Putting things in perspective

[GalensGhost 0]

Anyone care to guess what Doug Barfield's compensation package was for his final season as Auburn head football coach?

The year was 1980. Coach Barfield took home a whopping $48,000. That's right, $48K. I didn't miss a zero.

Consider that Mike Shula (before his recent hiring) was to be paid Barfield's salary x 1.25 PER MONTH in his buyout.

[OlderWhiskey 992]

Makes one wonder what Shug made.

[bigsixfive 336]

I blame it on schools offering unproven coaches rediculous sums of money, as in 25% more than any other coach makes, without considering the consequences.

That, and inflation.

[poboy4AU 0]

Back in the day, my young friends and I(at the time) could not believe Hank Aaron signed a contract for 100k a year.

[Bama Possum 0]

To put that in perspective.

In 1978 we moved into an A-frame next to boat ramp on Lake Martin. Even though I was only eight, I remember distinctly that that house was a whopping $24,000. Although we moved in 1984, that house is still there and went on the market a couple of years ago. I don't know what it sold for, but the real estate guide was asking $275,000 for it. Although I am sure it had been renovated, (I had a really cool harvest gold bathtub and toilet upstairs in my bathroom) it didn't appear to have had any additions.

I know Lake Martin prices are a little steeper incline than the market on the whole, but $48,000 wasn't bad at all in 1980. It probably isn't equivalent to today's millions, but that was really good money. Heck, if Barfield had won a few more games he might have gotten a bit more.

[sandyclawedtiger 207]

Heck, if Barfield had won a few more games he might have gotten a bit more.

Now how are you suppose to win games with Brooks ,Cribbs and Andrews in the backfield?

Just good ole humor of the teams past here, no offense.

[quietfan 233]

But also consider the difference in revenue in college football then vs. now. Then, stadiums were smaller and ticket prices lower. There were no luxury sky boxes bringing in corporate and millionaire patrons. There was no cable or satelite. College football was only played on Saturdays, and on that Saturday only 2-3 teams, max, got shown in a smaller TV market. You were lucky if you got to see your team play 1-2 a year on TV. Bowls did not have multi-million dollar coorporate sponsors buying naming rights to their game. Advertising revenues in general were less, as were endorsements and "shoe deals" . The athletic clothing market was much, much smaller and coorporate sponsorship for a team's athletic equipment almost non-existent.

College football is just a much, much bigger business today with much, much more cash to spend. Of course, that still doesn't make it a good bargain to spend $4 Mil a year for a coach that doesn't know when to talk and when to keep his mouth shut.

[Tigermike 3,425]

But there are some similarities with Barfield and Shula.

Barfield never beat Bama and Shula never beat AUBURN.

[TexasTiger 13,556]

But also consider the difference in revenue in college football then vs. now. Then, stadiums were smaller and ticket prices lower. There were no luxury sky boxes bringing in corporate and millionaire patrons. There was no cable or satelite. College football was only played on Saturdays, and on that Saturday only 2-3 teams, max, got shown in a smaller TV market. You were lucky if you got to see your team play 1-2 a year on TV. Bowls did not have multi-million dollar coorporate sponsors buying naming rights to their game. Advertising revenues in general were less, as were endorsements and "shoe deals" . The athletic clothing market was much, much smaller and coorporate sponsorship for a team's athletic equipment almost non-existent.

College football is just a much, much bigger business today with much, much more cash to spend. Of course, that still doesn't make it a good bargain to spend $4 Mil a year for a coach that doesn't know when to talk and when to keep his mouth shut.

I miss the $7 dollar tickets. I don't miss the lack of games on TV.

[TexasTiger 13,556]

But there are some similarities with Barfield and Shula.

Barfield never beat Bama and Shula never beat AUBURN.

I think alot of people forget that Barfield inherited a losing team and was required to retain Shug's staff. He didn't really get his own shot. I'm not saying he'd have been a great one, but he was in a tough spot.

[quietfan 233]

But there are some similarities with Barfield and Shula.

Barfield never beat Bama and Shula never beat AUBURN.

Didn't Barfield have a secretary named "Saban" and Shula have a secretary named "Dye"?

[GalensGhost 0]

But also consider the difference in revenue in college football then vs. now. Then, stadiums were smaller and ticket prices lower. There were no luxury sky boxes bringing in corporate and millionaire patrons. There was no cable or satelite. College football was only played on Saturdays, and on that Saturday only 2-3 teams, max, got shown in a smaller TV market. You were lucky if you got to see your team play 1-2 a year on TV. Bowls did not have multi-million dollar coorporate sponsors buying naming rights to their game. Advertising revenues in general were less, as were endorsements and "shoe deals" . The athletic clothing market was much, much smaller and coorporate sponsorship for a team's athletic equipment almost non-existent.

College football is just a much, much bigger business today with much, much more cash to spend. Of course, that still doesn't make it a good bargain to spend $4 Mil a year for a coach that doesn't know when to talk and when to keep his mouth shut.

We're not talking about leather helmets and rugby shirts. We're not talking about nickel cokes and penny cigarettes. We're not talking about poodle skirts and greasers. We're talking about 1980 -- the year before Pat Dye took over the team.

Average national prices in 1980?

postage stamp 0.15

bread 0.48

milk 1.60

gas 1.03

car $5,413.00

income $11,321.00

house $86,159.00

Barfield made what amounts to 4x the national average income. In 2005 the average national income was $37,000. I think Saban makes a little more than $160,000 a year. In fact, he makes twice that. A month.

[weagl1 1,793]

Ya'll don't be dissing Barfield. He was a great guy and I remember the day he was hired everyone thought it was a great choice. He was promoted from OC under Shug, and don't forget he was the one who recruited the likes of Andrews, Brooks and Cribbs. Maybe he came up short as the head coach but it wasn't from lack of effort, he put his heart and soul into the job. One reason I liked him was he always took the time to speak to us students at the time who thought we knew something about football.

[GalensGhost 0]

One reason I liked him was he always took the time to speak to us students at the time who thought we knew something about football.

He probably wanted to borrow some money but didn't know how to ask. He wasn't making squat.

[AUman43 5]

Not only that, he never received the full support or approval of the Auburn family or the powers that be. He had the misfortune of not only succeeding Coach Jordan (an Auburn icon) but also being at Auburn during the Bryant Heyday. He was a fine man and just had this misfortune.

[GalensGhost 0]

Not only that, he never received the full support or approval of the Auburn family or the powers that be. He had the misfortune of not only succeeding Coach Jordan (an Auburn icon) but also being at Auburn during the Bryant Heyday. He was a fine man and just had this misfortune.

Jordan supported him to a degree, but he wasn't Jordan's first choice. Jordan wanted Paul Davis (the defensive coordinator) to take over. When Barfield took the job it was already a divided family.

Barfield was a nice guy, but he didn't have "it". Whatever "it" is, he didn't have it. He was probably a good assistant, but not HC material.

[LegalEagle 22]

I knew Doug personally, and he was (and likely still is) a fine human being.

He may be color blind, hence the orange jerseys!

[AUslug 1]

What is Barfield doing these days? I remember sitting in the booth for the Alabama/Mississippi football allstar game once several years ago.

[TexasTiger 13,556]

Ya'll don't be dissing Barfield. He was a great guy and I remember the day he was hired everyone thought it was a great choice. He was promoted from OC under Shug, and don't forget he was the one who recruited the likes of Andrews, Brooks and Cribbs. Maybe he came up short as the head coach but it wasn't from lack of effort, he put his heart and soul into the job. One reason I liked him was he always took the time to speak to us students at the time who thought we knew something about football.

He started Coaches Corner and would show up every week regardless of the outcome. Dye sent Jack Crowe. Not many coaches at big time programs would have done that then or now. I always respected Barfield, but it was time for a change. I just think he deserves more respect than he sometimes gets.

[AU alum 2]

Heck, if Barfield had won a few more games he might have gotten a bit more.

Now how are you suppose to win games with Brooks ,Cribbs and Andrews in the backfield?

Just good ole humor of the teams past here, no offense.

Well, I have to give the devil his due. Obviously, the man could recruit. Don't get me wrong. I bitched about how horrible Barfield was. But, he sure got some good players.

[AU alum 2]

Not only that, he never received the full support or approval of the Auburn family or the powers that be. He had the misfortune of not only succeeding Coach Jordan (an Auburn icon) but also being at Auburn during the Bryant Heyday. He was a fine man and just had this misfortune.

Jordan supported him to a degree, but he wasn't Jordan's first choice. Jordan wanted Paul Davis (the defensive coordinator) to take over. When Barfield took the job it was already a divided family.

Barfield was a nice guy, but he didn't have "it". Whatever "it" is, he didn't have it. He was probably a good assistant, but not HC material.

I knew that Shug wanted Paul Davis, but why was Barfield ultimately picked? Was Auburn having power struggles even then?

[SKCAUB 0]

In 1970, I had a wife, a new baby, a 2 year old Camero 327 RS, an apartment, and money in the bank...and I was making $105 per week. High test was about $.27 per gallon....

[AU alum 2]

This was from an article in the Montgomery Advertiser yesterday.

"Still around: Former Auburn head coach Doug Barfield was a familiar face in the crowd of coaches. After leaving Auburn, he coached at Opelika High School and served as athletic director at UMS-Wright before becoming marketing director with the Alabama High School Athletic Association for three years.

Now, he's executive director of sports development for Decatur-based Encore Rehabilitation, Inc. Encore is an AHSAA sponsor, but Barfield said the company will also work closely with AFCA.

"The coaches wanted a voice (apart from AHSAA), and I think it's great," he said. "It's a great organization, a win-win situation for everybody."

[AUloggerhead 2,356]

Heck, if Barfield had won a few more games he might have gotten a bit more.

Now how are you suppose to win games with Brooks ,Cribbs and Andrews in the backfield?

Just good ole humor of the teams past here, no offense.

Well, I have to give the devil his due. Obviously, the man could recruit. Don't get me wrong. I bitched about how horrible Barfield was. But, he sure got some good players.

O.K. He was a fine human being. As a HC or OC, I wasn't impressed. His offense was unimaginative and I'm still po'd about the orange jerseys! Seriously, i saw one game where the offense took two successive delay of game penalties. It would have been three in a row except that Phil Gargis just barely called a time out before the clock ran down. Pitiful. The only thing I can compare it to today is Shula's offense.

[nimsjus 0]

Coach Barfield was a little before my time as an Auburn coach(born in '83), but he was at UMS while I was there for high school. He was a great guy and was very involved with students and teams, which is what most of you guys said about him from Auburn. He was also very involved with the FCA. Coach Barfield also hired current coach Terry Curtis(a former AU baseball player), who reeled off several state championships and runners up trophies over the past few years. Get those two guys in a room together and they would have the whole room rolling. Both of them are great guys. I wish I had known more about the orange jersey thing in high school because I would have meesed with Barfield every day for that one. Was it not Coach Barfield that helped elevate the status of Tiger Walk too? I feel like I have been told that he really encouraged fans to come down to see the players on the way to the stadium. If so, that is a positive for him.