The contract runs for 10 years, and it's worth about $350,000 annually.
All of that for Caleb Porter -- the University of Akron men's soccer coach?
"He's not just another coach," said University of Akron President Luis Proenza. "He is the best soccer coach in the country. He has brought tremendous attention to our university. He is an inspiring figure. He wants to build a soccer legacy at Akron, and we want to make sure he can do that."
Porter led Akron to the NCAA national soccer title in 2010. That came after his Zips lost in the 2009 final. In five years, he took a very solid soccer program that made several NCAA appearances -- and turned the Zips into a soccer powerhouse able to attract some of the nation's premier high school players.
But 10 years? And $350,000 annually?
The salary puts Porter among the top three highest-paid college soccer coaches. It also was his second contract extension in two years. In many ways, this is a wise investment.
Earlier in the year, Akron gave football coach Rob Ianello a five-year deal worth about $375,000 annually.
That salary is about average for a Mid-American Conference football coach. New Kent State football coach Darrell Hazell received a base salary of $300,000. Before they were hired, neither had been a head college coach.
Akron's successful men's basketball coach, Keith Dambrot, signed a seven-year contract in 2009 that has a base salary of $300,000 with room to make more in incentives.
Related Plain Dealer coverage
* Q&A with Akron men's soccer coach Caleb Porter
In the Big Ten, the average salary for football and men's basketball coaches is well above $1 million. In last year's NCAA basketball tournament, the average salary of head coaches from the 65 teams was $1.3 million.
The point is Akron can be very big time in soccer by having one of the highest-paid coaches and a hefty soccer budget, but it's pennies compared to what major college football programs cost. Athletic Director Tom Wistrcill estimated the salaries for Division I soccer coaches range from $75,000 to the "$200,000-plus range" at the top soccer powers.
"Caleb is a down-to-earth guy, and he wants to be here," said Wistrcill. "This [new contract] came about because we all wanted the same thing -- Caleb was not trying to use this [offer] to go somewhere else."
Porter winning
the right way
Porter won a national championship by building a program -- not through a quick fix featuring lots of players who transfer in and then leave in a couple of years.
"It's hard to put a dollar amount on all the positive publicity that Caleb's program has generated," said Proenza. "He and his players have been fantastic for the university."
Proenza stressed that Porter was true to his word. The Zips didn't just win, they "won the right way." They had a 3.37 team grade-point average, eighth among Division I soccer programs. Sixteen Akron players made the most recent Dean's List. Four players were Academic All-Americans.
During Porter's tenure of the past five years, the Zips have the highest winning percentage in Division I.
Porter said Proenza and Wistrcill approached him after the season.
"It was more of a conversation than a negotiation," Porter wrote in an e-mail.
The new deal raised his base salary from $170,000 to $270,000. He receives $800 per month in a car allowance, and the university will pay "up to $7,500 a year for expenses of a club membership." If Porter leaves before this contract is up, the university will be paid $200,000 in the first three years of the deal -- $150,000 in the final seven.
Porter also will be paid $80,000 annually "to assist the president in promoting the university."
Proenza said he was inspired listening to some of Porter's speeches to his players during the NCAA Tournament. The president realized that Porter's passion, leadership and communication skills can make him valuable when it comes to speaking -- and speaking for the university.
He is the championship coach who stayed home.
"For whatever reason, Akron seems to be a stepping-stone [for coaches to win and move to a larger school]," said Porter. "I'm saying it can be an end point . . . the grass isn't always greener. My family loves it here. My main priority in the extension was to protect Akron soccer . . . show loyalty to people that have been supportive to our program and my family."
Coach building
a major program
Akron spent about $2 million in improvements to its soccer stadium. The team receives tremendous support from the student body -- not an easy task at an urban university where so many are commuters. Soccer is a smaller sport, and the stadium seats only 2,700, with other fans sitting on grass near the field.
"We were No. 2 in the country in attendance [with a 3,300 average]," said Porter. "I'd argue we have the most passionate soccer fans in the country. . . . Our AK Rowdies and Lee Jackson Field have really developed a reputation around the country. This is a big reason we tied the NCAA record with 39 undefeated games at home in a row."
Ives Galarcep of FoxSports.com wrote: "Caleb Porter said no to Major League Soccer and the head coaching job with D.C. United a year ago. He passed on the chance to coach the most successful team in MLS history for the opportunity to keep teaching and grooming young players on the college level. . . . The fruits of Porter's labor were there for all to see last weekend, when Akron won an NCAA title playing attractive, technically sound soccer that was a far cry from the kick-and-run style associated with the college game in generations past. Akron's victory wasn't just an honor for Porter, but also a nod to college soccer's continued importance in American soccer's player development structure."
The Zips play aggressive soccer with the accent on attacking the goal and scoring. It has helped him attract some of the nation's top players. It also makes them fun to watch.
"Certainly there are plenty of stadiums out there that have more amenities, but many of those stadiums do not get filled," said Porter. "Our fans packed around [the field] right up to the lines. It's intimate and electric. We wanted to create a more international feel with chants and drums and scarves."
Other signs are how it was nearly impossible to find an NCAA championship T-shirt at the university bookstores. The first few shipments of 500 each were selling out within 24 hours of their arrival.
"We are a midmajor university, and we are a major soccer program," said Porter. "It was my vision to build a national power capable of going toe to toe with the biggest name universities and not hoping to win but expecting to . . . what makes Akron soccer special because we are beating the best programs. How many times do fans get a chance to support a team at Akron that can beat anybody in the country?"
And that's why Akron wanted to make sure the 35-year-old Porter sticks around, at least for another decade.
