Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke says Danny Hope , the coach he fired this offseason, did a good job for the school. Last year, Hope led Purdue to a 6-7 record and a bowl game. The Boilermakers also came within two heartbreaking finishes of beating Notre Dame and Ohio State .
But Hope is gone, replaced by Darrell Hazell .
"We lost the fan base," Burke said. "I don't care how much you market or rehabilitate, the fan base has moved on and that generally drives most decisions."
The Boilermakers could have kept Hope longer, aware that he'd likely be the same or better as any replacement, or they could replace him, attracting more fans in the short run and hoping the new coach becomes a difference-maker even though the odds for change are against them. Purdue had to pay more for this second option.
Hazell's annual salary is $2 million annually, news organizations have reported, which is a 106 percent increase over the $970,000 Hope made last year. Richard Sheehan, a Notre Dame business professor and author of "Keeping Score: The Economics of Big-Time Sports," said a popular belief attached to college football salaries is the "winner takes all theory," which suggests that prices have risen up and down the coaching food chain because the competition for top coaches is so intense. But he doesn't completely agree. He said that schools aren't trying to hire away Nick Saban of Alabama or someone similar -- their question is, "Who is the next Saban?"
Do schools get what they pay for?
But Hope is gone, replaced by Darrell Hazell .
"We lost the fan base," Burke said. "I don't care how much you market or rehabilitate, the fan base has moved on and that generally drives most decisions."
The Boilermakers could have kept Hope longer, aware that he'd likely be the same or better as any replacement, or they could replace him, attracting more fans in the short run and hoping the new coach becomes a difference-maker even though the odds for change are against them. Purdue had to pay more for this second option.
Hazell's annual salary is $2 million annually, news organizations have reported, which is a 106 percent increase over the $970,000 Hope made last year. Richard Sheehan, a Notre Dame business professor and author of "Keeping Score: The Economics of Big-Time Sports," said a popular belief attached to college football salaries is the "winner takes all theory," which suggests that prices have risen up and down the coaching food chain because the competition for top coaches is so intense. But he doesn't completely agree. He said that schools aren't trying to hire away Nick Saban of Alabama or someone similar -- their question is, "Who is the next Saban?"
Do schools get what they pay for?
