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Salaries for college football head coaches have skyrocketed in recent years, driven by an increasingly aggressive arms race among the nation’s top programs.
Although the Wisconsin Badgers have paid relatively reasonable salaries to coaches Bret Bielema, Gary Andersen and Paul Chryst over the past 10 years, the numbers are still trending up sharply.
To get an idea of how quickly coaching salaries are growing, Badgers Wire lists below the annual compensation paid to head football coaches at the University of Wisconsin over the past decade.
[Source: USA TODAY college football coaching salary database; figures do not include income from non-university sources, incentive bonuses or the value of perks and benefits.]
Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema and the Badgers take the field before a game against Northern Iowa at Camp Randall Stadium on September 1, 2012. (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $2,600,000
Final registration: 8-5 (does not include 0-1 under interim head coach Barry Alvarez)
Post-season: Lost Rose Bowl to Stanford, 20-14 (under interim head coach Barry Alvarez)
Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen speaks to an official during a game against Penn State at Camp Randall Stadium on November 30, 2013. (Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $2,035,823
Final registration: 9-4
Post-season: Lost the Capital One Bowl to South Carolina, 34-24
Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen argues a call during a game against Illinois at Camp Randall Stadium on October 11, 2014. (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $2,200,000
Final registration: 10-3 (does not include 1-0 finish under interim head coach Barry Alvarez)
Post-season: Lost Big Ten Championship game to Ohio State, 59-0
Won the Outback Bowl against Auburn, 34-31 (under interim head coach Barry Alvarez)
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst reacts to a touchdown during a game against Maryland on Nov. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Pay from university: $2,300,000
Final registration: 10-3
Post-season: Won the Holiday Bowl against USC, 23-21
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst watches the action during a game against LSU at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on September 3, 2016. (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $2,700,000
Final registration: 11-3
Post-season: Big Ten championship game lost to Penn State, 38-31
Won the Cotton Bowl against Western Michigan, 24-16
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst celebrates his team’s win over Miami in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. on Dec. 30, 2017. (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $3,200,000
Final registration: 13-1
Post-season: Lost Big Ten Championship game to Ohio State, 27-21
Won the Orange Bowl against Miami, 34-24
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst walks onto the court before a game against Penn State at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. on Nov. 10, 2018. (Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $3,750,000
Final registration: 8-5
Post-season: Won the Pinstripe Bowl against Miami, 35-3
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst applauds linebacker Zach Baun during a game against Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Nov. 30, 2019. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/USA TODAY Network)
Pay from university: $4,150,000
Final registration: 10-4
Post-season: Lost Big Ten Championship Game to Ohio State, 34-21
Rose Bowl lost to Oregon, 28-27
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst takes the field with his team before a game against Northwestern at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois on November 21, 2020. (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $3,931,250 (includes $318,750 pandemic pay cut)
Final registration: 4-3
Post-season: Won Duke’s Mayo Bowl over Wake Forest, 42-28
Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst instructs players during a game against Nebraska at Camp Randall Stadium on Nov. 20, 2021. (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Pay from university: $4,328,750 (includes $321,250 pandemic pay cut)
Final registration: 9-4
Post-season: Won the Las Vegas Bowl over Arizona State, 20-13
