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Hidden "Cost' of Coaching

flyingcement
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GV4444 State Placer

GV4444

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, LJB said:

tOSU coaches salaries

Interesting.  I wonder if Stieber collects a check from the RTC, also.  If not, seems like a great candidate for a head coaching jobe somewhere.😀

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LJB
LJB

35K still more than double minimum wage in this country and would come with considerable perks… Way over 2Xs the stipend paid to our #1 senior level athlete by USAW… Until very recently 35K

flyingcement
flyingcement

I hear you, and I know where you're coming from. You value the hard, real path. You've never struck me as someone who thinks everything should be made easier or more comfortable. That's actually

Tom formerly Tofurky
Tom formerly Tofurky

Forgive me if this has already been stated, but I didn't read through the whole thread, and I have direct experience with this topic. Administrators in higher education aren't exactly "dumb". The

LJB Big Brain

LJB

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, GV4444 said:

Interesting.  I wonder if Stieber collects a check from the RTC, also.  If not, seems like a great candidate for a head coaching jobe somewhere.😀

I am unconvinced these coaches are getting any more compensation from RTCs, but, I really have no clue…

 

Idaho Big Brain

Idaho

Posted
Posted
On 8/19/2026 at 8:59 PM, flyingcement said:

I don't want to embarrass a specific program, because that would be missing the point.  I wanted to highlight something I have seem which seems to be part of a broader trend for wrestling, which in my opinion, runs contrary to the ethos of our sport.

I just saw an assistant coaching job listed at a figure which was below 35K per year, and required constant travel, and night and weekend availability.

This is a troubling sign for me to see.  There are high school coaching gigs out where you can also teach gym class and earn tens of thousands more than this.  

This reminds me of the unpaid internship.  In other words, the people who can afford to do this are financial privileged in some way.  We are filtering people out who may have more passion and competence than anyone, because they can't earn a living wage.  

I didn't read through the entire thread, so if this came up, sorry. Sometimes a program splits the contract between the school and the fundraising or RTC. A contract of 35k might be what the school contract is for, but there may be another 35k coming from the RTC or another source. I know programs that do this. It's like a split contract and is usually for your lowest on the ladder coach. 

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ionel Big Brain

ionel

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 minutes ago, Idaho said:

I didn't read through the entire thread, so if this came up, sorry. Sometimes a program splits the contract between the school and the fundraising or RTC. A contract of 35k might be what the school contract is for, but there may be another 35k coming from the RTC or another source. I know programs that do this. It's like a split contract and is usually for your lowest on the ladder coach. 

and or camp etc money.  Also doesn't say if top assistant versus grad assistant.  What's the going rate for a grad research assistant?  

Edited by ionel

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Idaho Big Brain

Idaho

Posted
Posted
29 minutes ago, ionel said:

and or camp etc money.  Also doesn't say if top assistant versus grad assistant.  What's the going rate for a grad research assistant?  

I think every program is a little different. I know of a situation last year where the coach was at 45k on  contract with the school (PT) The program then subsidized with the RTC, camps, etc. I'm not sure what the final number was, but I am guessing it was in the 70k range. This position was probably what most would call a grad position. I think every program does this differently and I am sure has different perks. 

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GimJustafan College Starter

GimJustafan

Posted
Posted (edited)
23 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

That is disingenuous. You are not including field, years of experience, local cost of living, and more. Of course an AP math teacher with two masters and 30 years of experience in the metro east burbs is going to make $120k.

Go to rural IL and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone other than the superintendent making six figures.

And hate to break it to you all, but $100k isn't much in 2026. The $100k you have in your mind from three decades ago is actually about $225k presently.

not disingenuous at all /  

my 1st sentence was this again speaks to what area of the country are we discussing ?

 

 

Teacher Pay by State 2026

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plus a coaching stipend/ far better option then being an asst for 35k  

life isn't easy and working for 35 a year is going to make it any easier 

for the few  that make a sustainable living and the minority of that number who make substantial living from  coaching hats off to you, niche job as I mentioned in my original post - 

my point is you stand a much better  chance of earning living and being a coach then being a coach for a living 

Edited by GimJustafan
typo
fishbane NCAA Champion

fishbane

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, ionel said:

and or camp etc money.  Also doesn't say if top assistant versus grad assistant.  What's the going rate for a grad research assistant?  

I think $35K is better than the average Grad teaching/research assistant stipend.  Those positions usually include free tuition which is a significant value.  I think a lot of time these 3rd assistant positions have high turnover and you get a guy that wants to go to grad school or is still at the school finishing up but doens't have any eligibility remaining or someone still training to pursue international wrestling.  It's a short term thing.  They used to only allow two assistants and a volunteer assistant position for each team.  I think now it's just 3 assistants.

fishbane NCAA Champion

fishbane

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, GV4444 said:

Interesting.  I wonder if Stieber collects a check from the RTC, also.  If not, seems like a great candidate for a head coaching jobe somewhere.😀

Stieber closed his Stieber Elite Wrestling Academy (SEWA) when he became an assistant coach.  I suspect Stieber wouldn't have abandoned the wrestling academy for only $35k/year.  It think this all happened after Dlagnev left Columbus. Dlagnev I am sure also was being paid by the Ohio RTC.

MPhillips Big Brain

MPhillips

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, fishbane said:

Jaggers is one of the most highly compensated assistants outside of football and basketball.  The only assistants that were paid more than him outside of those sports are 1 assistant men's hockey coach and an assistant baseball coach.

Yes. And? 

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LJB Big Brain

LJB

Posted
Posted

come on...

jaggers has a rep to protect...

he has to look goods out there on the streets...

he deserves every penny...

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LJB Big Brain

LJB

Posted
Posted

listening to Full Tilt Pod...

JohnMark Bentley coach of App State on...

just made the comment that their camps put back about 100K into their program every year...

seemed topical...

1032004 Big Brain

1032004

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, LJB said:

listening to Full Tilt Pod...

JohnMark Bentley coach of App State on...

just made the comment that their camps put back about 100K into their program every year...

seemed topical...

Total?  

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Tom formerly Tofurky State Champion

Tom formerly Tofurky

Posted
Posted (edited)

Forgive me if this has already been stated, but I didn't read through the whole thread, and I have direct experience with this topic.

Administrators in higher education aren't exactly "dumb". They have budgets, and know that someone will jump at the chance to put "college coach" on their resume, even with low pay.

Also, most of these jobs that are non-D1 are basically admission counselors jobs under a different name. Just like admissions, athletics programs at smaller institutions have to meet admissions/retention numbers or ya gone! Often, schools which are adding athletics programs can be found to be struggling with enrollment, and they believe that adding sports will save them from shuttering their doors.

Edited by Tom formerly Tofurky
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ScottishSteel NCAA Champion

ScottishSteel

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, Alces Alces Gigas said:

There is a large pool of recent grads that will jump.at a GA position or a under 40k coaching gig just to get a foot in the door.   

Bingo; that's all of Athletics entire employment model

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2001Hokie State Champion

2001Hokie

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, Alces Alces Gigas said:

There is a large pool of recent grads that will jump.at a GA position or a under 40k coaching gig just to get a foot in the door.   

I mean that's not all that different from many industries.  Post-Docs in science are quite similar where you have world class scientists routinely making <$50k to do high level work after 4-7 years of post-grad education.  Experience is a huge game changer in your long term career.  Sometimes a sacrifice of your current pay is worth it for the long game.  

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