The outstanding Jason deBruyn (go follow this man) published a report on Thursday at WUNC on compensation for Division I athletic directors. deBruyn used data collected by Spencer Fane — a law firm that markets to college athletic departments.
(Note: Check out WUNC and everything that wonderful outlet produces.)
Where the ACC stands out?
Here’s a look at how each athletic director from the ACC — including Jack Swarbrick at Notre Dame — stacks up. Obviously, some details involving athletic directors at private schools are missing. It would be fascinating to have all of that information; what’s labeled below only paints part of the picture.
| AD | School | Base Salary | Additional University Compensation | Total Compensation | Max Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Jarmond | Boston College | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Dan Radakovich | Clemson | $300,000 | $650,000 | $950,000 | $250,000 |
| Kevin White | Duke | $1,451,585 | N/A | $1,451,585 | N/A |
| Stan Wilcox | FSU | $232,831 | $544,647 | $777,478 | $538,000 |
| Todd Stansbury | Georgia Tech | $500,000 | $412,000 | $912,000 | $50,000 |
| Vince Tyra | Louisville | $850,000 | $0 | $850,000 | $0 |
| Blake James | Miami | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Debbie Yow | NC State | $397,865 | $301,000 | $698,865 | $961,000 |
| Bubba Cunningham | UNC | $740,440 | $260,000 | $1,000,440 | $661,414 |
| Jack Swarbrick | Notre Dame | $994,751 | $2,056,169 | $3,050,920 | N/A |
| Heather Lyke | Pitt | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| John Wildhack | Syracuse | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Carla Williams | UVA | $550,000 | $150,000 | $700,000 | $0 |
| Whit Babcock | Virginia Tech | $700,088 | $330,000 | $1,030,088 | $491,681 |
| Ron Wellman | Wake Forest | $1,106,115 | N/A | $1,106,115 | N/A |
As deBruyn notes, Swarbrick’s total compensation of $3 million is double of any of his peers. In terms of total compensation, three ACC directors rank inside the top 10 nationally: Swarbrick, Kevin White and Ron Wellman. In part because of Swarbrick’s outlier salary, the ACC has the highest average total compensation for athletic directors: $1.14 million.
(And they say there isn’t any money for the athletes — give me a break.)