Hard not to root for Kevin Stallings

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08-26-2009, 09:32 AM
JasonEvans

Hard not to root for Kevin Stallings

Not sure how many of you have heard this story:

Quote:

Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings sacrificed a $100,000 pay raise to fund his Commodores' 10-day trip to Australia earlier this month.

"I knew the university was facing a tough time just like the rest of the country. There were people losing jobs. There was so much distress economically for the university to shell out $100,000 for us to make the trip."

When deposits were due for the basketball team's trip, officials couldn't commit school funds without knowing that they would be paid back. Stallings then asked if he could forego the raise due him in his contract to pay for the trip.

Look, I am not saying the guys is a saint. It is not like he gave up his raise to save some janitor from being laid off. The money he gave up went to pay for a pretty nice perk for his team. Still, I think it is a nice self-less gesture and shows he really cares about his players. There are quite a few big-time coaches who would not have thought of giving up their own money for something like this. They would have tried to get boosters to pay for it or pitched a fit and forced the university to find a way to get the funds.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/4...bb9ab7f7_o.jpg

Worth noting-- Stallings makes more than $1.3 million a year at Vandy and is one of the highest paid coaches in the country. Just in terms of what his school pays him (not counting outside deals with shoe companies and other stuff like that), Stallings makes more than Coach K, Roy Williams, Billy Donovan, and many other top-tier coaches.

--Jason "I was a bit shocked at how high Stallings annual salary was" Evans
08-26-2009, 09:59 AM
airowe

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonEvans

Not sure how many of you have heard this story:

Look, I am not saying the guys is a saint. It is not like he gave up his raise to save some janitor from being laid off. The money he gave up went to pay for a pretty nice perk for his team. Still, I think it is a nice self-less gesture and shows he really cares about his players. There are quite a few big-time coaches who would not have thought of giving up their own money for something like this. They would have tried to get boosters to pay for it or pitched a fit and forced the university to find a way to get the funds.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/4...bb9ab7f7_o.jpg

Worth noting-- Stallings makes more than $1.3 million a year at Vandy and is one of the highest paid coaches in the country. Just in terms of what his school pays him (not counting outside deals with shoe companies and other stuff like that), Stallings makes more than Coach K, Roy Williams, Billy Donovan, and many other top-tier coaches.

--Jason "I was a bit shocked at how high Stallings annual salary was" Evans

Nice gesture, nice guy.

What does this statement mean though?: "Teams can take overseas trips every four years and raise money through fundraisers, games or donors. They cannot be paid for directly by a coach"

Isn't this what Stallings did?
08-26-2009, 10:02 AM
HaveFunExpectToWin

Stallings has had a great summer in the press, which quite frankly is overdue. He's been a class act in Nashville for a long time, but doesn't usually beg for the same sort of attention as other coaches in the SEC (see shirtless Pearl). Stallings has quietly rebuilt Vandy after VBK's tenure into a solid competitor both in conference and nationally.

I'm quite bullish on Vandy's upcoming season. Beal looks to have put in a lot of work over the summer, Ogilvy's healthy, last year's freshman are a year older, and we now have our own JJ (John Jenkins). Go Dores!
08-26-2009, 10:10 AM
JasonEvans

Quote:

Originally Posted by airowe

What does this statement mean though?: "Teams can take overseas trips every four years and raise money through fundraisers, games or donors. They cannot be paid for directly by a coach"

Isn't this what Stallings did?

Well, he did not pay out of his own pocket, he told the University he would forgo his annual raise. By doing that, the school had an extra $100k and was able to use that $100k to pay for the trip.

Does seem like a silly technicality though.

--Jason "one could probably move the numbers around in such a way as to make virtually anything paid for by donations from boosters" Evans
08-26-2009, 10:20 AM
airowe

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonEvans

Well, he did not pay out of his own pocket, he told the University he would forgo his annual raise. By doing that, the school had an extra $100k and was able to use that $100k to pay for the trip.

Does seem like a silly technicality though.

--Jason "one could probably move the numbers around in such a way as to make virtually anything paid for by donations from boosters" Evans

Got it. You don't think schools move money to get around silly technicalities do you? ;)
08-26-2009, 10:44 AM
AtlBluRew

While I think it's a good thing that Stallings did for his team, the cynic in me has to point out that he gets the benefit of a few weeks more practice for the team, which will no doubt contribute to this season's success. It was the smart thing to do.
08-26-2009, 11:23 AM
jesus_hurley

And could end up being worth more then 100k

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtlBluRew

While I think it's a good thing that Stallings did for his team, the cynic in me has to point out that he gets the benefit of a few weeks more practice for the team, which will no doubt contribute to this season's success. It was the smart thing to do.

It was smart - with those extra weeks of practice and getting to know each other on and off the court the players will have more time to mesh. Which could lead to a deeper NCAA run and therefore a potentially larger bonus. Not that i think this had anything to do with why he did this, but it could end up doing more for him then that measly 100K :)
08-26-2009, 11:56 AM
JasonEvans

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtlBluRew

While I think it's a good thing that Stallings did for his team, the cynic in me has to point out that he gets the benefit of a few weeks more practice for the team, which will no doubt contribute to this season's success. It was the smart thing to do.

Oh, I am clear that he did this as a big benefit for his team, and not just as a gift trip to his players. Still, deciding to take the team on an advantageous overseas trip and deciding to pay for it yourself (sorta) are two different things. I feel Stallings deserves some props for paying for it the way he did.

I have no doubt that certain, unnamed, other coaches would simply have gotten rich Kentucky boosters to pay for the trip rather than forgo their own salary. But, I would never seek to identify the guy who would do something as CALlous as that.

--Jason "just funnin'" Evans
08-26-2009, 12:08 PM
calltheobvious

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesus_hurley

It was smart - with those extra weeks of practice and getting to know each other on and off the court the players will have more time to mesh. Which could lead to a deeper NCAA run and therefore a potentially larger bonus. Not that i think this had anything to do with why he did this, but it could end up doing more for him then that measly 100K :)

Plus, he's really foregoing only about $50k in real income. And apart from the basketball benefits, he gets to take a really sweet trip he might otherwise have missed.

None of which takes anything away from the gesture.
08-26-2009, 08:14 PM
brevity

Quote:

Originally Posted by calltheobvious

Plus, he's really foregoing only about $50k in real income. And apart from the basketball benefits, he gets to take a really sweet trip he might otherwise have missed.

Exactly. It's $100K in pretax dollars. And Australian dollars, at that.

Just waiting for the NCAA to step in and rule that this kind of generosity is punishable by death.