Back in April, a report revealed that seven high school football coaches in Alabama are pulling in six-figure salaries. If you thought that was crazy, Georgia has more than twice that many coaches pulling in $100,000 or more.
According to a piece in the Moultrie Observer yesterday, at least 17 head coaches in The Peach State are pulling in six-figure salaries.
The highest paid coach is Buford HS head coach Jess Simpson, who will make $174,000 this year leading a team in the state's third-highest classification (AAAA). Buford has won seven state titles since Simpson was appointed head coach, including the last three in a row.
Another big name in coaching circles is Rush Propst at Colquitt County HS, which is one of the premier football programs in the entire country. Last season, 16 Colquitt County players signed scholarship offers, so the expectations of winning big every year should come as no surprise. If Propst brings home the state title this season, he'll be compensated to the tune of nearly $134,000.
Propst makes $43,000 for coaching, has a "state-determined salary" of $57,825 and he also brings in supplemental income for various things like working during the summer and that brings home just over an additional $12,000. Add in bonuses for making the playoffs, and a state title and that's the logic behind Georgia HS coaches pulling in six-figure salaries. All in all, Propst is the third highest paid employee in the district, behind only the superintendent and the assistant superintendent.
According to the piece, next spring Colquitt County voters will vote on a proposed $3.5 million indoor practice facility to make sure Propst and his team can practice during inclement (or downright blistering) Georgia weather.
Two other coaches from notable programs in Southern Georgia pulling in six figures are Valdosta HS head coach Rance Gillespie ($111,000) and Lowndes HS head coach Randy McPherson ($104,000). The salaries aren't just tied to programs winning big though. At Thomasville HS, head coach Leroy Ryals (the third highest paid coach in the state) makes $120,000 annually, and the program notched just one win this season.