Cincy on the Prowl
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Cincinnati Athletics: Several UC Coaches Rank Among Top 50 In Ohio Salaries

By Chris Bains

Oct 24, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Tommy Tuberville (left) talks with an official in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats won 37-13. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Tommy Tuberville (left) talks with an official in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats won 37-13. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland.com put together a ranking of the top 50 college coaches in Ohio based on their salaries and the results are quite compelling. Not unexpectedly, Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer tops the list making a cool $5.2 million with men’s basketball coach Thad Matta right behind him. That’s not what intrigues me. Nor does the fact that Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin and Tommy Tuberville fall in line behind them.

No, it’s the actual cash that of some of UC’s coaches are pulling in that I find interesting.

  • #3: Mick Cronin (men’s basketball) – $3,103,806
  • #4: Tommy Tuberville (football) – $3,000,041
  • #17: Jamelle Elliott (women’s basketball) – $467,288
  • #50: Ty Neal (baseball) – $201,850

Before diving into this, I should note that the 2014-15 figures above are inclusive of just about every penny of income those coaches pull in. Base salaries, bonuses, deferred compensation, the value of memberships, and any fees from speaking engagements or merchandising deals are all rolled up into one number. It’s basically everything a coach, or more accurately their accountant, would put on their tax statement every year.

With that said, it’s rather curious how much more Mick Cronin considers income beyond his base salary of roughly $1.8 million. Even with incentives and bonuses it “only” climbs up to $2.2 million annually. But between what I assume are his memberships, cash from merchandising deals, and speaking engagement fees, Mick’s total income skyrockets another $900,000, making him the highest paid coach at the University of Cincinnati.

I guess when you consider he turned down a rumored $3 million offer from UNLV to stay with the Bearcats, you can see why his salary might not have been the sticking point.

The same can be said of Tommy Tuberville, whose $3 million income is only made up of $1.95 million base salary. The difference is made up of, again, bonuses, fees, and compensation from non-salaried deals. Overall, both he and Mick are making a pretty penny at UC.

Most surprising to me was the fact that Jamelle Elliott is making half a million dollars to coach a team that has averaged right around 11 wins over the last seven years. She’s current the second highest paid coach in her sport in Ohio which, on the surface shouldn’t be much of a shocker, but considering her paltry record with the Bearcats is a bit of a concern. I’ve questioned why Cincinnati continues to employ Elliott, despite my patience with her, this only fuels my resolve. Give her salary, it’s likely that her buyout is far too high for a cash-strapped UC to pay that along with a replacement coach. But she’s clearly not the best use half a million dollars that I’ve ever seen.

Rounding out the bunch is Bearcats baseball coach Ty Neal. Unlike the others on this list, he’s actually not the second highest paid Ohio coach in his sport. That’d be Kent State’s Jeff Duncan with of course Ohio State’s Greg Beals pacing the field. But considering the rather precarious financial situation of this athletic department and the UC baseball program specifically, $200,000 for an up-and-coming coach who was an assistant at his previous school sounds about right. Let’s just hope that as Neal’s Bearcats continue to improve, so too does his salary.