MANKATO —
A year ago, athletic director Kevin Buisman had nearly half of the Minnesota State coaches coming into the last season of their contracts, and he hoped to retain all of them.
With three contracts completed in December, he now has four remaining.
“Most of our programs have been successful, and we’re not contemplating any changes,” Buisman said. “But there are still challenges to every negotiation.”
In late December, men’s basketball coach Matt Margenthaler, football coach Todd Hoffner and women’s soccer coach Peter McGahey all agreed to four-year contract extensions, which take effect on July 1. Margenthaler received a raise from $104,585 to $109,583; Hoffner jumped from $85,623 to $101,109; and McGahey went from $51,052 to $65,721.
Those three were done first because the contract requires that coaches be notified within 30 days of the completion of their season that the university intends to renew the deal.
“In part, we wanted to reward success,” Buisman said. “And it helps in the recruiting battle if you don’t have a coach in the last year of his contract.”
Margenthaler, who has been at Minnesota State since 2001 and has seven national-tournament appearances, said he feels like he was treated fairly by Minnesota State.
“With the success we’ve had, the university showed that it wants me here,” he said. “We can continue to try to win championships.”
Men’s hockey coach Mike Hastings was hired in April, with a contract that calls for $225,000. A portion of that is being funded externally, which Buisman said is the first time that outside funding has been used to pay a coach’s salary, and it could be used again in the future.
The coaches are part of the faculty union, and many aspects of their contracts are achieved through collective bargaining, just as any professor. Buisman said he has three options for coaches’ contracts: two-, four- or six-year deals.
He said that he’s never used a six-year contract, given the changing nature of the profession. He can offer a two-year deal, which he calls a probationary contract, because he has concerns about a program and doesn’t want to lock into a longer agreement. A two-year contract can only be offered once to a coach.
All other contracts are written for four years, and Buisman can use market data, specifically within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Western Conference Hockey Association, to keep the coaches’ salaries competitive within the state university system.
“The backbone of our success is our coaches,” Buisman said. “We have good coaches in place, and being able to retain them and have some continuity is critical. We want to offer a market-competitive salary”
The next wave of coaches seeking new contracts will be baseball coach Matt Magers, softball coach Lori Meyer, women’s swimming and diving coach Nate Owens and women’s track and field and cross country coach Jen Blue. Magers makes $50,135, Meyer makes $84,703, Owens makes $51,114, and Blue makes $58,192.
Buisman said that Magers’ and Meyer’s contracts could be finalized soon, followed closely by Owens and Blue.
“Some of our coaches are near the top (of the wage scale), their increases will be more modest, but those coaches got bigger increases earlier in their careers and it levels off,” Buisman said. “Some of the younger coaches will get a bigger percentage based on starting lower. But if someone gets 20 percent and another coach gets 8 percent, that’s no indication that we think more highly of one coach or the other.”
Women’s basketball coach Pam Gohl and women’s hockey coach Eric Means are the only coaches that will be in the last year of their contract next season.
“Our coaches are pretty savvy, and there is a lot of data available within the market,” Buisman said. “There are costs of turnover, hidden costs when you lose employees.
“You have to find new coaches and retrain coaches, and those are costs that are often overlooked. It’s a delicate balance in a tough budgetary time.”
Buisman said that he’s also rewarding coaches for their athletes’ academic success. He said that close to 40 percent of Minnesota State’s athletes were on the Dean’s list last semester.
Sports
Related Photos
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Minnesota State football coach Todd Hoffner received a 15 percent pay raise in his four-year contract extension. Pat Christman
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Minnesota State softball coach Lori Meyer (left) will be among the next wave of coaches to have their contracts renewed. Pat Christman
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Minnesota State baseball coach Matt Magers (14), coming off a trip to the national tournament, is about to receive a four-year contract extension. File photo
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Matt Margenthaler
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Peter McGahey
June 23, 2012
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