5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
5 Best-Compensated Women's Higher education Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Females’s college basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the greater level of popularity and professional achievements of your Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these major-tier coaches convey for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to take a position in their Ladies’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with developing powerhouse programs.
In this article’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold conventional in Girls’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in women's higher education basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has transformed the program into One of the more dominant dynasties in school basketball historical past—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured lucrative contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his price high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $2.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, the place she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by joining LSU in 2021. In just her next time While using the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a whole new degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came by using a lucrative eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her one among the highest-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Known for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant trend, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Yearly Salary: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national rivalry for over 20 years.
Her lengthy-expression influence and enhancement of best-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her present-day offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual commitment to athletics and student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win file and it has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, improvement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching record.
A Changing Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective on the rising attractiveness and economical viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national Television set deals, ticket sales are increasing, and company sponsors have gotten far more invested in Girls's sports activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their programs as well as Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at present lead just how with regard to earnings, various others are increasing:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of such coaches has created substantial strides with their respective programs and could crack to the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply M88 command higher salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Given that the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and support, we will hope these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to continue growing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just preserving rate—it’s setting the tempo for the future of aggressive sporting activities.