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Home > SECWB News & More! > General News > Florida ready to pay big money for women's coach.
Florida ready to pay big money for women's coach.
By Randy Riggs
Posted: April 3rd, 2007 @ 1:35pm
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF / Monday, April 02, 2007
ATLANTA — Jeremy Foley is here to watch Florida's men attempt to repeat as NCAA basketball champions. But the Gators' athletic director also is looking to hire a women's basketball coach after he fired Carolyn Peck in January.
Foley knows he'll pay Peck's successor considerably more than he paid Peck, who is owed about $300,000 for the one year she had remaining on her contract.
Highly sought women's coaches suddenly are receiving salaries in the million-dollar range that previously was the nearly exclusive domain of Connecticut's Geno Auriemma and Tennessee's Pat Summitt. If Texas successfully lures Duke's Gail Goestenkors to Austin, she will make considerably closer to seven figures than the $540,500 that Jody Conradt made in her final season as coach.
Foley says he's not bothered by the escalating salaries for women's coaches.
'I understand that somebody could say (women's basketball) doesn't generate the same kind of dollars, but I don't think that's relevant to the work these coaches have to do," he said. "They have the same responsibilities in terms of coaching and recruiting, and the same pressures to win. The fact they may not have as many people in the stands doesn't take away from that, in my opinion.
"I think you have to compensate people fairly, whatever the market is," Foley added. "I certainly have no issue with that. It's hard to find highly skilled and quality coaches, and when you find them you've got to pay them."
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