Following the lead of coaches at Iowa State, Louisville and Eastern Washington, Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson on Tuesday became the latest coach to take a voluntary pay cut to help his athletics department navigate the coronavirus budget crunch.
Clawson will forfeit 10% of his pay, the school announced.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on Wake Forest University and our Athletics Dept.,” Clawson said. “Catherine and I are more than happy to do our part to help during these challenging times.”
Wake Forest does not publish Clawson’s salary, but the USA Today salary database listed his 2019 pay at a relatively light $2.189 million. A 10% cut would bring his compensation down to $1.97 million.
The announcement did not indicate if Clawson will also forfeit bonuses and incentives, as other schools have done. Clawson’s move comes in conjunction with pay cuts taken by Wake Forest president Nathan Hatch and his cabinet.
“I appreciate Coach Clawson’s leadership in immediately volunteering to join President Hatch, my fellow Cabinet members and our Academic Deans in taking a 10% pay cut to help protect the experience of all Wake Forest students amid the COVID-19 crises,” said Wake AD John Currie.
Clawson is 36-40 heading into his seventh season leading the Demon Deacons. Wake went 8-5 with a Pinstripe Bowl appearance in 2019.
