Football coaches at Army, Navy and Air Force academies earn up to EIGHT TIMES as much as the U.S. De

Posted by Martina Birk on Thursday, May 30, 2024
  • Naval Academy head coach Ken Niumatalolo earns $1.6 million
  • Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun earns $882,000
  • Army head coach Rich Ellerson makes $600,000
  • The coaches are not federal employees. They are paid through privately funded athletic associations
  • Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel makes roughly $200,000

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 15:13 EST, 19 June 2013 | Updated: 15:13 EST, 19 June 2013

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The football coaches at three of the nation's service academies earn up to eight times as much as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. 

Ken Niumatalolo, the head football coach at the Naval Academy, earns a $1.6 million salary, compared to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's $200,000 salary.

By comparison, Air Force Academy coach Troy Calhoun earns $882,000 with a potential bonus of up to $264,000 and Military Academy coach Rich Ellerson makes $600,000 with a potential bonus of up to $350,000.

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo earns a $1.6 million salary Air Force Academy coach Troy Calhoun earns $882,000 with a potential bonus of up to $264,000

Left: Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo earns a $1.6 million salary. Right: Air Force Academy coach Troy Calhoun earns $882,000 with a potential bonus of up to $264,000

Army head coach Rich Ellerson earns $600,000 with a potential bonus of up to $350,000

Army head coach Rich Ellerson earns $600,000 with a potential bonus of up to $350,000

The coaches' salary information is based on a survey by USA Today, as well as MailOnline's review of the employment contracts belonging to Ellerson and Calhoun. Hagel's salary is public record.

The numbers are in line with the salaries of football coaches at other Division I schools, where the average base is $1.64 million, according to USA Today's survey.

And like their peers, the service academy coaches get more money for wins.

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Ellerson gets $150,000 if his team beats the Navy and Air Force teams in the same season, as well as another $100,000 if his team qualifies for a bowl game, according to a copy of his contract reviewed by MailOnline.

Calhoun, on the other hand, gets a bonus equal to 5 percent of his annual salary (about $44,000) every time his team wins. Winning the national championship would earn Calhoun a whopping $264,000, Calhoun's contract says.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (left) makes a $200,000 salary. He is seated next to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (left) makes a $200,000 salary. He is seated next to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey

Graduating cadets stand in formation at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Active duty officers in the military make between $32,517 and $69,296

Graduating cadets stand in formation at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Active duty officers in the military make between $32,517 and $69,296

The coaches' hefty payments are permitted because unlike Hagel, they are not federal employees.

While all three service institutions receive federal funding, the coaches are paid through separate, privately-funded athletic associations. 

The funding comes from donors, ticket sales and other revenue-generating activities, according to information from each school's athletic association.

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