Salary of College Football Strength & Conditioning Coaches

Strength and conditioning coaches are paid to help athletes perform at their best.

Strength and conditioning coaches are essential to college sports. They provide athletes with the competitive edge they need to compete in their respective sports. Pat Forde at ESPN.com notes that, aside from the head coach, strength and conditioning coaches in football can be the most important members of the coaching staff because they are the ones that spend the most time with players off the field. As college athletic programs have come to recognize the importance of these coaches, they have started to compensate them more handsomely for their training efforts.

Average Salary

The average salary for all college athletic coaches was $49,140 per year, as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This salary was significantly higher than the average salary earned by all coaches and scouts nationwide, which was $35,950 per year, according to the BLS. Strength and conditioning coaches typically earn salaries ranging from $16,380 to $63,720 per year, with a median salary of $28,340 per year. The upper 10 percent of all coaches made more than $63,720 on an annual basis.

Starting Salaries

Starting salaries for college football strength and conditioning coaches generally ranged from $18,000 to $30,000, as of 2011, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Many colleges employed multiple strength and conditioning coaches for their football programs. The head strength and conditioning coach generally receives the highest level of pay, but competition for these jobs is fierce. Those planning on working in this field may spend several years paying their dues before moving up the coaching ladder.

Earning Potential

The earning potential for college football strength and conditioning coaches is quite high. Although most colleges do not publish salary listing for all of their coaches, some do provide an indication of what strength and conditioning coaches can expect to make. For instance, as of 2007, Scott Cochran, head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Alabama, made $210,000 per year. Most job listings at NCAA.org indicate that salaries are negotiable and are commensurate with experience.

Qualifications

To qualify to work as a strength and conditioning applicants typically need to have at least a Bachelor's degree in a field such as exercise science. The American College of Sports Medicine indicates that a Master's degree may be needed, as well as certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. For college football strength and conditioning coaches, some experience in football is generally necessary, as well.

References

• ESPN.com: Strength Coaches Doing Heavy Lifting; Pat Forde; June, 2010
• Roll Bama Roll: Alabama Coaching Salaries; June, 2010
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: 27-2022 Coaches and Scouts
• American College of Sports Medicine: Careers in Sports Medicine and Exercise Science
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Athletes, Coaches, Umpires and Related Workers

Resources

• NCAA.org: The Market