The biggest event in college hoops is here: March Madness reaches its apotheosis this weekend when the Final Four face off in Phoenix. But the men’s basketball championship is not the only thing on the line. Head coaches can get lucrative performance bonuses if they go all the way.
Here’s a breakdown of the CEO-sized compensation for all four head coaches.
Frank Martin
University of South Carolina Gamecocks
2016-2017 Season Compensation: $2.45 million
As is the case for many coaches of top college basketball teams, salary is just a small portion of the pay package. Frank Martin has coached the Gamecocks for five seasons, and last year, he signed a contract to stay with the university through 2022. His base salary totals $350,000, but when other forms of compensation are included, his total pay is valued at closer to $2.45 million, according to The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C.
Various incentives also increase Martin’s paycheck. For each year he stays with the team, his compensation rises by $50,000, and an extra $50,000 is added to his annual salary every time the Gamecocks make the NCAA Tournament, as they did this year, reports The State. Martin is also eligible for bonuses for improvements in team members’ academic performance as well as increases in ticket sales.
Roy Williams
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels
2016-2017 Season Compensation: $2.1 million
It’s common for university basketball coaches to receive additional pay from contracts with major athletic brands, and in the case of Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, it’s clear he’s receiving some pay from personal contracts with Nike and Learfield Sports. But just how much isn’t evident.
An annual investigative report by USA Today notes that although the NCAA used to require schools to collect information on outside income received by coaches, many schools have stopped amassing this data. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of them. While Williams’ base compensation is $2.1 million, it’s safe to say he’s probably getting paid much more, USA Today notes.
Dana Altman
University of Oregon Ducks
2016-2017 Season Compensation: $2.65 million
Since Dana Altman started coaching the Oregon Ducks in 2010, the team has made it to the NCAA Tournament five times, but up until this season, they’d fallen short of reaching the Final Four. This weekend’s Phoenix appearance will not only be a first for Altman, who previously coached Creighton and Kansas State—it will also mark Oregon’s first appearance in the Final Four since 1939.
Altman signed a contract extension with the Ducks at the end of 2016, which includes $18.45 million in pay through April 2023, according to The Oregonian. His base salary starts at $1.8 million this season, but then there are retention bonuses at the end of each season. This spring, it totals $850,000. On top of that, Altman also earns a $100,000 bonus for making it to the Final Four.
Other reported perks include use of a courtesy car, $500 a month toward a second car, and membership at a local country club The Oregonian reports. The University of Oregon also foots the bill for travel expenses—including for friends and family—up to $25,000 a year.
Mark Few
Gonzaga University Bulldogs
2016-2017 Season Compensation: $1.6 million
As we head into the Final Four matches this weekend, our friends at Coins2Day’s sister publication Sports Illustrated give the Gonzaga Bulldogs the highest odds of winning the national championship. Gonzaga is the only private school among the Final Four teams this year, and that status makes it harder to track the details of coach Mark Few’s compensation package. USA Today’s annual ranking of the top paid NCAA basketball coaches estimates Few’s compensation totals around $1.6 million this season, up from $1.37 million a year earlier.
But even though they’ve topped the brackets, this year’s Final Four coaches are far from the highest paid in the NCAA, according to USA Today’s data. That distinction goes to University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, who earned an estimated $7.77 million this season. Pitino’s compensation included a $2.25 million personal services contract with Adidas. (His Cardinals lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the second round of this year’s tournament, falling short of making it to the Sweet Sixteen.)
When is the Final Four?
The semifinals will be broadcast live on CBS on Saturday, April 1. South Carolina plays Gonzaga at 6:09 p.m. Eastern time, and Oregon plays North Carolina at 8:49 p.m. The NCAA Tournament concludes with the championship game on Monday, April 3 at 9 p.m.
