Saban already on hot seat

[bigsixfive 328]

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...ATES02/70823044

Amid so much hype, Saban's seat already sizzling at Alabama

By Kelly Whiteside

USA Today

Nick Saban would rather not talk about the number of zeros and

commas on his paycheck. After all, the nation’s highest-paid college

football coach, the $4 million man, took a pay cut when he left the

Miami Dolphins for Alabama in January.

“It’s not about money for me,” Saban said twice for emphasis.

Fair or not, the money puts him in his profession’s toughest tax

bracket: most scrutinized coach in the country.

Take the fat paycheck. Add the Crimson Tide’s storied tradition and

the expectations of their fired-up fans. Factor in Saban’s brusque

exit from Miami, plus his uneasy relationship with the media. Include

his Bowl Championship Series national title as coach at Southeastern

Conference rival LSU four seasons ago. The result? An intensely

examined life, from every dollar made to every Little Debbie Oatmeal

Creme Pie cookie devoured (two each morning).

This fall, not a week will go by without “highest-paid coach”

mentioned after his name. “I think it makes you the easiest target in

college football,” said Paul Finebaum, considered the most

influential sports radio host in Alabama.

Saban’s situation is no different from say, Alex Rodriguez’s. The

biggest contract usually results in the most pressure.

“People look at you in a different light, but that’s in any sport,

whether player or a coach,” Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said.

“Obviously there’s a lot of expectations when you’re paid that much.

Some people are going to look at you as someone who’s going to wave a

magic wand, and that’s not going to happen (while I'm still here ).

“Nick’s a good football coach. He’s won a lot of games, he’s won a

national championship, but patience is a virtue when you’re at a new

school,” Tuberville said.

For NCAA President Myles Brand, it is about money. A month before

Alabama raised the bar, Brand called escalating salaries the most

important issue for 2007 in college athletics. A few months later, he

explained how the market reached this point.

“What happened is Nick Saban,” Brand said. “The market between

the NFL and the college coaches has collapsed. We’re seeing more and

more movement back and forth.”

Is it fair that Saban is the poster child for excess in college

sports?

“I don’t feel like I’m totally responsible for where this whole

salary thing has gone,” Saban said last month at the SEC media days.

“I think it will continue to go there in the future relative to what

happens in the NFL and how the trickle effect comes down into college

football.”

This makes little sense to Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor

at Smith College.

“If a typical NFL team has $200 million in revenue and if

Alabama’s football team makes about $40 million,” he said, “how

could a head coach of a football team that makes $40 million make the

same amount as a head coach of a team that generates $200 million?”

But... most school's don't pay their players. That raises the question of where uat gets its extra money from...

Even though most of the big money paid to college coaches is from

schools’ lucrative television and apparel contracts and multimedia and

marketing-rights deals, “I think you have to ask the hard

questions,” Brand has said. “Is this the appropriate thing to do

within the context of college sports?”

College officials have expressed concern that Saban’s eight-year,

$32 million guaranteed contract will lead to continuing increases in

salaries and additional congressional scrutiny.

Last fall, the House Ways and Means Committee asked the NCAA to

explain why coaches are paid so much and whether athletics departments

that generate millions deserved tax-exempt status.

Lots of extras in contract

Beyond what’s guaranteed, Saban can earn much more. According to a

copy of his contract obtained by USA TODAY through a Freedom of

Information request, he would pocket an additional $400,000 for a BCS

title, plus another $200,000 if he wins the SEC championship game, SEC

coach of the year and national coach of the year honors. If Saban’s

players reach certain academic standards, add another $100,000 to the

pot.

So its safe to say uat will only be paying him $4M per year...

Then there are the other perks — two cars, a skybox, country club

membership and personal use of a private plane. However, unlike most

highly compensated coaches’ contracts, Saban’s doesn’t have a buyout

clause.

Head coaches at the NCAA’s top-level schools earned an average of

$950,000 last year, not counting benefits, incentives, subsidized

housing or any of the perks they routinely receive, according to a

study of 107 coaches for whom USA TODAY could obtain a contract or

other official document showing compensation.

Saban said it’s not about money because he still sees himself as a

“country boy who grew up in West Virginia and pumped gas from the

time he was 10 years old until he graduated from high school.”

A country boy who pumped gas and drives an SLK500... there's a lot of those these days.

Making millions wasn’t even a remote idea when he first started coaching and

earned $8,000 a year. His love of teaching and his desire to work with

college players brought him back to campus. Plus, Saban and his wife

of 35 years, Terry, have been very generous with their time and money

for their Nick’s Kids Fund, which helps children around the state.

Alabama cornerback Simeon Castille said he rarely thinks about

Saban’s salary. He’s too busy learning his coach’s 3-4 defense. and attempting to start fights...

“I’m around him all the time,” Castille said. “Really, the only

time I think of (Saban’s salary) is when I see him hop into his

Mercedes.” and when I'm screaming "**** Saban!" at the top of my lungs.

For Alabama fans, it’s not about money. At least not yet.

“People here don’t think of it in terms of (salary) numbers,”

said Cecil Hurt, the sports editor and columnist for The Tuscaloosa

News. “People don’t see Nick holding up a big basketful of money.

They see him holding up a BCS trophy.” FOR LSU!

Plenty of challenges ahead

Even the most demanding fans will understand if Saban doesn’t win

10 games this year. news to me... After a 6-7 season in 2006, the Tide enters the

fall unranked. They must replace six defensive starters and their

running back. A brutal September stretch includes consecutive games

against No. 20 Arkansas and No. 13 Georgia in Tuscaloosa and No. 21

Florida State in Jacksonville.

ok, lets talk about "brutal". Try UA, UF, and LSU back to back, ALL on the ROAD.

Saban’s players aren’t making it any easier. Four have been

arrested in the last two months, including Castille last Sunday on a

disorderly conduct charge, according to Tuscaloosa police.

Fans dreaming of the school’s first national title since 1992 might

be uncharacteristically patient because they believe a dynasty is in

the making. yeah right. for both statements.

“Some people think this is the dawning of the next 25-year Paul

Bryant millennium,” said Hurt, who has covered the Crimson Tide for a

quarter-century. Bryant won or shared six national titles and 14 SEC

crowns from 1958 to 1982. and some people think Jesus bows to Saban.

Finebaum, who also covered the end of the Bryant era, has reached

the same conclusion: “I think there are young people out there who

are thinking this is their Bear Bryant.”

liar... check.

cheater... check.

drinker... anyone know about this one?

The man who was called “Satan” in Miami (after he repeatedly said

he had no interest in the Alabama job and then changed his mind) has

become “St. Nick” in Tuscaloosa. A popular T-shirt has Saban in a

Santa outfit holding a bag with a national championship in it.

Saban was hired to win championships, beat Auburn and put an end to

the tumult of the past decade. In recent years, the numbers the

university proudly trumpets — its 12 national championships from wire

services and other organizations; the 21 SEC titles, more than any

other school in the league; the 54 bowl games, an NCAA record — have

been overshadowed by far different numbers.

Since 2000, Alabama has had five head coaches. Last year coach Mike

Shula was fired after going 26-24 in four seasons, including four

losses to Auburn. Under Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione and then Mike

Price, there was enough drama to launch a reality TV show, including

an affair with a secretary (DuBose), a quickie divorce (Franchione

bolted for Texas A&M after two seasons) and a much-publicized trip to

a strip club (Price). The subsequent coaching searches have been

melodramatic as well. (First West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez was

coming, then he wasn’t.)

No major college program can match the turmoil Alabama has

experienced in recent years. Since the last national title in 1992,

the school has been hit with NCAA sanctions twice, including three

years of bowl bans and the loss of 34 scholarships. Last month at the

SEC media days, after Arkansas coach Houston Nutt detailed the

Razorbacks’ saga of the past few months, Hurt, the longtime Tuscaloosa

writer, cracked, “A tough off-season? How about a tough decade? See

how that works for you.”

Trust in St. Nick

Given Saban’s five-year run at LSU in which he won a national title

and two SEC championships, it’s easy to see why Tide fans have ample

faith in St. Nick. Even Finebaum, the radio host whose show is billed

as the place where “coaches are fired,” said he’s been nothing but

“Pollyannaish” about Saban.

But what if Saban struggles? Will his paycheck suddenly matter to

the fans now proudly wearing “Member of Sabanation” T-shirts?

“There’s not a lot of guys walking down the street making $4

million a year,” Finebaum said. “This isn’t West Virginia, but it’s

still a poor state, and (if Saban doesn’t win) the average guy is

going to go, ‘We’re paying a guy $4 million a year and we’ve lost to

Auburn two or three years in a row?’ proof Finebaum is a turd.

“I think that’s eventually going to be how he’s judged at the end

of the day. Can he battle that number?”

[Argo 8]

For everyone that seems to be seriously concerned about how much money Nick Saban is making, don't sweat it. We've sold all of our tickets and are a few payments ahead of schedule.

[bigsixfive 328]

I doubt the concern from other institutions is whether you can foot the bill. I think their primary concern is the loss of their tax exempt status. If congress decides to tax football, Alabama better watch out because suddenly 1/4 of their net income goes to the coach.

[WarTiger 3,916]

For everyone that seems to be seriously concerned about how much money Nick Saban is making, don't sweat it. We've sold all of our tickets and are a few payments ahead of schedule.

No, we really don't care whether uat can actually afford to pay him or not. Doesn't matter. The funny part will be when he leaves in 2-3 years for a BETTER program and BETTER job and uat has to continue to pay him.

[saniflush 0]

Saban said it’s not about money because he still sees himself as a

“country boy who grew up in West Virginia and pumped gas from the

time he was 10 years old until he graduated from high school.”

I am seeing a world of farks on this one!

[AuburnChopper1 0]

Saban said it's not about money because he still sees himself as a

"country boy who grew up in West Virginia and pumped gas from the

time he was 10 years old until he graduated from high school."

I am seeing a world of farks on this one!

Yeah, that humble beginings as a gas pumping "country boy" from West Virginia really comes out when he's basically telling the media to "F-off!".

What a jackass.....Everyone's going to be gunning for this clown.

[Argo 8]

For everyone that seems to be seriously concerned about how much money Nick Saban is making, don't sweat it. We've sold all of our tickets and are a few payments ahead of schedule.

No, we really don't care whether uat can actually afford to pay him or not.

Yeah, that's easy to see while reading all the Saban posts. Money is rarely brought into the discussion.

The funny part will be when he leaves in 2-3 years for a BETTER program and BETTER job and uat has to continue to pay him.

Please tell me an Auburn fan didn't just make a comment about another program paying coaches after they are gone.

[saniflush 0]

Saban said it's not about money because he still sees himself as a

"country boy who grew up in West Virginia and pumped gas from the

time he was 10 years old until he graduated from high school."

I am seeing a world of farks on this one!

Yeah, that humble beginings as a gas pumping "country boy" from West Virginia really comes out when he's basically telling the media to "F-off!".

What a jackass.....Everyone's going to be gunning for this clown.

I am thinking more along these lines....

[AUesquire 1]

I could not care less about how much the man's making. More power to him. He's got that program and that institution by the twig and berries. He's calling the shots and his M.O. says he'll leave em' high and dry in the not too distant future.

As for the money, what a non-issue. This may sound over the top, but $4 mil is a drop in the bucket compared to what this and other programs on this level generate every year. $4 million is a bump in the road to most top tier D-1 teams. I was at a Miami/FSU game in Tallahasee game about 5-6 years ago and at halftime, they paraded the "Million Dollar Donors" on the field and introduced them. These were just boosters who had donated a minimum of $1 mil to the ATHLETIC program during that year. Some gave $1 mil, while others gave $3 and $5 mil. The last booster gave a cool $10 Million to FSU.

Forget the fact that each team in this league is presented with a check each year BEFORE the season ever starts for around $10-$12 million for bowl revenues. Go through the year and add up ticket sales for each home game, away game revenues...how many times are we on TV? Think ESPN, CBS, ABC or even Lincoln Financial aren't dolling out mucho dinero for broadcast rights? Now try concessions, apparel sales, fund raisers and on and on and on. Ever notice the scoreboard scrolling the names of donors at every time-out? Look in the program and count the names and figure it up based on their minimum donations. Think Jimmy Rane and Great Southern Wood aren't pumping a little money into the program? How about everyone's beloved Bobby Lowder?

I say all this to tell you that coaches at this level, Tommy Tuberville, Pete Carroll, Mark Richt, Jim Tressell and yes, even Nick Saban, are NOT overpaid. They are in charge of programs that generate untold millions of dollars and fund virtually every other athletic program on college campuses. Think the girl's volleyball team is self-supporting? Think again! These coaches have real pressure for a reason. These guys are under more scrutiny than the Governor of our State...by a long shot. My God, look at this board. They're earning it. Nick Saban may stick it to Alabama in the end. He may not. But money is not the issue and Bama did NOT take a huge chance on this guy. Sales of Houndstooth caps alone have prepaid his contract for the next 7-8 years.

[DKW 86 7,440]

Trust in St. Nick

Given Saban’s five-year run at LSU in which he won a national title

and two SEC championships, it’s easy to see why Tide fans have ample

faith in St. Nick. Even Finebaum, the radio host whose show is billed

as the place where “coaches are fired,” said he’s been nothing but

“Pollyannaish” "sychophantic gay porn star" about Saban.

Fixed that for you...

[AuburnChopper1 0]

I could not care less about how much the man's making. More power to him. He's got that program and that institution by the twig and berries. He's calling the shots and his M.O. says he'll leave em' high and dry in the not too distant future.

As for the money, what a non-issue. This may sound over the top, but $4 mil is a drop in the bucket compared to what this and other programs on this level generate every year. $4 million is a bump in the road to most top tier D-1 teams. I was at a Miami/FSU game in Tallahasee game about 5-6 years ago and at halftime, they paraded the "Million Dollar Donors" on the field and introduced them. These were just boosters who had donated a minimum of $1 mil to the ATHLETIC program during that year. Some gave $1 mil, while others gave $3 and $5 mil. The last booster gave a cool $10 Million to FSU.

Forget the fact that each team in this league is presented with a check each year BEFORE the season ever starts for around $10-$12 million for bowl revenues. Go through the year and add up ticket sales for each home game, away game revenues...how many times are we on TV? Think ESPN, CBS, ABC or even Lincoln Financial aren't dolling out mucho dinero for broadcast rights? Now try concessions, apparel sales, fund raisers and on and on and on. Ever notice the scoreboard scrolling the names of donors at every time-out? Look in the program and count the names and figure it up based on their minimum donations. Think Jimmy Rane and Great Southern Wood aren't pumping a little money into the program? How about everyone's beloved Bobby Lowder?

I say all this to tell you that coaches at this level, Tommy Tuberville, Pete Carroll, Mark Richt, Jim Tressell and yes, even Nick Saban, are NOT overpaid. They are in charge of programs that generate untold millions of dollars and fund virtually every other athletic program on college campuses. Think the girl's volleyball team is self-supporting? Think again! These coaches have real pressure for a reason. These guys are under more scrutiny than the Governor of our State...by a long shot. My God, look at this board. They're earning it. Nick Saban may stick it to Alabama in the end. He may not. But money is not the issue and Bama did NOT take a huge chance on this guy. Sales of Houndstooth caps alone have prepaid his contract for the next 7-8 years.

Well said.

[Justin5 20]

Frankly Im sick of hearing about it and I feel bad for Tubs as he has to keep answering questions about the coach (that he has a winning record against) of a team (he has beaten 5 straight times)

[AUChizad 0]

Oh God, I just saw the full USA today article / huge sport's section front page spread on Saban.

Mark that down as one more hot item that will be bought by the dozens and framed in every other BBQ joint in bamerham.

[abrnfanatc 6]

Saban said it's not about money because he still sees himself as a

"country boy who grew up in West Virginia and pumped gas from the

time he was 10 years old until he graduated from high school."

I am seeing a world of farks on this one!

Yeah, that humble beginings as a gas pumping "country boy" from West Virginia really comes out when he's basically telling the media to "F-off!".

What a jackass.....Everyone's going to be gunning for this clown.

I am thinking more along these lines....

I gotta charge you ten cents every time the pump goes ding dong...