ND coaches see pay boost as other schools trim

FARGO (AP) — They have friends around the country who have lost their jobs or had to take a cut in pay. That's why Gene Taylor, Lynn Dorn and Brian Faison are thankful they are able to offer raises to their coaches at North Dakota State and the University of North Dakota.

``We are giving 3- to 5-percent raises at a time when a lot of places across the country are not giving raises or are making cuts,' said Taylor, NDSU's athletic director. ``We are very, very fortunate.'

Fortunate indeed.

At NDSU, eight key administrators received raises — including Taylor, who salary increased from $167,845 to $177,916 and including Dorn, the women's athletic director whose salary increased from $124,391 to $130,612.

All 12 head coaches and 17 assistant coaches at NDSU got bumps in pay.

Faison saw his contract extended through 2012 with an annual salary of $136,500. Faison said the majority of his administrators and coaches received 5 percent pay raises.

So why have NDSU and UND been immune to cuts so far? The main reason is the revenue that the athletic departments have been able to generate. Non-appropriated money like ticket sales, marketing and promotions pay for the majority of the salaries at the two schools.

Less than a third of the athletic department's salaries at NDSU and UND are funded from appropriated dollars from the state legislature.

But Faison says the next school year will be a challenge with UND entering its second year of its five-year transition from Division II to Division I.

``They say the second year of the transition appears to be the most challenging, especially with revenue production,' Faison said. ``There will be travel costs and guarantees we have to pay. It will be a significant financial challenge.'

Perhaps not as challenging as what athletic Doug Peters faces at Minnesota State University Moorhead at the Division II level. He's still unsure how the $9 million budget reduction at MSUM will affect salaries.

``I will say that the budget and the economy has impacted the scholarship side of our athletic department. It remains to be seen if it affects the salary side of it,' said Peters, who unlike athletic directors in North Dakota has to deal with unions and contracts that have four-year fixed terms.

While athletic directors like Taylor, Dorn and Faison realize they could lose coaches to higher-paying jobs at larger Division I schools, Peters admits he worries about losing coaches to Division I schools like NDSU and UND.

At NDSU, the athletic directors' goal is to provide salaries for their head coaches and assistants that rank in the top two of The Summit League. Bison head football coach Craig Bohl, whose salary increased from $174,000 to $180,960, ranks near the top in the Missouri Valley Conference and in the top 10 among Football Championship Subdivision coaches, Taylor said.

Taylor and Dorn realize they will eventually lose head coaches to higher-paying jobs. Former men's basketball coach Tim Miles more than tripled his salary two years ago with a $400,000 contract at Colorado State.

``We just can't do those numbers so there is a limit,' Taylor said. ``You don't want your coaches to leave but if they do leave, you want a salary package that will attract a good pool of candidates.'

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