Coach salaries worry NCAA president

[Water Pony]

Posted: Thursday March 29, 2007 5:56PM; Updated: Thursday March 29, 2007 5:56PM

ATLANTA (AP) -- NCAA president Myles Brand expressed concern Thursday about runaway coaching salaries, but said it was up to individual schools and universities to police themselves when it comes to new hires.

"The NCAA can't do anything about it," Brand said at his annual Final Four news conference. "We don't make the hires or set the budgets of the institutions."

Brand, though, said he thinks university presidents have to take a look at the escalating salaries. They reached new levels with the eight-year, $32 million contract Nick Saban signed to coach the Alabama football team, and there is speculation at the Final Four that Florida coach Billy Donovan could leave for Kentucky for a similarly priced deal.

"I think we have to begin asking some very hard questions," Brand said. "It raises the question of propriety for colleges and universities. Is this the appropriate thing to do within the context of college sports?"
Brand, who has previously questioned both salaries and the increasing "arms race" of schools building athletic facilities, was forced to defend the organization's tax-exempt status to a congressman last year in light of the heavy spending on athletics.

But he said the NCAA has no ability to regulate salaries, and plays only a limited role in how its schools finance athletics. Still, he said, it was troubling to see some college coaches making more money than their counterparts in the pros.

"At what point do you believe that it does not make sense? Each school will have to figure it out for themselves," Brand said. "I don't think schools should be moving in this direction without giving it some serious thought."

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[expony18]

sooo a school's team generate millions of dollars of revenue(smu excluded), but coaches can't get a piece of the pie? atleast at smu our program doesn't make money or else they would find more million dollar waves to place on campus...

[Water Pony]

sooo a school's team generate millions of dollars of revenue(smu excluded), but coaches can't get a piece of the pie? atleast at smu our program doesn't make money or else they would find more million dollar waves to place on campus...

BTW, Calatrava is one of the world's most successful and pursued architects. His contribution in front of Meadows Museum is world class. Part of SMU's appeal is the beautiful campus and appealing design and architecture.

Things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

[SMU Football Blog]

The Calatrava sculpture and pool was a gift and is part of the Meadows Museum. The sculpture should no more be viewed as money that could be going to the athletic department than the misguided view that the Crum Center is money that could be going to renovating classrooms.

I'd gladly take another Calatrava sculpture.