Turner Gill

[PonyFan]

We all remember Coach Gill -- one-time assistant at SMU, star player and coach at Nebraska, on the wishlist of some PonyFans when Coach Bennett was hired a couple years ago, and on the wishlist of a lot of Cornhusker fans when Frank Solich got canned last year. Everything I've read indicates he was being groomed to succeed Solich, and even now, there has been a lot written that he's expected to succeed new coach Bill Callahan. Then I saw this:

"Nebraska is paying a price to be successful, and not just to new head football coach Bill Calllahan, who has an annual base salary of $325,000 and a total package worth $1.5 million.

Callahan's coordinators, Kevin Cosgrove and Jay Norvell, are each earning $200,000 a year, while newly hired assistants John Blake, Bill Busch, Phil Elmassian, Randy Jordan and Dennis Wagner have annyal salaries of $150,000. Holdover assistants Turner Gill and Scott Downing have received salary increases, Gill $10,000 to $140,000 and Downing $15,000 to $120,000.

Callahan's contract runs until January of 2010, while the contracts of the new assistants run until January of 2006. The contracts of Gill and Downing expire in June of 2006."

Are you serious? The favorite son, who's coached there for a long time, is making less than the new assistants? Including JOHN BLAKE? It's getting to the point where I'd expect Coach Gill to jump for the first legitimate job he's offered. Talk about a slap in the face! It's nice that Callahan held on to him -- probably didn't want to take the PR hit -- and I can understand if you bring in new coordinators or hotshot assistants (like if Butch Davis or someone wanted to return to college), but to pay those assistants more than Gill is insulting. He's put way too much into that university, and he's way too highly-regarded to be treated that way.

[Dark Horse]

That's amazing. That's like having Craig James coach for 10-12 years and then leaving him - with his strong performance as a coach and recruiter, as well as his playing legacy - as the lowest-paid coach on the team. With all the money Nebraska has, that's shameful.

[Swamp Gas]

I don't see why Gill puts up with that place. I know he went to school there, and I'm sure he loves the place, but they've never treated him well, as far as coaching positions. He's been held back, in terms of promotions (in my opinion). Maybe they take him for granted, because they think he'd never leave? For him to be paid less than all those assistants is wrong.

[MustangFan]

The idea that Coach Gill makes less than Coach Blake is nothing short of criminal.