Incentives boost pay for BGSU coaches

4/11/2010

Miller

NOT BLADE PHOTO

BOWLING GREEN - Curt Miller became only the third coach in Mid-American Conference women's basketball history to reach 200 career victories earlier this year.

His tenure at Bowling Green State University has produced six straight MAC regular-season championships, four MAC tournament titles, and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2006.

"Curt Miller has earned every penny that he's been paid by Bowling Green," BG athletic director Greg Christopher said. "He's done a tremendous job for the student-athletes and the institution."

Miller signed a contract extension in September that extends his deal until 2015. The second-highest paid coach at BG earns a gross annual salary of $160,124 based upon documents released to The Blade after a public records request. His success has led to him earning nearly double the amount of his original contract for $85,000 per year when he was hired in the summer of 2001.

Second-year football coach Dave Clawson is the highest paid coach on campus. He signed a contract a year ago that earns him a gross salary of $200,000 per year. Clawson's annual salary is scheduled to bump up to $205,000 in the fourth season and $210,000 by the fifth season.

Christopher said contracts for coaches at BG are generally determined based upon the average salaries of coaches in the MAC.

"My personal philosophy in how we handle coaches' salaries, we try to benchmark the mid-point of the overall peer group, and then with incentives we try to push that coach into the top percentile," Christopher said.

Miller's contract, which was amended in September, has resulted in him receiving an additional $13,000 in performance incentive bonuses by April 30 based upon the Falcons' success during the 2009-10 campaign. BG finished with a 27-7 record and 14-1 in the MAC.

Miller earned $4,000 for winning the MAC regular-season title, $4,000 for winning the MAC tournament crown, and $5,000 for earning an NCAA tournament bid.

Clawson, who was hired in December, 2008, led the Falcons to a 7-6 overall record (6-2 in the MAC) that included an appearance in the Humanitarian Bowl, where the Falcons fell 43-42 to Idaho.

Clawson earned an additional $17,000 in performance incentives. He received $2,000 for winning five MAC games, $10,000 for winning at least six MAC games, and another $5,000 for reaching a bowl game.

BG men's basketball coach Louis Orr, who also received a two-year extension last fall that pushes his contract through the 2013-14 season, is paid a gross salary of $160,000 per year. Orr collected $3,500 in performance incentives after the 2008-09 season after being named MAC coach of the year and after the Falcons won the MAC regular-season championship.

In comparison, Tod Kowalczyk, who was recently hired as the University of Toledo's men's basketball coach, signed a five-year contract set to pay him $280,000 annually. UT coaches involved in revenue sports have contracts that pay more than those in similar positions at BG.

Christopher, whose annual salary is $159,650, said the athletic budget to operate 18 teams is about $16 million. He said it is in the same "ballpark" as most athletic budgets in the MAC, which helps determine coaches' salaries.

However, Christopher said BG coaches are evaluated for salary increases based upon team success, as well as the success of the student-athletes outside the field of play.

"There's the competitive part and the student-athlete part, and they have to be linked together," Christopher said. "People like Louis Orr, Curt Miller, and Dave Clawson are doing a great job as a whole."

Contact Donald Emmons at:

demmons@theblade.com

or 419-724-6302.