"Texas A&M made headlines in January 1982 when they hired Jackie Sherrill away from the University of Pittsburgh with a six-year contract worth $1.8 million—a record-setting deal at the time. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $5.7 million in today’s dollars.
This contract made Sherrill the highest-paid employee at any American public university back then. He was also named athletic director, which was a common dual role in the '80s to boost compensation. The deal was so controversial that Texas A&M’s president at the time, Dr. Frank E. Vandiver, threatened to resign over it—but ultimately didn’t.
Sherrill’s tenure brought success: three Southwest Conference titles and the birth of the famous “12th Man Kickoff Team.” He resigned in 1988 amid NCAA violations, and the university paid him about $500,000 upon his departure."
That was $300,000 per year! And it absolutely rocked the college football world that a D1 football coach could be paid such a ridiculous amount of money. That was the starting point of the football HC salary wars! Leading all the way into today's time.
This contract made Sherrill the highest-paid employee at any American public university back then. He was also named athletic director, which was a common dual role in the '80s to boost compensation. The deal was so controversial that Texas A&M’s president at the time, Dr. Frank E. Vandiver, threatened to resign over it—but ultimately didn’t.
Sherrill’s tenure brought success: three Southwest Conference titles and the birth of the famous “12th Man Kickoff Team.” He resigned in 1988 amid NCAA violations, and the university paid him about $500,000 upon his departure."
That was $300,000 per year! And it absolutely rocked the college football world that a D1 football coach could be paid such a ridiculous amount of money. That was the starting point of the football HC salary wars! Leading all the way into today's time.
