Thursday, April 02, 2009
NU's Pelini deserves salary bump
The results of an online poll taken on The Independent’s Web site and published in Thursday’s edition of the newspaper were predictable.
Of the 467 respondents, 54 percent voted that they did not agree with the 68-percent pay raise given to Nebraska head football coach Bo Pelini on Monday, bumping his annual salary to $1.851 million. The tag-on statement to the poll question option was “These salary figures are really out of control.”
Sure, it’s understandable how some -- especially in this current economic climate where people are losing jobs and others are taking paycuts and/or losing benefits -- could disagree with giving a $700,000 salary increase to someone already making more than $1 million a year. But when you explore the situation a little deeper, it’s obvious the opinion that Pelini is somehow overpaid shows a complete lack of understanding of the job and the pressure and responsibility that comes with it.
In Nebraska, the head football coach is arguably the state’s most important and most-scrutinized person as well as the biggest celebrity - - all wrapped up in one.
If you count Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s new proposed $2.2 million deal, Pelini’s annual salary still has him ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12 at No. 7. Bob Stoops of Oklahoma ($3.8 million per year), Mack Brown of Texas ($2.91 million), Mike Leach of Texas Tech ($2.54 million), Gary Pinkel of Missouri ($2.3 million), Mark Mangino of Kansas ($2.3 million) and Gundy all make or are scheduled to make more.
Forget the impressive dollar figures for a second and consider this: Does anyone who lives in this state really think that Cornhusker fans will be satisfied with having the seventh-best football program in the Big 12? Didn’t think so. Yet that’s the level Nebraska’s football coach is being paid at.
Of the 467 respondents, 54 percent voted that they did not agree with the 68-percent pay raise given to Nebraska head football coach Bo Pelini on Monday, bumping his annual salary to $1.851 million. The tag-on statement to the poll question option was “These salary figures are really out of control.”
Sure, it’s understandable how some -- especially in this current economic climate where people are losing jobs and others are taking paycuts and/or losing benefits -- could disagree with giving a $700,000 salary increase to someone already making more than $1 million a year. But when you explore the situation a little deeper, it’s obvious the opinion that Pelini is somehow overpaid shows a complete lack of understanding of the job and the pressure and responsibility that comes with it.
In Nebraska, the head football coach is arguably the state’s most important and most-scrutinized person as well as the biggest celebrity - - all wrapped up in one.
If you count Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s new proposed $2.2 million deal, Pelini’s annual salary still has him ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12 at No. 7. Bob Stoops of Oklahoma ($3.8 million per year), Mack Brown of Texas ($2.91 million), Mike Leach of Texas Tech ($2.54 million), Gary Pinkel of Missouri ($2.3 million), Mark Mangino of Kansas ($2.3 million) and Gundy all make or are scheduled to make more.
Forget the impressive dollar figures for a second and consider this: Does anyone who lives in this state really think that Cornhusker fans will be satisfied with having the seventh-best football program in the Big 12? Didn’t think so. Yet that’s the level Nebraska’s football coach is being paid at.
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
