I’m sure this was already widely known, but I just saw that he makes $987k/yr as a senior advisor to the president.
If you weren’t annoyed enough by Tanner as AD, here’s something for you:
- Thread starter 18IsTheMan
- Start date
Absolute joke. The job requirements are probably meeting the president for lunch a few times a month.
Yeah, it’s disgusting. Truth is, even if he didn’t suck as AD, that type of $$ for an advisor role is crooked.
Kentucky’s Gov pushed back against a similar deal for Mitch Barnhart but ole Foghorn Leghorn ain’t said a peep about Tanner.
It's staggering. I'm used to bloated salaries for coaches, but you can argue about the revenue that the programs generate for the school. But basically a million bucks a year for what is surely a token position? What could he possibly have to advise about? I doubt he does 15 hours of work a week.
Insane.
Remember though-Ray is frugal, always kept a tight budget as AD and is opposed to careless spending (unless of course he's the beneficiary).
Ray's the definition of the Peter Principle. The higher he moves up the job ladder, the more useless he becomes. I'm not saying Advisor to the president is a higher role than AD but Ray has gotten more and more useless as a university employee since retiring from coaching with each passing year.
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I’ve made the argument for years that one of the things that has held usc back is the incestuous relationship to state gubmint. It’s all over the campus, admin, and the board itself. My neighbor growing up was Eddie Floyd. I was too young to understand the dynamics of what he dealt with. I get it now. When you put gubmint lackeys in positions on campus and then you get appointments by dirty money and political favors. The university would have been better off in Greenville, Charleston, or Chapin..for that matter. We are our own worst enemy.
It's crazy. A token million dollar position. And we aren't even a big player in college athletics. I might not be too terribly surprised at this kind of thing if it was Bama or Texas or some major athletics program, but we're a small player.
If you wanted to throw the man a bone and give him a token position, I could see giving, say, $150K/yr for this role. Even that would be way too much, of course, but in the scope of what people get paid for useless things in college sports, that would be about right. But a token million dollar job? It's only a smidge less than he was making as AD, a job he was horrible at. I keep saying it: insane.
He makes $800K next year, deal ends in June 2028, But Thad Westbrook of the board was happy about it,, given how much Ray LOVES the University.
Hey, Thad alot of us LOVE the university to, can you hook us up to?
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina baseball coach Ray Tanner knew it was time for change more than a decade ago with his program at its most successful. Tanner could not escape that same feeling as athletic director these past few months even with Gamecock athletics trending upward.
Tanner, 66, said Friday he was stepping down after the fall semester, ending more than 12 years as one of the longest-tenured ADs in the Southeastern Conference.
"There was going to be a time" to change, Tanner said. "When I coached baseball, I didn't leave the baseball program because I didn't think it was good anymore to become the athletic director, it was time. And I knew it was getting close to time in this role as well."
Tanner had come off national championships in 2010 and 2011 and a near three-peat before losing to Arizona in 2012 when he was chosen to head the department.
He's leaving when it appears South Carolina sports' fortunes are trending upward.
The women's basketball team visited the White House this week after its third national title and, under coach Dawn Staley, will start the season as a favorite for another NCAA Tournament trophy.
He had hired ex-LSU national championship baseball coach Paul Mainieri this summer to restore College World Series success to the Gamecocks.
Tanner retained men's basketball coach Lamont Paris with a long-term contract after he led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA tournament appearance in seven years.
And the football team is off to a good start as well, hosting No. 16 LSU in a sold-out game Saturday with ESPN's "College GameDay" in town.
"I was somewhat hesitant about today myself, because we do have a lot going on," Tanner said. "But, again, there never is a perfect time. But it is, it's not a sad day, it's a happy day."
Tanner had discussions with university president Michael Amiridis the past few months about his future. The longer talks went on, Tanner said, the more chance of the news coming out before both sides wanted it.
"I've already had some people, I won't give you any names, but a couple people reach out to me, 'Hey, what do you know about that? I'd like to have that job," ESPN's Rece Davis, host of "College GameDay" said Friday from Columbia.
A national search for a new athletic director will begin at the end of November, Amiridis said.
Tanner will be paid his current salary of $1.175 million through June 30, 2025. He will earn $987,500 in the next year and $800,000 in the final year of the deal, which ends June 30, 2028, "unless extended by mutual written agreement," according to the letter from Amiridis in accepting his decision to leave as AD and transition to the new role.
Tanner's tenure has had its highs and lows.
Women's basketball has won three national titles under Staley in 2017, 2022 and, most recently, 2024. And while Tanner was still baseball coach when Staley came on board before the 2008-09 season, he helped keep her with the Gamecocks despite other outside opportunities.
Tanner has hired two full-time football coaches over his 12 years as the program has tried to make strides in the difficult SEC.
Will Muschamp served from 2017 until his dismissal before the end of the 2020 season, going 28-30 overall and 17-22 in the SEC.
Current coach Shane Beamer was hired in December 2020 and has had two winning seasons in his first three years.
Tanner said he was honored to be at South Carolina for nearly three decades and the chance to continue in a different role. When his successor arrives, Tanner will be athletic director emeritus and presidential advisor, focusing on fundraising and community engagement.
"I am glad to see he's continuing on in a role with the university and his willingness to do that," said board of trustees chairman Thad Westbrook. "Ray, he doesn't have a degree from South Carolina, but there's no one who loves our university more."
Tanner came to South Carolina in 1996 as baseball coach and went on to make six trips to the College World Series.
Tanner said his successor would need to be "nimble" in navigating the new, rapidly changing world of college athletics.
Amiridis said he would look for an athletic director with experience who had a similar respect for athletics as Tanner.
Tanner said he will not be closely involved in picking the next athletic director.
"I'm gratefully for the time that I've been able to spend in South Carolina and the opportunity moving forward," he said. "We have a great place, we have wonderful people and I'm excited to remain in a capacity that's going to be new to me, but certainly will energize me in a way that I haven't experienced in a number of years."
Hey, Thad alot of us LOVE the university to, can you hook us up to?
Ray Tanner stepping down from South Carolina AD post
- Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina baseball coach Ray Tanner knew it was time for change more than a decade ago with his program at its most successful. Tanner could not escape that same feeling as athletic director these past few months even with Gamecock athletics trending upward.
Tanner, 66, said Friday he was stepping down after the fall semester, ending more than 12 years as one of the longest-tenured ADs in the Southeastern Conference.
"There was going to be a time" to change, Tanner said. "When I coached baseball, I didn't leave the baseball program because I didn't think it was good anymore to become the athletic director, it was time. And I knew it was getting close to time in this role as well."
Tanner had come off national championships in 2010 and 2011 and a near three-peat before losing to Arizona in 2012 when he was chosen to head the department.
He's leaving when it appears South Carolina sports' fortunes are trending upward.
The women's basketball team visited the White House this week after its third national title and, under coach Dawn Staley, will start the season as a favorite for another NCAA Tournament trophy.
He had hired ex-LSU national championship baseball coach Paul Mainieri this summer to restore College World Series success to the Gamecocks.
Tanner retained men's basketball coach Lamont Paris with a long-term contract after he led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA tournament appearance in seven years.
And the football team is off to a good start as well, hosting No. 16 LSU in a sold-out game Saturday with ESPN's "College GameDay" in town.
"I was somewhat hesitant about today myself, because we do have a lot going on," Tanner said. "But, again, there never is a perfect time. But it is, it's not a sad day, it's a happy day."
Tanner had discussions with university president Michael Amiridis the past few months about his future. The longer talks went on, Tanner said, the more chance of the news coming out before both sides wanted it.
"I've already had some people, I won't give you any names, but a couple people reach out to me, 'Hey, what do you know about that? I'd like to have that job," ESPN's Rece Davis, host of "College GameDay" said Friday from Columbia.
A national search for a new athletic director will begin at the end of November, Amiridis said.
Tanner will be paid his current salary of $1.175 million through June 30, 2025. He will earn $987,500 in the next year and $800,000 in the final year of the deal, which ends June 30, 2028, "unless extended by mutual written agreement," according to the letter from Amiridis in accepting his decision to leave as AD and transition to the new role.
Tanner's tenure has had its highs and lows.
Women's basketball has won three national titles under Staley in 2017, 2022 and, most recently, 2024. And while Tanner was still baseball coach when Staley came on board before the 2008-09 season, he helped keep her with the Gamecocks despite other outside opportunities.
Tanner has hired two full-time football coaches over his 12 years as the program has tried to make strides in the difficult SEC.
Will Muschamp served from 2017 until his dismissal before the end of the 2020 season, going 28-30 overall and 17-22 in the SEC.
Current coach Shane Beamer was hired in December 2020 and has had two winning seasons in his first three years.
Tanner said he was honored to be at South Carolina for nearly three decades and the chance to continue in a different role. When his successor arrives, Tanner will be athletic director emeritus and presidential advisor, focusing on fundraising and community engagement.
"I am glad to see he's continuing on in a role with the university and his willingness to do that," said board of trustees chairman Thad Westbrook. "Ray, he doesn't have a degree from South Carolina, but there's no one who loves our university more."
Tanner came to South Carolina in 1996 as baseball coach and went on to make six trips to the College World Series.
Tanner said his successor would need to be "nimble" in navigating the new, rapidly changing world of college athletics.
Amiridis said he would look for an athletic director with experience who had a similar respect for athletics as Tanner.
Tanner said he will not be closely involved in picking the next athletic director.
"I'm gratefully for the time that I've been able to spend in South Carolina and the opportunity moving forward," he said. "We have a great place, we have wonderful people and I'm excited to remain in a capacity that's going to be new to me, but certainly will energize me in a way that I haven't experienced in a number of years."
I think Ray was forced out and out of respect was allowed to step down. This role is the compromise of not having to pay his buyout.
It is kind of like this role IS his buyout from the AD position.
Yes. But it saves face for Ray publicly. That's the point.
It is. I wonder if that was a deal to get him to retire and stop handing out big contracts to unsuccesful coaches? (by giving him a big contract)
Very well could be.
If so, that means the only way to stop him from grossly overpaying unsuccessful coaches was by grossly overpaying him for being unsuccessful.
It's terrible when the "lackeys" get put in charge of really important pieces of our government, especially by "dirty money and political favors." I absolutely hate it! I mean except for people like Linda McMahon. She's using all that experience in the WWE to make education better. And Kristi Noem. She really translated all that brashness as SD governor to upgrade DHS. And Kash Patel. I mean who wouldn't want a conspiracy-first podcaster in charge of the FBI!
