I, the Kornerman, just shook my head.......in disbelief I guess.
The NCAA football coach compensation list has a new leader. No, its not Saban, Lincoln Riley or Dabo Swinney. No, those guys are has-beens when it comes to their compensation package.
The new leader is Kirby Smart of Georgia, who just recently picked up a cozy $11,250,000 package. Riley is at 10 million and Saban way back there at $9,753,000.
I couldn't help but think about good old Johnny Orr.....the Iowa State University basketball coach for 14 seasons beginning in 1980.
When he rejected Michigan's offer to "stick around" in favor of coming to ISU, the entire nation of basketball watchers were completely stunned. It was a big time national story. Michigan, where he had been very successful, including a runnerup finish to undefeated Indiana in the 1976 NCAA championship game and National Coach of Year honors, offered a paltry $33,665 per season, as compared to the Cyclones offer of (gulp) $45,000. Those aren't millions, they're thousands. Johnny said there was no way he could turn that bonanza down. Can't you just imagine the "raising of eyebrows" in the national collegiate basketball fraternity seeing that one of their coaches was being paid this "out of world" salary? Great jealousy I imagine.
P.S. Does anybody remember that Johnny Orr spent eight of his early coaching years at Dubuque Senior High School in Iowa?
Since we're on the subject, T.J. Otzelberger, the current ISU basketball coach, now receives $1.2 million while Fran McCaffrey, at the State University of Iowa, is paid $2.9 million. ISU football coach Matt Campbell is up to $4 million and Kirk Ferentz at Iowa gets $5,566,666.
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BITS AND PIECES
(1) Andy Anderson, BHS-62, sent me a note about a story that appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette yesterday (9-16) regarding former Toreador Chad Rinehart's induction into the University of Northern Iowa Hall of Fame. Chad will be honored at today's football game after last night's HOF banquet. Very nice story and picture of the former Toreador football player, BHS-2003, who became an All American at UNI and enjoyed several NFL seasons. Of course, the Kornerman had previously reported that story in our August 8 edition of the Korner. (2) Jerry Manriquez, BSH-57, enjoyed our Korner story about the Boone High athletes who had played football for ISU or Iowa University. Jerry mentioned it was too bad that Francis Dale (Hap) Moran, BHS-20, didn't play at either ISU or Iowa. He is certainly remembered as one of Boone High School's greatest all-around athletes but he chose Grinnell College before an outstanding NFL career. (3) Received a nice note from Larry Adams, BHS-65. He is continuing his 16th season as the Curator and Financial Historian at the William Higgins Jr. Foundation Inc. National Bank Note Museum and Library in Okoboji. He said he sees Boone people in the area quite often, "because there is a history of many Boone residents with a connection to the lakes area." He'll soon be returning to his Boone home. (4) Mike Loehrer, BHS-64, agrees with me on the Iowa/ISU football game. He remembered when Bob Commings, a former Hawkeye player and a high school coach in Ohio, was hired to lead the Iowa University football program. Loehrer said, "Commings was asked about the Iowa/ISU game and replied, "why would you play a game when half the state wakes up sick to their stomach the next day?"
K-----K
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