We, as members of the Griz family, have a lot to be thankful for at this time of year.First, we're a fairly healthy squad as we head into the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) playoffs. With the exception of running backs Lex Hilliard and Greg Coleman, along with offensive lineman Ryan Wells and punter Tyson Johnson, the members of our football team haven't lost many games this year to major injuries.
Second, Montana capped off an undefeated Big Sky Conference season by defeating cross-state rival Montana State in a hard-fought game, and in the process, won its ninth consecutive league title - a record. For his accomplishments, Bobby Hauck was voted by his peers as the BSC's "Coach of the Year" - an honor well deserved for Bobby and his entire coaching staff.
Finally, the Griz have a well-rounded team, and great supporting cast. Congratulations to those players who received All-Conference recognition. You play hard and have represented The University of Montana very well during your career. You have also excelled in the classroom, where the team's cumulative grade point average is almost 3.0.
For those who can't make today's playoff game in person, you can also catch it live on KPAX or the other Montana News Stations across Montana. In addition, the Big Sky Conference and SportsCast Network will have it available for free on the Internet at www.bigskytv.org. And as always, you can listen to the game on KGVO and the Grizzly Radio Network, called by Mick Holien and Scott Gurnsey.
Before a decision is made as to whether or not to televise a playoff game, especially the first round over the Thanksgiving weekend, game guarantees and crowd size are closely monitored. With more than 18,000 tickets having been sold by late Wednesday afternoon, the NCAA and UM Athletics gave permission to have the game televised locally and across the state. Television rights for the remaining rounds of the playoffs currently belong to ESPN.
As we hand out praise, the Grizzly football team and UM Athletics would like to thank our many fans who make "Game Day" a special experience each week at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Griz Nation is truly a remarkable phenomenon ... one of a kind, especially at the FCS level. We are truly fortunate to have the support.
Aside from success on the football field, our other sports are also thankful for a great beginning to the 2006-07 school year. Soccer and women's volleyball both qualified for post-season play with second and fourth place finishes, respectively, in the league standings, while women's cross country was second and the men fourth.
Our men's and women's basketball teams are off to good starts in the pre-season, and could contend for Big Sky titles. This weekend, both are experiencing national exposure with the men being at the ESPN2 Old Spice Classic in Orlando (Fla.) and the Lady Griz at The Ohio State Invitational.
Tennis and women's golf had good falls seasons, and are looking ahead to next semester. The track teams, meanwhile, are showing great promise heading into the winter season. The big news, however, was the successful heart transplant surgery for golf coach Joanne Steele, who continues to show great progress. She hopes to resume her coaching duties in January. For the successful surgery, and her remarkable recovery, our entire department and others are extremely thankful! She is our inspiration.
On another subject, salary comparisons for Division I head coaches were reported in the Nov. 16, 2006, edition of USA Today. At the present time, the average pay for head coaches at top-level schools is $950,000 a year -- or $79,000 per game. The total doesn't include extra benefits such as country club memberships, courtesy cards, subsidized housing, stadium suites or bonuses for making bowl games. That's a far cry from the $100,000-plus base salary being paid to UM's Bobby Hauck.
This year, at least 42 of the 119 Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS) head football coaches earn at least $1 million per year, up from five in 1999. Nine coaches are presently making more than $2 million/year: Mack Brown at Texas, Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Jim Tressel at Ohio State (and formerly at Youngstown State), Tommy Tuberville at Auburn, Kirk Ferentz at Iowa (a 2006 Griz opponent), Pete Carroll at USC, Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee and Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M. Stoops tops the list at $3.45 million annually, although Iowa's Ferentz can make more than $4 million/year with incentives.
Supply and demand is driving the market up for these coaching salaries, including more and more competition from the National Football League. Money for these unheard of deals is being funded through lucrative television, apparel contracts and other revenue sources. For example, when Griz fans visited Iowa City for the opener against the Iowa Hawkeyes, not only were they greeted with $50-plus game tickets, but they could pay another $35 if they wanted seat cushions with a back. Otherwise, you had a hard, aluminum seat without a back. Sure you might have a season parking pass worth $100, but that only gave you the right to be in that particular lot. To park cost an additional $10 per game. The new Sky Boxes went from $45,000 per year to more than $100,000. Certain areas of club seating went for $5,000 per seat. That's how they fund a $4 million annual salary.
No wonder there's fewer than 15 schools nationally who can pay their bills without institutional support and assistance. It's also why a school like The University of Montana has an athletic department budget nearing $11.5 million annually, and Texas and Ohio State top $93 million annually. In all reality, we're worlds apart... and for that, we're thankful!
For questions, please contact Jim O'Day at The University of Montana, 406.243.5348, or via e-mail at o'dayjm@mso.umt.edu.
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