As spring football practice carries on at Spaulding field, Dorrell keeps talking about championships. Dohn has a report on salaries of UCLA football assistants. Staff in Dorrell’s program despite churning out a mediocre product for four straight years keep getting rewarded with fat raises. Dohn has a report on salaries of Dorrell's coaching staff (emphasis mine):
UCLA's offensive and defensive coordinators will each make at least $300,000 this year, finally making the school competitive in the Pacific-10 Conference salary structure.
Overall, UCLA's staff, which enjoyed salary raises of nearly 22 percent from 2005 to 2006, will have an 11.3 percent increase this year.
"I'm always grateful to make progress and be able to have the best people possible," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "Those coaches, given their expertise and skills and their desire to be at UCLA, can help make this a championship team.
"I appreciate (athletic director) Dan Guerrero and his efforts to get quality people."
Defensive coordinator De- Wayne Walker, who made $250,000 last year, will make $330,000 this year after leading a dramatic turnaround by the defense, which held down USC in the Bruins' 13-9 upset of the Trojans in December. Jay Norvell, who left Nebraska for Westwood in January, will make $300,000 in his first year as the Bruins offensive coordinator. Jim Svoboda, who was fired after the 2006 season, made $190,000 last season.
Those figures make UCLA competitive with University of California brethren Cal-Berkeley, which paid offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar $260,000 last year. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory made $322,000.
Some thoughts here.Overall, UCLA's staff, which enjoyed salary raises of nearly 22 percent from 2005 to 2006, will have an 11.3 percent increase this year.
"I'm always grateful to make progress and be able to have the best people possible," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "Those coaches, given their expertise and skills and their desire to be at UCLA, can help make this a championship team.
"I appreciate (athletic director) Dan Guerrero and his efforts to get quality people."
Defensive coordinator De- Wayne Walker, who made $250,000 last year, will make $330,000 this year after leading a dramatic turnaround by the defense, which held down USC in the Bruins' 13-9 upset of the Trojans in December. Jay Norvell, who left Nebraska for Westwood in January, will make $300,000 in his first year as the Bruins offensive coordinator. Jim Svoboda, who was fired after the 2006 season, made $190,000 last season.
Those figures make UCLA competitive with University of California brethren Cal-Berkeley, which paid offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar $260,000 last year. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory made $322,000.
The comparison between Dorrell and Tedford is just laughable. Dorrell is not half the coach Tedford. Tedford has built a solid program from total ruins, while KD has done nothing to elevate an underachieving program with enormous potential to take it to another level.
Also the idea that football coaches at UCLA are getting pay raises almost makes me thinking of awarding public servants congressional medal of honor for doing "heckuva job."
But it’s not all bleak though. I will give you couple of reasons.
First, the fact that DG is willing to shell out big bucks for assistant coaches also sends a clear signal that the penny pinching days at Morgan Center from the Dalis era is over. When time comes for UCLA to hire a brand new football coach, which could happen at the end of this upcoming year, there is no doubt UCLA will be willing to spend some $$ to get a quality coach instead of an unproven, mediocre one like Karl Dorrell.
Second, let Dorrell keep talking about a championship. We expect nothing short of that from his program this upcoming season.
Now in terms of practice nuts and bolts here are details on injury/roster shift (mostly at tailback position, which you already knew about) from the LA Times. I am not concerned about all these injuries and roster adjustments in spring ball. It gives young players to get much needed reps. And it should theoretically (if the team is well coached/managed) make the team deeper and more seasoned heading into August training camp.
In other words all our young players getting more experience and practice in spring practice will only strengthen our expectations (actually the entire program’s expectations) for a championship season in 2007.
GO BRUINS.