Track and Field coaching salaries are a JOKE

If that was the case then almost all college coaches except the very few football or basketball programs that make money wouldn't be getting paid at all.

Generating revenue is the biggest lie told in college athletics.

I think maybe 10-12 schools have a balanced budget without major university support.

The average football program while generating some revenue operate at a 30+ million dollar loss.

Good point. The take much of the summer off. They take off a few weeks around Christmas. I doubt that they average more than 30.

You can look up salaries of state employees. Head coaches earn from $200K to $450K. Assistants earn from $50K to $150K.

There are a lot of jobs in HS and College that don't "Generate revenue". How much is that HR person bringing in?

Haha yes. If you want to get paid you need to get into administration, where you'll come up with some sort of BS strategic plan that will end up costing millions and seeing a net decrease in enrollment. Then you'll have to explain to be coaches or the faculty why you can't give raises or hire more people for the stuff the students are actually paying for and want.

HR hires and manages employees, benefits, etc...just because they are on the cost side rather than the revenue side doesn't mean they don't impact the bottom line. In fact they are second only to a school's finance department in their ability to impact the bottom line.

That said, coaches do 100% generate revenue. They attract student-athletes to the college, who pay money to attend. The problem is, sports like track and field cost enough money that they end up often being a net drain on the college's resources, and only exist to generate goodwill, which is an extremely nebulous asset. When a college needs to manage the bottom line, departments and positions that exist only to generate goodwill are often the first to be cut. Especially when you consider that goodwill is often not even calculated and considered for internal funding (only really used for acquisitions, which is dumb).

Yes, there was another thread where some guy claiming to be a hs coach was ranting about how few credits he was getting paid.

Republic credits are no goof here.

no good.

The hours are not God awful. Compared to what jobs? Most people who have good salaries beyond that in companies work 10 hr days and have to travel too. Sorry but a track coach doesn’t even put in an 8 hr day. They do make it up on some weekends but they have most of the summer off and for most, the season ends in May.

This. The work doesn't actually create anything. It's helping a small subset of students be entertained with a hobby. And it's a STAFF position that isn't admin. Academic advisors are more necessary to the school's mission. That may seem harsh but it's true. I really liked my college coaches and considered going that route at one time, but once I really looked into it the demands just didn't seem worth it for a vow of poverty.

Nah. Nobody is hosting alumni fundraisers centered on the home XC meet. Meanwhile, for 6 weekends in the fall they are gathering alumni on campus as well as for many home basketball games. Drawing donors interest (plus paying crowds through the gates) is what football and basketball programs do. T&F draws slightly better than golf.

Some coaches do more than facilitate a hobby. Some are being mentors through the entire college experience. It starts with helping students through the admissions process (often paid less than an admissions counselor). During college, coaches provide support by monitoring academic progress (paid less than academic advisor) and are often the first-line of communication when a student needs help. Mentoring often continues after graduation.

How about generating revenue for a D3 school: 90 students on roster and all pay an average range of $10,000-15,000 per year. That brings in a lot more than the cost of the program: budget of $30,000 (fundraise to cover the rest). Coaching staff salaries equal $150,000.

You are so full of crap.

I think some of you all are really under estimating how much work goes into coaching, especially at a mid major or D2. The actual coaching is the smallest part of the job.

the other duties consume a massive amount of time.

Sure some P5 jobs have more resources but your season typically goes through USAs in mid June/ early July. Maybe a camp during the summer. Recruiting is harder, international travel sometimes required.

I’d imagine Dave Smith, or Mike Smith work a lot

This is the standard argument used against raising the salary of coaches in women's sports, especially women coaches.

And most people on this board do not seem to have any problem with that argument as long as the coach is a woman and she only coaches women.

The "revenue" argument just doesn't hold up at D3. No scholarships, small budget overall, limited travel.

The head cross country coach recruits, lets say, 10 combined freshmen every year. 9 of those 10 would have gone to another school and ran there if there was not cross country at this school. Cross country is the reason 9 of them are here, paying tuition. That's 180k a year per class, or 720k a year overall. The coach runs the thing, they deserve a chunk of that, and should not be living like a pauper.

If athletic departments actually lost money for the school, they would get rid of them. The universities know if they got rid of sports, the student population and tuition payments would drop by more than the cost of running the sports programs.

Most D3 colleges are private nonprofit institutions. Their mission is to provide a well rounded education. Of course it costs money to have a cross country team. Nearly every school would fill the seats without the cross country team existing. North Central College is an average D3 school with a great team. The school's acceptance rate is 60% which means it turns away hundreds of applicants every year.