Big pay raises
UD men’s basketball coach Archie Miller surpassed the million-dollar mark in 2014. He has received pay raises the past two years; figures have not been announced. His total compensation since coming to Dayton in April 2011:
2011 — $335,152
2012 — $650,291
2013 — $692,547
2014 — $1,160,390
Source: UD tax forms, the most recent of which included salaries for 2014.
The Dayton Flyers have worked their way into the college basketball spotlight the past few years, and their coach is one of the beneficiaries of that success.
University of Dayton men’s basketball coach Archie Miller cashes the biggest paycheck in the Atlantic 10 Conference with an annual salary that blew past $1 million two years ago.
Miller, whose UD teams have won 78 games with three NCAA tournament appearances the past three seasons, made $1,160,390 in 2014, according to the most current tax forms released by the university. That salary reflected a 68 percent raise from what Miller made the prior year — $692,547.
>> RELATED: Miller will never forget Curran's faith in him
>> RELATED: New UD basketball coach hopes for 'home run' (2011 story)
>> RELATED: Five things you didn't know about our area college basketball coaches
UD would not reveal Miller’s current total compensation, but outgoing UD President Dan Curran indicated that the popular coach has received two raises since his pay was bumped to $1.16 million two years ago, after the Flyers advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2014 tournament.
“It’s been increased appropriately,” Curran said. “He is where Shaka was.”
Curran was referring to former VCU coach Shaka Smart, who was the A-10’s highest-paid coach before he took the University of Texas job in April 2015. ESPN reported at the time that Smart made $1.8 million in his last year at VCU.
UD wants to keep Miller the highest-paid coach in the A-10, Curran said. The Flyers have a 78-28 record over the past three seasons and are 115-55 in Miller’s first five seasons.
“We want him at the top of the A-10,” Curran said. “We want to make it so he financially isn’t questioning marginal jobs in some of the larger conferences.”
A-10 top earners
Miller is one of five A-10 coaches making $1 million or more, joining Richmond’s Chris Mooney, VCU’s Will Wade, UMass’ Derek Kellogg and Saint Joseph’s Phil Martelli. Mooney was the first of that group to crack the million-dollar mark, earning $1.1 million in 2012.
Private universities such as UD, Richmond and Saint Joe’s are not subject to public records law and do not have to share their payroll figures, but they must list their top earners on tax forms that are filed annually. UD’s latest filing lists salaries from 2014.
Although Miller’s salary is sizable, an online search of college basketball coaching pay suggests it’s likely only in the top 30 or 40 nationally.
UD announced March 23 that Miller had agreed to a new contract that runs through 2023. He refused comment for this story.
“I’ve said many times, I am thankful and honored to be the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Dayton,” Miller said after his latest deal was announced. “We can continue to do great things here.
“The University, the community, and our loyal fans have given our program the opportunity to compete with the best, and I look forward to pursuing consistent success and delivering first-class results both on and off the court for everyone associated with our program.”
Curran said Miller is happy at Dayton, but “there are probably 8-to-10 universities that you couldn’t pass over.”
“He’s very connected to next year’s senior class; that’s a big variable,” Curran said. “But again, I think there’s a limited number of places he’d like to go for.
“He’s happy, Morgan’s happy. I think he would say he has everything he needs here to be a winner. He loves the fan base. It’s hard to replace this at even some of those bigger institutions.”
Tops at UD
Miller, who will turn 38 in October, is the highest-paid employee at UD. Curran’s total reported compensation in 2014 was $790,854. Women’s basketball coach Jim Jabir was third on the university’s payroll list at $406,448.
Former men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory made $943,004 in 2010, his last full year of employment at UD. He took the Georgia Tech job in March 2011 and was paid $506,459 by UD that year.
Miller was hired in April 2011. His first-year salary at UD was $335,152.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski tops everyone in the college basketball coaching game. In March 2015, Forbes reported his total annual compensation at $9.7 million.
Assuming Krzyzewski got a raise last year — he guided the Blue Devils to the 2015 national championship — it’s logical to assume he has surpassed the $10 million mark.
Miller’s brother Sean, who coaches at Arizona, earned more than $4.9 million last year, according to a database published earlier this year by USA Today. That ranked him No. 3 in the country, behind Kentucky’s John Calipari ($6.9 million) and just ahead of Kansas’ Bill Self ($4.9 million).
About the Author