Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell is the latest football head coach to take a cut in pay as Colorado adjusts the budget. Colorado announced a handful of salary cuts to head coaches throughout the athletic department on Thursday. Dorrell was among those listed who will be taking a 10% pay cut as Colorado manages its finances in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on the university.
Other Colorado head coaches taking similar cuts include men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle and women’s basketball coach JR Payne. A handful of other athletic head coaches will take smaller pay reductions of 5%. The cuts will remain in effect for the 2020-21 fiscal year, as reported by The Denver Post. According to Dorrell’s contract, the new head coach was originally due $3.2 million for his first year as head coach.
The cuts at Colorado are the latest in a growing trend across the county’s college sports landscape, including elsewhere around the Pac-12 with Washington State (HERE) and Oregon (HERE). Syracuse has made similar reductions to coaches, including head football coach Dino Babers. Dave Clawson at Wake Forest (HERE) and Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri (HERE) have also taken cuts. Louisville has eliminated 40 positions throughout its athletics department. And Boise State has furloughed its entire football coaching staff for 10 days. even commissioners have taken pay reductions, including Larry Scott of the Pac-12 (HERE) and Bob Bowlsby of the Big 12 (HERE).
Dorrell was hired by Colorado in late February to replace Mel Tucker. Tucker left the Buffs to fill the vacancy at Michigan State. Dorrell was the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL in 2019 before accepting an opportunity to return to the Colorado football program for the third time. Dorrell previously served as the program’s receivers coach in 1992-93 and again from 1995-98.
