Already the highest-paid employee at UNM, Lobo head basketball coach Steve Alford is slated to rake in nearly $100,000 in bonuses after the Lobos’ record-breaking season.
Last year the Daily Lobo reported that Alford received $45,000 in “incentive pay.” This year, Alford is set to receive $95,000 in bonuses, with an extra $25,000 being added to his base salary next year. Alford’s salary, with bonuses, totals about $1.1 million this year.
“Coach Alford has proven to be worth the investment,” said Vice President of Athletics Paul Krebs in an e-mail. Krebs declined a phone interview.
Krebs also announced Saturday that Alford agreed to a two-year contract extension, which keeps him here through the 2019-2020 season. Though details haven’t been released, Greg Remington, director of media relations, confirmed that Alford’s new contract will have more bonus incentives. Under the preceding contract, Alford had 16 bonus opportunities.
Krebs said that the publicity the Lobos garnered nationally justifies Alford’s salary and extension.
“The success of this year’s team has brought an unprecedented amount of national coverage and positive attention to our University,” Krebs said in the e-mail. “While it’s nearly impossible to calculate the financial impact of all the articles and interviews surrounding Lobo basketball, I think it is fair to say it would be in the millions of dollars.”
Alford hit seven of his incentives this season, with academic bonuses of $10,000 yet to come. He has the opportunity to get $10,000 if the Lobo team ends with a grade point average of 2.7. As of last semester, the Lobos had a 2.77.
Alford gets $25,000 for winning a conference championship and $20,000 for a NCAA tournament berth. Also, Alford gets an extra year tacked on to his contract after winning a Mountain West Conference championship, which he has done the last two years.
He received an extra $10,000 for each of the following accomplishments: 20-win season, top-50 RPI, top-100 strength of schedule, MWC Coach of the Year and beating a top-25 team.
Remington said Alford was out of town and unavailable for comment.
“Let’s hope the attention generated by all of our athletics programs in what could be a historic season of competitive achievement help make UNM an even more attractive destination for young people to earn an education,” Krebs said in the e-mail.
Opposition to Athletics’ Salaries
Though neither mentioned Alford’s salary specifically, GPSA president Lissa Knudsen and Faculty Senate President Doug Fields spoke against Athletics’ salary budget at the UNM budget summit Friday.
Though 84 percent of the Athletics’ budget comes from internal sources, the department took in $2,981,600 from the state and $1,525,842 in student fees in the fiscal year of 2010.
Fields said the amount of money Athletics is asking for in salary increases nearly totals the amount asked for in student fees.
“This year (Athletics is) asking for $13.3 million in salary, and last year they asked for $12.7 (million). That is an increase of $600,000 in one year, which is about the amount of money that is being asked for in increase in student fees,” Fields said. “So I
oppose this, and I know the Regents can approve it, but it would be nice for the regents to be very clear they believe the increase in salaries is worth the increase in student fees.”
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Athletics requested a $20 increase in student fees going toward Athletics. The regents voted to cut that in half at the end of the meeting.
Knudsen said there is a major gap between Athletics and the average person’s income in New Mexico, which is $48,000.
“With regard to the Athletics budget that was presented today, 47 percent of the operating budget goes to personnel cost. … Two-hundred-seventy-seven families could live off of the personnel costs we spend on Athletics.”
Two New Mexico families could live off Alford’s bonuses, by Knudsen’s estimations. And 22 could live off Alford’s total salary this year.
The majority of Alford’s salary comes from media promotions.
Because of bonuses that carried over from last year, Alford’s initial salary, before bonuses, was approximately $1,004,000 this year.
Alford’s base salary was $239,200 for coaching basketball this season. The rest came from “other compensation, independent income, deferred compensation and incentive salary,” according to his contract as of January, before it was re-negotiated.
He received $250,000 to promote the men’s basketball program, $250,000 to make appearances on radio and TV broadcasts. He received $100,000 to wear and have his team wear Nike, the University’s sponsored clothing. He received $65,000 to coach camps over the summer and $100,000 in deferred compensation each year.
