On the Banks, a Rutgers Scarlet Knights community

Schiano to the NFL?

The FOIA elves at USA Today have returned, and rank Coach Schiano 24th in their 2011 coaching salary rankings (which does not include private universities, Pitt, or Temple.) These rankings obviously do not account for any coaching changes that recently occurred. In that respect, it is a little skewed by including Luke Fickell instead of Jim Tressel. Schiano ranked 25th last year, meaning that his status is essentially unchanged.

Greg Schiano is not overpaid, or at least as much as his critics believe. Between the high cost of living in NJ, and Schiano's golden track record off the field, it is not exactly fair to expect his salary to warrant a Vince Lombardi performance. Coach Schiano has a comfortable life style for himself and his family, but he's not exactly abusing his position to live in the lap of luxury. He built a house near campus because he would inevitably end up sleeping in his office most nights. Coaching is a profession with limited job security, so he understandably wants to build a nest egg for his wife and children. Plus, Schiano's support of charitable causes is extensive and well-documented. If the above apologia isn't enough to keep the critics at bay, Coach Schiano heard you. Today the Schiano family pledged $250,000 to the Rutgers future scholars program. If it's not too much to ask, can we please try to remember to mentally calculate that into the equation next time someone wants to call the coach overpaid?