writes:

Sure. They are all worthy of their hire. First, it was the lack of coach supply. Then it was the lack of coach refineries because the ncaa would not allow any more to be built. Then the existing coach refineries were being taken off-line and repaired resulting in a backlog of coaches that could not be refined therefore driving up the cost-per-coach. Then, the coach speculators drove the price-per-coach to an unheard of high, and now the declining dollar has led to even higher coach costs. The bottom line is that if we want to get anywhere in our athletic vehicles...we have to pay the price at the coach pump.

gobigorange writes:

I wouldnt pay Saban $10. Bama will have wasted a ton of money win he jumps ship out of Tuscaloosa. Hes done it before and he will do it again.

NOLAvol writes:

Bobbarbilly, you're obviously just a soulless shill for the coaching industry!

How can you claim to be taking rising coach costs seriously without discussing COACHING ALTERNATIVES:

1) Why is it that the richest universities all have GRADUATE ASSISTANTS on their staffs, but they never promote them to Head Coach? Because the "coaching man" keeps them down! Meanwhile, our SEC coaching ranks continue to be supplanted by foreigners from the North.

2) There are hundreds of SPORTS REPORTERS who, every Sunday morning, PROVE they could do a better job as coaches, but Nooooooooo... the coaching industry refuses to take them seriously (citing their "lack of work ethic" and 'inability to work late more than one day per week").

3) With today's internet technology, experts estimate that up to 80% of coaching duties could be turned over to THE FANS. The recruiting data is already out there... the fans in forums have proven that they can break down a game faster and more succinctly than a roomfull of postition coaches... sportstalk radio proves the fans can generate soundbites, conduct interviews and press conferences--heck, even an article on GoVolsXtra supposedly about coaches' salaries contains scouting reports and gameplans for next year's UF and UA games!

Remember, if you really want that Sears Trophy... it takes a village.

pdhuff#552644 writes:

Gen Fritter says Phil will hoist the Sears grail.
That should be good enuf for all fans, realists or not.

NOLAvol - what is "working"?

GreerVol22 writes:

eduardo, my grass still needs cutting.

hey Kingsport and or General, with gas at $4, do you forecast any reduction in fritter size for the fall timeframe?

Lays chips went to 5 oz bags, Hershey bars just dropped another 2/10 of an oz...

CoverOrange writes:

NOLA, coaching alternatives would be, what, a nuclear powered AD so we can plug in electric coaches? Maybe risky but chances of success are higher than solar or wind powered ADs. Or were you thinking of corn grown coaches that don't go as far and are fair weathered?

leedsvol2007 writes:

I wanted none of the above. The truth is all of them are grossly overpaid based on their significance.

The reality is that many are underpaid due to what the market demands. They are individuals that have the ability to organize and run top organizations that TV pays to broadcast. Ultimately it is this interest that advertisers use to get their products exposed to consumers.

There are many individuals at the university who perform more significant work. But their talents are not as rare and do not generate the revenues the football program does.

The idea behind this appears to be to create controversy as most reporters are jealous of the income coaches receive.

My suggestion is they become coaches if they want to make that kind of money.

vol4gzus writes:

Yeah that was what Dexter said b4 he jumped off the John Deere down in bammer land. Sumpin bout corn ain't no good so crop prices weel be bad and hard to pay coach his money ya'll. Was that coach speak?

bobbarbilly writes:

NORAvol..."satire of the soulless shill"...hmmmm...by jiminy you could be on to something here....

bobbarbilly writes:

OOPS...I meant NOLAvol...sorry.

Ralph_Crampton writes:

Its the free market guys.. in our system a man is paid the going salary...Always, the free market will right itself..it always has. Free enterprize is founded on demand...and we demand that our coaches deliver.

TommyJack writes:

PD: 10:16: Props, sir. I had no idea of your poetic instincts. Course I'm no expert...only poetry I remember started "There was an old lady from Nantucket..."

chrslyp writes:

coaches get paid what they do because they bring in so much money, i'd be making the big bucks too if someone paid $100.00 to come watch me work.

invisiblekid writes:

"Maybe risky but chances of success are higher than solar or wind powered ADs."

Turbofan, agreed, do these AD's and coaches really need any more hot air?

pdhuff#552644 writes:

The best prophet of the future is the past...

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

200??????

said by some old Greek....

years ago, likely.

b_neas writes:

Don't see how you can not say Richt. I hate UGA just as much as the next guy, but he is middle of the road in pay and always finishes higher than middle of the road in the standings.

nakamine writes:

richt has been worth his weight in gold at georgia....what about brooks? talk about being the "bizarro" bruce pearl for football...haha

txsvol#372416 writes:

Nice article on BJ Coleman in the Chatt N-FP of 6/29. Also, UGA VI died in his hometown of Savannah, GA. Go Vols! SAVol

THANKYOU4GETTINGRIDOFTHENOTSOSLIMONE writes:

Richt's record in 6 years at Georgia versus top 25: 18-11

Fulmer's the past 6 years: 10-18

Hard to disagree with that comment b_neas.

pdhuff#552644 writes:

Gen F, here's to looking silly.

Better than the look me and my bunch had after Fla last year.

Free the glazed!

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