Originally published at: https://pistolsfiringblog.com/osu-wrestling-details-of-david-taylors-contract-released/
By all accounts, the highest-paid college wrestling coach in the country now resides in Stillwater. PFB obtained details of new Oklahoma State wrestling coach David Taylor’s contact on Friday. Taylor, 33, was hired to replace John Smith, who retired after leading the Cowboys for 33 years. Smith made $500,000 in 2023, according to Tulsa World’s state employee salary database. According to the six-year contract, which runs through 2030, Taylor is set to make $1 million the first year, followed by $30,000 raises each year after, putting Taylor’s contract at $1,150,000 in the final year of the contract. According to available public records, Taylor is now the highest-paid college wrestling coach in the country and is the first college wrestling coach to have a salary reach the $1 million threshold. On top of the salary, Taylor will also have the opportunity for performance incentive bonuses. Those include $125,000 for an NCAA championship, $80,000 for a runner-up finish, $60,000 for a third-place finish and $10,000 for every individual NCAA champion. Benefits also include a golf course membership, four tickets to OSU football games, the use of a luxury suite during wrestling duals, up to 12 tickets to wrestling duals and up to…
I love the new wrestling staff that we now have, and the financial support for the program to eventually be able to chase PSU.
But I really am bummed that winning now is a result of money. The former Cowboy wrestling dynasty that ended with the retirement of coach Myron Roderick was created by success, not money.
Now college sports has turned into the George Steinbrenner model. Pay huge amounts of money to grab the best players.
He ruined MLB, and now college sports is in shambles.
Money talks.
Money doesn’t guarantee anything. You still have to “do the thing” once you’ve “bought the supplies”. Ask Ohio State and Iowa. Heck, ask OSU. All programs with significant resources in wrestling and a whopping 2 titles between them in the last decade. On the flip side, Cornell is pumping out champions with a fraction of the budget. Money talks but it doesn’t walk.
Ask TAMU how that worked out.