Survey shows women's basketball salaries in back court

While excitement for women's college basketball seems constantly on the upswing, coaches' salaries are not.

According to survey results released recently by the the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), head coaches in Division I women's basketball still earn 75 cents for every dollar made by head coaches of Division I men's teams, which is what they were earning in 1994.

The average annual base salary for a women's head basketball coach in 2000-01 was $86,199, while the average annual base salary for a men's head basketball coach was $115,586. Both showed a decline from last year. Men's head coaches dropped by $2,690, and women's head coaches dropped by $1,595.

The survey also showed that women's basketball programs have about $30,000 less than the men's programs for their operating budgets, about $20,000 less for travel and about $20,000 less for recruiting.

Women's basketball teams also are lacking the promotional support of the men's teams. The survey showed that 13 percent of the men's programs use 91 percent or more of the promotional staff's time.

When it comes to the sports information staff, 25 percent of the men's programs use 76 percent or more of the SID staff's time.

Also, four out of five men's basketball teams surveyed receive free shoes, while less than half of the women's teams do. And, only one women's basketball team in five receives free uniforms, while more than half of the men's teams do.

The survey also found that, overall, women tend to be coaching women's basketball teams at the Division I level and that a drop in the number of female coaches -- measured between 1994 and 1997 -- seems to be reversing. For 2000-01, 72 percent of the coaches of women's teams were female, up from 71 percent the year before and 67 percent in 1997. (In 1994-95, 74 percent of head women's basketball coaches were female.)

The survey, which was completed by 136 coaches this year, has been conducted since 1994.

Emory student-athletes using their heads

It's pretty clear that the student-athletes at Emory University take the "student" part seriously. The Division III institution in Atlanta had more Verizon Academic All-Americans (12) in the past year than any other NCAA institution. And, Emory also was tops in the nation with more NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipients than any other school.

The Emory student-athletes did their job on the courts and fields as well, leading the Eagles to fourth in Division III in the final Sears Directors' Cup standings for best all-around athletics programs. Emory took home four top-10 finishes at the NCAA team championships and 10 top-25 finishes. In addition, the Eagles captured four NCAA individual championships.

"For a combination of academics and athletics, this was about as perfect a year as we could hope for," said Charles J. Gordon, Emory's athletics director.

Hunting Lions and Tigers and Bears...

If tracking down other schools' logos for media guides, programs or other publications is one of your most onerous tasks, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) can help.

CoSIDA's Computer Committee recently launched a CoSIDA Web page where sports information staffers can download nearly 1,000 different institutional logos.

"The idea for the site was simple: to free up SIDs from having to constantly e-mail and snail-mail logos year after year to many of the same schools, simply because it is traditional to do so," said Derek Smolik, a member of the CoSIDA Computer Committee and a former SID. "This site would also guarantee the logo you have on file is the most up-to-date logo for the needed school."

New schools are constantly being added as the site gains more publicity, and only a few schools have opted out of the program for copyright purposes. The list, which is organized by state, includes NCAA Divisions I, II and III institutions, as well as NAIA schools and junior colleges.

Smolik needs the images to follow these specifications: 300 dpi; 4x4 inches or closest equivalent; and JPG format. He's also asked that you send both color and black and white logos, if they are available.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes

Number Crunching

Looking back

August 1973 -- At the NCAA's first Special Convention, delegates approve a reorganization of the Association's legislative and competitive structure, creating three divisions.

(NCAA: The Voice of College Sports)

August 1956 -- The NCAA Council expresses serious concern about the reported increase in basketball gambling and the fact that some institutions are permitting players to participate in highly organized competitive summer leagues.

(NCAA: The Voice of College Sports)

August 1951 -- The NCAA Council advances a "12-point code" to deal with the pressures connected with intercollegiate athletics. The program is forwarded to college and university presidents requesting presidents' reactions as basis for future legislation.

The 12 points are:

* Confine practice sessions to the recognized season of the sport or limit and rigidly supervise out-of-season practice.

* Limit the number of games in each sport, particularly football and basketball.

* Reexamine postseason games in the light of pressures they create.

* Urge reconsideration of the free-substitution rule in football.

* Insist upon normal academic progress toward a degree for the purposes of eligibility.

* Deny eligibility to any athlete not admitted under the institution's published entrance requirements.

* Limit the number and amount of financial grants to athletes.

* Top-level institutional administrators should "enlist the support of true lovers of wholesome college athletics, particularly in alumni areas, to reduce undesirable recruiting."

* Demand strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the rules, once they have been established by regional or national groups.

* Rule ineligible any athlete who knowingly enters into collusion for the purpose of receiving gifts or subsidy beyond that regularly permitted by the institution or conference.

* Eliminate excessive entertainment of prospective athletes.

* Give close attention to the curriculum of the athlete to assure that he is not diverted from his educational objective.

(NCAA: The Voice of College Sports)