Mike Krzyzewski Is Tenth Highest-Paid Coach In Sports
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski is one of the highest paid coaches in U.S. sports, according to a new list released by Forbes Magazine.
Forbes released the top 20, all of whom make an average salary of at least $7.7 million a year. The magazine pointed out that at least a half dozen managers in European soccer make $20 million or more, so the list is just limited to American sports. Ten coaches on the list are in the NFL. Five coach in the NBA. Three college football coaches are on the list, along with two college basketball coaches. No NHL coaches or MLB managers made the cut. The top NHL coaching salary was $5 million, and the highest-paid baseball skipper earns $4.5 million.
Krzyzewski’s average contract value is $9 million, according to Forbes research. That puts him in tenth place on the list, tied with Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.
Here are the coaches ahead of Krzyzewski on the list:
1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots, $12 million
2. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs, $11 million
2. (tie) Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks, $11 million
4. Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers, $10 million
4. (tie) Jon Gruden, Oakland Raiders, $10 million
6. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints, $9.75 million
7. Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors, $9.5 million
8. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide, $9.4 million
9. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers, $9.3 million
The other three coaches who can match Krzyzewski’s five championships (Belichick and Saban with six, Popovich with five) are all ahead of him on the list.
The college football coaches (Swinney and Saban) are the only ones ahead of Krzyzewski on the list who top his .768 career winning percentage.
Krzyzewski earns $400,000 more than the next college basketball coach on the list—Kentucky’s John Calipari.
