South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley earned a shot to help her team defend its national title after beating Maryland in the Greenville Regional 1 final on Monday night.
In October 2021, Staley, who earned a third straight trip to the Final Four, inked a seven-year, $22.4 million contract — a $1 million annual increase. The contract made her one of the top three highest-paid coaches in the sport, along with UConn’s Geno Auriemma and LSU’s Kim Mulkey, who will join Staley in 2023 Final Four in Dallas.
But Staley’s raise is the exception rather than the rule.
Across Power 5 college sports, coaching salaries for women’s sports aren’t growing at a rate comparable to men’s salaries, according to a new study submitted for formal publication on Wednesday, which was led by Wayne State professor and Syracuse scholar-in-residence Scott Hirko.
Between 2014-2021, average Power 5 men’s coaching compensation grew at a rate of 55%, while women’s only grew 33%. The study data was collected and published by the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database.
The average women’s salary went from $3.9 million to $5.1 million.
The average men’s salary went from $12.2 million to $18.9 million.
Men’s coaching buyouts also grew at a rate astronomically higher than all of the women’s salaries — 208%, from $574,188 to $1.8 million.
It’s reasonable to assume average women’s salaries will continue to be lower than men’s.
The study notes that Power 5 football — by far the most lucrative college sport — contributed to the dynamic. The launch of the College Football Playoff in 2014, for example, allowed for major inflation of football spending.
But the disparity in growth rate suggests that top programs haven’t provided an equitable investment in women’s sports. In fact, the study found that a growth gap existed even when football was taken out of the equation.
But you can also notice the recent data on who is the highest-paid men’s college basketball head coach.
Top 25 Highest-Paid Coaches
| Rank | Coach | School | Salary |
| 1 | Geno Auriemma | Connecticut | $2.9 million |
| 2 | Dawn Staley | South Carolina | $2.7 million |
| 3 | Kim Mulkey | LSU | $2,639,625 million |
| 4 | Vic Schaefer | Texas | $1.8 million |
| 5 | Jeff Walz | Louisville | $1,525,000 million |
| 6 | Brenda Frese | Maryland | $1,412,240 million |
| 7 | Gary Blair | Texas A&M | $1.25 million |
| 8 | Lisa Bluder | Iowa | $1,091,394 million |
| 9 | Kelly Graves | Oregon | $1,025,000 million |
| 10 | Adia Barnes | Arizona | $1,012,000 million |
| 11 | Kevin McGuff | Ohio State | $980,860 |
| 12 | Sue Semrau | Florida State | $975,333 |
| 13 | Wes Moore | North Carolina St. | $895,000 |
| 14 | Scott Rueck | Oregon State | $879,452 |
| 15 | Kim Barnes Arico | Michigan | $853,000 |
| 16 | Joni Taylor | Georgia | $850,000 |
| 17 | Courtney Banghart | North Carolina | $840,000 |
| 18 | Kellie Harper | Tennessee | $800,000 |
| 19 | Teri Moren | Indiana | $800,000 |
| 20 | Bill Fennelly | Iowa State | $800,000 |
| 21 | Yolett McPhee-McCuin | Mississippi | $753,500 |
| 22 | Nell Fortner | Georgia Tech | $750,000 |
| 23 | Cori Close | UCLA | $725,000 |
| 24 | Mike Carey | West Virginia | $720,000 |
| 25 | Charlie Turner Thorne | Arizona St. | $707,500 |
The top 25 highest-paid coaches have fared over the last two seasons. Most of the annual earnings are based on 2022-23 USA Today data and from news organizations but take into account coaching changes, compensation data, and the latest information.
Read the original article on FrontOfficeSports.com.
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