Nick Saban/alabama

[DeepGreen]

Probably not a popular coach these days, but this is a good article and talks about how football funds the lower sports, as well as the school itself. More Alumni giving, etc.

Saban

[Mean Green 93-98]

Students voting on an athletics fee need to be aware of information like this.

But the economics of hiring Saban go well beyond athletics. The decidedly pro-football University of Alabama's president, Robert Witt, points to the school's recent $500 million capital campaign as an example. "We have had 100,000 donors in that campaign, and a major reason they support us is football," he says. It's no different at any other college with a football team. Why do Ivy League schools even bother to field teams that are never going to win a bowl game? It keeps the alumni money flowing. That's how you pay for the English department.

Witt says Saban's presence helps the school's academics by attracting strong applicants. In the 2007--08 year 57% of the students enrolled were in the top quarter of their high school class, up from 54% the year before. "Having a coach of his caliber makes it easier to recruit better students and raise more money," says Witt.