Tulsa AD+Coaches accept pay reductions

Coach Bill Lewis · August 8, 2018

On Tuesday morning, a literal dark cloud hovered above the building that houses the office of University of Tulsa athletic director Derrick Gragg.

At the same time that the TU campus was soaked with rain, and as Gragg provided a fairly startling revelation about his department, there seemed also to be a figurative dark cloud above Golden Hurricane sports.

Not true, Gragg said. TU’s current budget situation is a difficult circumstance, he acknowledged, but not a crisis.

What would qualify as a startling revelation?

Specific numbers aren’t known, but recent budget cuts have affected all aspects of TU’s operation. In an effort to avoid a reduction in services for student-athletes, Gragg said, Hurricane football coach Philip Montgomery, men’s basketball coach Frank Haith and Gragg himself all have accepted pay cuts.

At the major-college level, this could be unprecedented — that a football coach, men’s basketball coach and an AD simultaneously and willingly absorbed salary reductions for the sake of the greater good of a money-starved school’s sports programs.

“Basically, the budget reductions to me are a microcosm of what’s going on, not just at TU but across the country at a lot of different places,” Gragg said. “We’re like a lot of other athletic departments — we’ve been asked to tighten our belt.

Full article link: https://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/tusportsextra/bill-haisten-derrick-gragg-philip-montgomery-and-frank-haith-accept/article_833b8a0b-9b60-5982-be6d-ecda78465987.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true

NorthTexasWeLove · August 8, 2018

Oh sheesh...Wouldn't want them to depart 75K from their 1.5 million dollar salary. Poor them.

greenjoe · August 8, 2018

What I saw in the article is that North Texas isn't getting as much as we should in big OOC road games.

Michigan State is paying Tulsa $1.2mil

Ohio State is paying Tulsa $1.1mil

Ole Miss is paying Tulsa $1.45mil

Oklahoma State is paying $650,000 for a 2 hour bus ride. (I wouldn't walk across the street for $650,000.)

I hope the Wren will end money games but if not, I hope we can get market rates.

GO MEAN GREEN

outoftown · August 8, 2018

That sure spells power 6.

Noone can tell me that SMU, Tulane and Tulsa - tiny private schools - are really doing much for the AAC.

Also I cannot stop thinking that if these privates want to play on the same field with the public schools, in order for that playing field to be level, they ought to have the same obligation to report on their athletics finances as the public schools.

Edited August 9, 2018 by outoftown

NorthTexan95 · August 9, 2018

I commend Tulsa's AD for reducing his own pay for three straight years. Many have been promoting and predicting reorganizing conferences to reduce travel costs. I really don't know how much that would save but it seems even a minimal savings could be a big benefit.

TheColonyEagle · August 9, 2018

14 hours ago, outoftown said:

That sure spells power 6.

Noone can tell me that SMU, Tulane and Tulsa - tiny private schools - are really doing much for the AAC.

exactly right.

They have 2-3 good programs at the top and the rest is the definition of G5

Harry · August 9, 2018

TU President left a 25 million dollar deficit story:

Demographic changes — such as a declining number of college-age people — and financial pressures are prompting a university-wide discussion about TU’s future.

Former President Steadman Upham stepped down in November, about eight weeks earlier than planned. The decision for Upham to leave early was a mutual one between him, the board and Clancy.

In meetings with Clancy, some veteran professors have expressed concerns about TU’s financial picture, which includes a $25 million deficit.

Read more: https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/tus-last-president-left-a-25-million-deficit/

Harry · August 9, 2018

Moody's downgrades University of Tulsa (OK) to Baa1, assigns Baa1 to series 2017; outlook to negative

LINK: https://m.moodys.com/research-preview/Moodys-downgrades-University-of-Tulsa-OK-to-Baa1-assigns-Baa1--PR_904353151?

GrandGreen · August 9, 2018

I don't see any reason to regale state vs private schools' financing based on Tulsa's problems.

No, they can't depend on a huge student fee base to fund their program like NT. However the much bigger issue is what the athletic arms races is doing to all programs but the very top P5's.

Multi-million dollar coaches salaries, stipends for football players, indoor practice facilities, fancy ridiculous dressing rooms, a different uniform for every game. hotel stays for home games; are just a few examples of things that teams are now almost forced to do to try to keep up.

In the long run, these expenditures just make play less completive. These expenditures just grow the gap between the few that actually generate money and everyone else.

Edited August 9, 2018 by GrandGreen

meangreenJW · August 10, 2018

On 8/9/2018 at 8:47 AM, NorthTexan95 said:

I commend Tulsa's AD for reducing his own pay for three straight years. Many have been promoting and predicting reorganizing conferences to reduce travel costs. I really don't know how much that would save but it seems even a minimal savings could be a big benefit.

Tulsa has been in the tank since he got there so I that may be the only reason he is still around

Harry · August 11, 2018

3 hours ago, meangreenJW said:

Tulsa has been in the tank since he got there so I that may be the only reason he is still around

That coach Monty is on a very short leash. We are benefiting from their being down. Need to keep it that way.

untjim1995 · August 11, 2018

I just find it amazing that the AAC finds any value at all in having Tulsa, Tulane, and SMU in their conference. They provide nothing that bigger public schools could provide in the revenue sports. If I were consulting their league’s big members, UH, Cincy, UConn, USF, UCF, Memphis, and ECU to really consider whether it would make more sense for them to align with public universities more like them. In CUSA alone, they could get big public schools in larger markets like us, MT, F_U, UTSA, UTEP, Charlotte, UAB, and Old Dominion. It’ll never happen, but those little privates don’t bring much in return.

GTWT · August 11, 2018

Tulsa, Tulane, Rice, Vandy, TCU, etc. bring good academics (remember this is college) and prestige. I wouldn't dump Tulsa for UTSA.

drex · August 11, 2018

TCU has good academics?

GrandGreen · August 11, 2018

8 hours ago, GTWT said:

Tulsa, Tulane, Rice, Vandy, TCU, etc. bring good academics (remember this is college) and prestige. I wouldn't dump Tulsa for UTSA.

I always find this academic point suspect. There is no real way to compare academics. So they rate colleges based on reported stats such as class size, endowment, published articles by faculty, selectively, entrance exam scores, etc.

Many base prestige on costs to attend, thus private universities are assumed to be better places to gain an education. An assumption that has very little real support.

GTWT · August 12, 2018

5 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

I always find this academic point suspect. There is no real way to compare academics. So they rate colleges based on reported stats such as class size, endowment, published articles by faculty, selectively, entrance exam scores, etc.

Many base prestige on costs to attend, thus private universities are assumed to be better places to gain an education. An assumption that has very little real support.

And yet most of us would agree that academics at Tulane is better than at Monroe & academics at Rice is better than at UH. The metrics might be suspect but the perception is real.

GrandGreen · August 12, 2018

13 hours ago, GTWT said:

And yet most of us would agree that academics at Tulane is better than at Monroe & academics at Rice is better than at UH. The metrics might be suspect but the perception is real.

I think you have just proved my point.

GTWT · August 13, 2018

9 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

I think you have just proved my point.

Not really. It's difficult to objectively measure the superiority of Rice over UH but still we know that Rice is indeed superior. Perception is reality.