The Indianapolis Business Journal reported earlier this month that Indiana University professor Ryan Brewer developed a methodology to determine the financial worth of major college football teams representing public institutions. Brewer’s study ranked the Gophers No. 26 in the country with a valuation of $126.5 million. Only Indiana and Purdue ranked lower than the Gophers among Big Ten schools, according to the Journal.
The Journal reported that Texas, a school that boasts the Longhorns TV network, was No. 1 on the list with a valuation of $848.3 million. That was almost double No. 2 Georgia at $483.6. The SEC had six teams in the top and the Big Ten placed five in the first 15.
Jerry Kill’s contract announced yesterday pays him $1.2 million, according to Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi who acknowledged the compensation is among the lowest for Big Ten head football coaches. The median salary of conference head coaches is $1,781,759, according to a September 30 article by the dailynebraskan.com.
The seven year deal pays Kill $1.2 million annually unless the University approves increases. The compensation is more than three times Kill’s salary at Northern Illinois.
Maturi said Kill’s top assistants, defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover, have salaries in the $300,000 to $325,000 range.
Kill said on WCCO Radio Sunday that among Gophers football redshirts who have potential is 6-5, 275-pound offensive tackle Foster Bush from Menasha, Wisconsin.
Gophers fan Dave Henry emailed with news about his in-laws, Bob and Till Kraay of Owatonna who were married on October 29, 1951. They plan to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with family and friends on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium when Minnesota plays Iowa. Not only will it be 60 years to the day that the two were married, but the Kraays went to Iowa City on November 3, 1951 after returning from their honeymoon and watched the Gophers and Hawkeyes play to a 20-20 tie. “They sound like fans of the day to me!” Henry wrote in his email.
Speculation about NFL franchises that might relocate to Los Angeles includes not only the Vikings but two organizations that years ago moved from southern California, the Raiders and Rams.