Salaries of Football Coaches in California
The salary coaches receive depends on the level at which they are coaching. Professional football coaches tend to make the most money, but some college coaches make more than some NFL coaches. Football coaches in California are among the most highly compensated coaches in the world.
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High School Football Coaches
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Some high school football coaches can make as much as $100,000. Simply Hired reports that the average salary for high school football coaches is $39,000, as of 2011. According to a May 2010 article in The Los Angeles Times titled "As Demand for High School Football Coaches Rise, Salaries Soar," private school coaching salaries in California have been on the rise. The ongoing debate among parents, boosters and administrators is whether the money can be spent better on other school-related items. Ed Croson of Chaminade Prep in West Hills made close to $100,000 in 2009, while Jon Mack at Crespi High in Encino made more than $100,000. Sondheimer notes that science teachers with a master's degree and more than 10 years of experience make $53,953.
College Football Coaching Salaries
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College football salaries now typically exceed $1 million for top head coaches. This is primarily true at the Division I level where coaches serve as high profile representatives of the university. Four teams of the Division I football conference known as the Pac-10 call California home. According to a 2010 article in the Mercury News titled "Pac-10 Football: Coaches Salary Information," each of these coaches makes in excess of $1 million per year. For example, the University of Southern California's Lane Kiffin made $4 million in 2010. With eight victories on the season, Kiffin made $500,000 per victory. The other three coaches, Jim Harbaugh (now with the San Francisco 49ers), UCLA's Rick Neuheisel and the University of California's Jeff Tedford made between $1.27 million and $2.3 million in 2009. According to a December 2007 article in USA Today titled "College Football Coaches Calling Lucrative Plays," the average salary of college football coaches was $1.046 million at that time. A 2010 list published by USA Today reveals that the lowest reported guaranteed salary among college football coaches was $190,000.
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NFL Coaching Salaries
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Coaches in the National Football League or NFL make some of the highest salaries among football coaches at all levels. The top coaches make in excess of $5 million per year. The pay scale for NFL coaches is constantly changing. In most cases it continues to rise, but this can vary based on factors such as the size of city in which the team is found and the resources of the franchise owner. As of 2008, Norv Turner of the San Diego Chargers made $3 million per year while then San Francisco 49er coach Mike Nolan made $2.5 million per year. At the time, Lane Kiffin (now with the University of Southern California) made $1.25 million with the Oakland Raiders. In 2011, Jim Harbaugh signed a five-year $25 million dollar contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
Comparsion to Nationwide Salaries
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Coaching salaries in California compare well with other salaries nationwide. According to a 2009 USA Today article titled "College Football Coaches See Salaries Rise in Down Economy," 56 college and pro coaches nationwide made more than $1 million, while 25 made more than $2 million. A total of 12 made more than $3 million. As of 2009, six of the top-100 paid coaches in college Division I football were in California.
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References
- "L.A. Times"; As Demand for High School Football Coaches Rise, Salaries Soar
- "Forbes"; The Best (And Worst) College Football Coaches For The Buck
- "USA Today"; College Football Coaches See Salaries Rise in Down Economy
- "Mercury News"; Pac-10 Football: Coaches Salary Information
- America's Best Online: College Football-Highest Paid Coaches
- Simply Hired: Average High School Football Coach Salaries
Resources
- Photo Credit Football image by Brian Garvey from Fotolia.com
