2C · THURSDAY,NOVEMBER12, 2009 · USA TODAY

Cover story

By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY Winding road: New Mexico State assistant Mike Rutenberg, watching his Aggies play Texas-El Paso on Sept. 19, graduated from Cornell and held jobs with the NFL’s Redskins and UCLA before reaching Las Cruces. Nomadic assistant chases football dream

Continued from 1C his refrigerator has more condi- Ayear later, Rutenberg, who Long journey to About this series ments than food and pales com- has a hospitality degree from to know, ‘Would this work? Or New Mexico State assistant coach Mike Rutenberg doesn’t have to look pared with the amount of rations Cornell, was hired as one of would that work?’ ” far to see what his path to a head coaching job might look like. His USA TODAY concludes its he keeps in his school office. UCLA’s graduate assistants and Since those days doodling at boss, first-year head coach DeWayne Walker, is at his 11th stop in a three-part series today on the Still, it’s a palace compared to enrolled in the school’s masters his high school in Bethesda, Md., 22-season coaching career. Walker was a defensive backs coach for compensation of football some places he slept earlier in his of education program. Rutenberg has aspired to be a nine of the 10 teams. coaches at the nation’s 120 career, beginning as an intern head coach.Like other young 1 Mount San Antonio College, 1988-92 (defensive coordinator, 1992) largest pro- with the Redskins. Rutenberg For now, eight is enough coaches, his first gig as an assis- 2 Utah State, 1993 grams, including the first com- was hired as a scouting assistant 3 Brigham Young, 1994 prehensive, coach-by-coach tant comes at a school that’s not survey of assistant coaches’ pay. in 2003 and later became assis- Walker has assembled a mix of 4 Oklahoma State, 1995 in one of the six major FBS con- The report looks at how, tant to coach Joe Gibbs in his sec- assistants. Opposite Rutenberg, ferences that treats coaches to 5 California, 1996-97 amid budgetcuts throughout ond go-around in Washington, there are veterans who have six-figure salaries, multiyear con- 6 , 1998-2000 higher education, salaries for dealing with day-to-day football lived the nomadic life that typi- tracts, luxury cars and extensive 7 Southern California, 2001 many head coaches have risen operations and coaching admin- cally comes with the profession, support staffs. First-year head 8 , 2002-03 since USA TODAY salary sur- istrative assignments. including Dale Lindsey, an ex-NFL coach DeWayne Walker gave Ru- 9 Washington Redskins, 2004-05 veys in 2006 and 2007. In addi- Beyond a paycheck, Rutenberg player who has been coaching for tion, assistant coaching and ad- tenberg a no-frills one-year deal 10 UCLA, 2006-08 (defensive coordinator) N.Y. also received a high-end blow-up more than 30 years. However, in January as a defensive backs ministrative payrolls keep mattress for his efforts, a gift from New Mexico State has eight assis- coach tasked with helping turn 6 increasing. Redskins owner Dan Snyder who tants, one fewer than the maxi- 2 The series also provides a around a foundering program 8 Mass. look at life for coaches in the heard about Rutenberg’s pen- mum allowed under NCAA rules. that hasn’t been to a bowl game 5 chant for working through the Athletics director McKinley 3 9 big time’s lower financial since 1960. Utah night. Rutenberg also came away Boston says because the school Calif. reaches. Rutenberg puts in about 112 You can find a searchable with something more valuable: a had to pay the final year of for- 4 hours a week during the season, 7 database that can be sorted by relationship with Walker. mer head coach ’s 10 1 Okla. which works out to $5.58 an head coach, assistant coach, “When I interviewed for the contract, the athletic budget hour — nearly two dollars less school or conference at (Redskins defensive backs) job, didn’t have room for a ninth as- collegefootball.usatoday.com. than New Mexico’s minimum Note: Walker also participated in the NFL’s minority coaching internship program during he picked me up at the airport,” sistant this season. “Walker calls the summers of 1996 (San Francisco 49ers) and 1997 (Patriots). wage. His annual salary is $7,402 Walker says. “After the interview, the plays and fills the role as the Source: New Mexico State University By Bob Laird, USA TODAY To read Parts I and II, go to less than the median household collegefootball.usatoday he dropped me off. That was kind defensive coordinator, so I don’t income in Las Cruces as estimat- .com. They include: of my introduction to him.” think we’re missing anything,” ed by the U.S. Census Bureau. jobs at Bowl Championship Se- season as an assistant. uA look at how salaries The Redskins hired Walker, Boston says. None of New Mexico State’s as- ries schools such as: “I think that’s good for them,” have risen as higher education who stayed for two seasons be- Minus that assistant, New sistants make more than the av- uOklahoma quarterbacks Rutenberg says. “I’ve heard guys struggles in tough economic fore becoming UCLA’s defensive Mexico State ranks 97th in aver- erage tenured professor at the coach ($210,000). A say that was easy for them (to get conditions coordinator in 2006. age salary per coach ($52,072) school ($78,300, according to the runner-up for the Heisman Tro- ajob). But if they weren’t good at uKeeping head coaches “When I got the job at UCLA, among the 98 schools for which most recent American Associa- phy with the Sooners in 2000, what they do, there’s no way happy takes more than salary he was trying to become my USA TODAY was able to obtain uAssistant coaches also are tion of University Professors sala- Heupel, 31, received a raise last they’d be on staff. I have a ton enjoying a boom in compensa- (graduate assistant),” Walker complete compensation informa- ry survey). offseason ($40,000) that’s more of respect for the guys making it tion says. “He was bugging the crap tion for all assistants. (Louisiana- The Aggies have had some suc- than Rutenberg’s total salary. as quick as they did. ” uBoise State’s winning for- out of me. I didn’t have a spot for Monroe, which also is paying cess this season, highlighted by uTexas running backs coach There are two FBS assistants mula him, so I asked if I could bring eight assistants, finished with the their first victory against rival Major Applewhite ($260,000). who make less than $30,000, uTennessee isn’t the only him in as an intern.” lowest average, $46,777.) New Mexico since 2002. At 3-6, The 31-year-old had been an of- although both come with aster- program where coaching is a Then-UCLA head coach Karl The average total compensa- they already have won as many fensive coordinator at Rice during isks. Western Kentucky quarter- family affair Dorrell agreed. Rutenberg left the tion of a Western Athletic Confer- games as they did last season. his young career before he was backs coach Bob Cole ($25,008) uSchools are getting cre- Redskins, where he says he made ence assistant is $95,949; defen- “You can’t imagine how (far hired by the school for whom he also receives $8,206 a month ative with job titles apretty good wage. In Los Ange- sive backs coach R. Todd the players have come) in terms was the starting quarterback a from Wyoming, which dismissed les, his living quarters ranged Littlejohn and offensive coordina- of work ethic, maturity, profes- decade ago. Cole as north end of town, not bad digs from a guest room at his cousin’s tor Timm Rosenbach are the Ag- sionalism and football IQ,” Ruten- uVirginia defensive backs last November. Louisiana-Mon- for somebody who went nearly to a windowless basement, gies’ highest paid at $70,000. berg says. “We have work to do coach Anthony Poindexter roe quarterbacks coach Jonas three years without a paycheck places he stayed for free or very “I don’t need a whole lot,” Ru- still. This is going to be a good ($156,000). The former standout Weatherbie, son of head coach or any financial support from his cheaply. The most expensive tenberg says. “I’m pretty simple. I football team.” has had two stints at his alma Charlie Weatherbie, can’t accept family. His home has the feel of a places he stayed came when Ru- always told myself, ‘Wherever Rutenberg, 28, played sprint mater, including his current job. asalary because of Louisiana’s hotel room, showing little sign tenberg followed UCLA on the you move, you’re going to be football — where players are re- Poindexter, 33, was the only nepotism laws. that he spends much time there. road that first year as an intern. happy because this is your pas- quired to be under a certain one of the three to play in a reg- Aside from some game balls he “On our road games, he had to sion.’ If you want to be a coach, weight — at Cornell, hardly the ular-season NFL game, although Simple surroundings earned as a graduate assistant at pay his own way,” Walker says. you better find a way to survive. athletic résumé of some young his professional career lasted only UCLAand an entry-level assistant “He slept in my hotel room on If you have to coach on the moon, assistant coaches who have par- three injury-filled seasons. All Rutenberg’s apartment is ad- with the Washington Redskins, the road. We really couldn’t do you better find a way to survive layed their collegiate feats into three are in at least their fifth jacent to a golf course on the there are few personal touches; anything for him financially.” on the moon.” SEC, Big Ten set the standard for media rights money All other major conferences The issue looms as those leagues start negotiat- al average of $102 million a year, according to Street triggered a global economic recession. ing new media deals. The Atlantic Coast Conference, SportsBusiness Journal. The publication puts the The ACC and other leagues won’t have that luxu- continue to play catch-up whose major contracts expire at the end of the league’s projected 20-year take from its network at ry. While they’ll likely post increases in rights fees, 2010-1 1 school year, is in talks with current rights- an annual average of $140 million. especially if the economy rebounds, they might By Michael McCarthy and Steve Wieberg holders ABC/ESPN and Raycom, says Commissioner “That puts (the Big Ten and SEC) at a different lev- find it hard to get SEC-type money. USA TODAY John Swofford, who touts a potential merger of el than any conference in the country,” says one Before the first pencil is sharpened, CBS is taking football and men’s basketball into a single package. ACC athletics director, Wake Forest’s Ron Wellman. itself out of the picture, says Mike Aresco, its exec- As the Great Recession lingers, the major-college The league currently draws an annual average of al- “Over a period of time that will have a serious im- utive vice president of programming. Alluding to conferences’ competition for media rights bucks most $67 million a year in rights fees. pact on the competitiveness of all of college athlet- SEC schools’ ownership of football’s last three na- has increasingly paralleled their competition on the Swofford hopes to work out a new package by ics. It’s very important that we do the best we can tional titles and Florida’s or Alabama’s prospective field. And right now, things are tilted decidedly in the spring, he says. The Big 12 and Pacific-1 0 are ey- in the current negotiations.” entry in this season’s title game, Aresco says, “Obvi- favor of the Southeastern and Big Ten. ing the expiration of media contracts in 2011-1 2. Despite ESPN’s big deals with the SEC and Big ously, we’ve got the best conference.” The SEC is sitting on a pile of cash, having negoti- They’re making annual averages of $78.4 million Ten, “We want to be in the ACC business,” says Beebe acknowledges talk of the Big 12 and other ated a whopping annual average of $206 million- and $57.5 million, respectively. Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president of col- conferences joining to create their own cable net- plus over 15 years from ESPN and CBS. The Big Ten Exposure, as well as money, is at stake. As the lege sports programming. The NFL Network also is work, following the Big Ten’s blueprint. “We’re cer- is looking at a similar windfall. Their schools can SEC’s national cable home, ESPN will show more interested in the ACC and others, says Charles Co- tainly not leaving any option out,” he says. pour that money into coaches’ salaries and other than 5,500 football, basketball and other SEC games plin, the league’s vice president of programming. College sports is cyclical. When the ACC struck its enhancements, and the pressure to keep up is on. and events on its outlets over the life of its deal. The Even with its Notre Dame deal, NBC Sports looks current 10-year, $300 million basketball contract “That’s the feeling I have sitting in the conference nationally televised games even come with their “at any very important package that becomes avail- with Raycom, it was a pace-setter. Then the Big Ten office,” Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe says, “and I own branded logo: “SEC on ESPN.” able,” President Ken Schanzer says. Fox will “take a set up its network. The SEC was playing catch-up. think it’s the feeling of some athletics directors who The Big Ten has 51% ownership of its own cable serious look at each one,” spokesman Dan Bell says. Despite the recession, TV consultant Neal Pilson are more closely located to the Big Ten and the SEC. arm, the Big Ten Network, as well as separate foot- The SEC has been lucky and good. The confer- predicts the ACC and others will make out just fine: ... There’s a concern and awareness of the possi- ball and basketball deals with ESPN/ABC and CBS, ence negotiated its new TV deals in the summer of “TV ... reflects what the public wants,. And bility of being left behind to some degree.” respectively. The latter are worth a combined annu- 2008 — before the stock market crash on Wall there’s a real interest in college sports.”

C