<p>Mack Brown, coach of the Texas Longhorns just received a raise from $3 million dollars annually to $5 million. (Texas</a> coach Brown gets raise to $5 million annually - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com). In a time when state universities are raising tuition and fees to sky high levels, reducing financial assistance and cutting course offerings, I am glad to see that one state knows its priorities. </p>
<p>In addition, I have never understood how college coaches at public universities can make millions by endorsing and using a particular brand of athletic gear. In my line of work in the public sector this would be called a "kickback" and I would be in jail-- not a hero.</p>
<p>I know it is bothersome to have tuition go up and at the same time coaches salaries go up also. But Mack Brown has built the most successful College Football Team in history (as far as his stats in regard to accomplishments of the team) The stadium at UT Austin holds over 100,000 people and student tickets are around $30 but I believe the average ticket price is $62.00 (many tickets over $100). At that cost one sold out stadium (and every single home game is sold out) yields over $6 million dollars. Is five million dollars too much? Maybe, but there are plenty of coaches that get more based on salary/stadium revenue than Mack Brown.</p>
<p>Also…Sabin gets 4 million a year and I’m sure a raise is in his future. So this is not a UT issue…all the big teams pay big money because the programs yield big dollars and I suspect that revenue keeps tuition down or at least supports “lesser” athletic programs, at least the publics.</p>
<p>For those who don’t want to open the link, here’s the pertinent info:</p>
<p>“The data showed that while the country was in the midst of a lingering and deep recession, revenues generated by the Longhorns football program increased by 20 percent in 2008, rising by $14.6 million to a whopping $87.6 million.”</p>
<p>I like Mack; overall, he’s done a great job w/the program, even though poor clock mgmt against Nebraska almost cost us a trip to the national championship. Is he worth $5M? No, but who is? Hook 'em!</p>
<p>Well–Saban has to have a second job, playing himself in *Blind Side *to put food on the table. Go Horns!</p>
<p>BTW–I wonder how much T Boone has plugged into OSU over the years?</p>
<p>Football is BIG TIME to certain people and the programs that “deliver” can afford to pay the big bucks. BTW–the UT football revenues pay for the losses of all the other campus NCAA sports, both mens and womens sports.</p>
<p>I bet if you asked any of the faculty or administrators outside the athletic department at Texas they would agree with your feelings about the budget cuts versus athletic salaries. The unfortunate reality is that ticket revenues and contributions (personal and corporate) to athletic foundations fund the athletic department and the university can’t touch those funds because the donations are made for the purpose of athletics; corporate contributions are massive… Makes me sick when I think about it. </p>
<p>By the way, if I’m remembering correctly, I think Saban has a clause in his contract that he will be either <em>the</em> highest paid college coach or “among the top 3” or something like that.</p>
<p>Maybe if the NMF all got together and gave a speech in a sold out stadium they would start the NM $$ again…haha…but really, I am not so sure UT stoped the $$ to NMF because of lack of funding, but because of wanting to put that money toward students who were excellent candidates, but might not have had a shinning moment that Saturday in October. I for one which NMF didn’t exist. I found it interesting that my daughter’s junior class had the test on a Saturday Morning after a Friday night football game (away game) and the buses rolled in at 1:10 a.m…6 hours and 50 minutes before the test started. We don’t have scores back yet, but my type A kid came out of the test with the two word phrase “Epic Failure.”</p>
<p>Schools that stop the NMF funding seem to do so because they’re getting pressure that those scholarships are “taking away from the needy students.” I don’t agree with that argument. </p>
<p>If there’s a fear that those scholarships are given to students who “really aren’t that smart” because some might come from states where the cut-off is very low, then an added SAT/ACT minimum could also be req’d.</p>
<p>We can talk about fairness and opportunity all day long, but let’s acknowledge what National Merit scholarships are for: to attract good students who would go somewhere else if money were no object. They’re a form of marketing. And just as leading brands such as BMW and Rolex don’t have to print coupons in the Sunday paper, neither do top schools have to lure top students by dangling free rides in front of them. Plenty of people are already lining up to pay their own way.</p>
<p>Texas, being a highly-regarded institution in a popular city, can get all the good students it wants by other means, so why make a blanket offer to anyone who happens to do well on a particular standardized test? In fact, winning football games probably reduces the need to offer scholarships simply because it creates more interest in the school, unrelated to ability to pay.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana—just to pick one school at random—is unlikely to be any top student’s first choice without significant incentive. By offering a full ride, Ball State raises its profile among the thousands of National Merit finalists, without having to seek them out, process applications, interview them, etc. National Merit has done the vetting for them; all that’s left is to lay the money on the table and see who takes it, after which the schools gets to say, “Look at us, we have XXX National Merit finalists!” Marketing.</p>
<p>(And lest I sound too cynical, I should point out that I went to a third-tier college on a full-tuition NMSF scholarship, and my son stands to get a lot of money the same way. I do not think this is a bad system at all.)</p>