The median D1 head coach salary for the top 5 programs in the country is $315,400, according to a report from the CSCAA.
The report determined the median salary through the 100 top D1 programs. The median salary for the top 5-10 programs is $214,000, a significant drop from the top five programs. The 11th-20th programs have a median salary of $181,300; the 21st-50th program median salary is $132,000; and the median salary for the 51st-100th programs is $99,500.
Coaches who earn more than most include Georgia coach Jack Bauerle ($380,000 of 2017), Texas coach Eddie Reese ($270,000 as of 2017), Cal men’s coach Dave Durden ($260,675 as of 2020), and Cal women’s coach Teri McKeever ($242,500 as of 2020). Those amounts can include base salaries and additional pay, like bonuses.
According to Glassdoor, head swim coach salaries nationwide are, on average, $40,585 per year.
The news also comes in the wake of an ongoing pandemic that has led to team cuts and financial pressure on colleges to cut back on their budgets, which often lead to “non-revenue” sports like swimming suffering more.
Some schools, however, like Stanford, have endowed collegiate programs, which help alleviate some of that financial pressure. Stanford’s endowment programs cover the salaries of the men’s and women’s head coaches.
The large salaries haven’t been completely ignored during the pandemic. In 2020, D1 swim and dive coaches voluntarily returned $6.2 million from their budgets, which include reductions in salaries, staffing, roster sizes, and scholarships. Besides some coaches declining their bonuses, it’s unclear how much of that money came from salary reductions.
Of course, these salaries are significant, but are mere pennies compared to the revenue sports coaches these schools also employ. For example, the top-5 University of Texas has a $34 million-plus six-year contract with its new football coach, Steve Sarkisian. The University of Florida also has a seven-year, $52 million contract with its football coach, Billy Napier.
The cost of living and salary standards are also very different between small college towns and Bay Area towns.
and with NIL money, players are actually making more than coaches now.
Feel like Albiero’s name should be on this list. Louisville treats him pretty well and rightfully so.
This is a joke, an insult….comparing to gringo sports (baseball, american football), the swim coaches’ legends that contributing to the world swimming are earning a change.
They’re also coaching a sport that makes no money….
I would watch swimming 10 hours a week before I’d watch any other sports – if it were easily available and I’d pay for it too.
You and maybe like 10,000 people in the world
These are large schools too, those at mid-majors and most DII and DIII are not even close…
Yeah the title is somewhat weird because no one would ever decide to be a swim coach for the money. You do it because you love the sport and love coaching.
If you end up getting lucky and know the right people, you may end up as a D1 head coach some day, but the vast majority of swim coaches never reach that point.
Agreed. For so many it really is who you know. There are actually many really bad D1 coaches (if you measure success by actually developing talent). Not talking about the people on this list but quite a few out there making 100k who really aren’t worth it.
Could you post more about the report? The CSCAA sent coaches some information about this but not a full report – wondering if SwimSwam has more. TIA
You have to look at the value they bring to the school since the schools are paying them. How much monetary value does Kirby Smart bring to UGA vs Bauerle? It’s completely justified. I thought $380k was a lot for a swim coach tbh
That’s a TON for a swim coach. I mean Reece is the winningest HC in D1 swimming and he’s paid as much as Durden who’s also very good. Bauerle also coaches both men’s and women’s teams so that could have something to do with it.