West Virginia has joined the growing list of football coaches seeing their salaries reduced.
Friday, WVU announced cost-cutting measures that will save the university’s athletic department $3 million. Among those taking a 10-percent pay cut is West Virginia football head coach Neal Brown.
In his first year as the coach of the Mountaineers, Brown earned $3.055 million. That means this reduction will cost Brown at least $300,000.
Along with Brown, athletic director Shane Lyons, men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins, women’s basketball coach Mike Carey and baseball coach Randy Mazey will voluntarily take a 10% salary reduction starting on July 1. Additionally, Lyons said that coaches and athletic staff making more than $100,000 will receive a 5% reduction, while a 2.5% reduction will be implemented to staff salaries less than $100,000.
“News like this is not easy. I appreciate the understanding of our staff in these uncertain times,” Lyons said in a statement. “The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt us a financial situation that requires action, and our entire department will be affected as we work to minimize the effects and maintain a fiscally responsible operation.”
West Virginia is at least the fourth Big 12 school to make such a cut. The others are Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State.
Below is a partial list of FBS programs that have initiated various cost-cutting measures for athletic department personnel, including coaches:
- Arizona (HERE).
- Boise State (HERE).
- Colorado (HERE).
- Iowa State (HERE).
- Kansas (HERE).
- Kansas State (HERE)
- Louisville (HERE).
- Michigan (HERE).
- Minnesota (HERE).
- Missouri (HERE).
- Northern Illinois (HERE).
- Oregon (HERE and HERE).
- Rutgers (HERE).
- Syracuse (HERE).
- USC (HERE).
- Wake Forest (HERE).
- Washington State (HERE).
- Western Kentucky (HERE).
- Wyoming (HERE).
Additionally, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, who reportedly made north of $5 million a year ago, is taking a 20-percent pay cut. Scott’s Big 12 counterpart, Bob Bowlsby, announced pay cuts for himself and the conference’s staff.
