When it comes to top-notch coaching pay, two states immediately come to mind - Georgia and Texas.
In 2019 we shared an article on how the number of Georgia high school coaches making $100k or more had doubled since 2014, and one school had shelled out a $43k stipend just for coaching while coordinators were making stipends of about $14k.
In 2018, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram created a database that compiled the salaries of head coaches for the largest classifications in the state (5A and 6A), where the top coach at the time (Hank Carter of Austin Lake Travis) topped out at over $155k. All but four head coaches from Texas' top classifications made at least $70k per year, at the time.
Well those articles and data are a few years old, and now we have something a bit more up-to-date to go off.
Thanks to an open records request by Chron, we now have current insight into how much coaches in the Houston area are bringing home.
The report shares that the top 25 highest paid coaches in the Houston area all make more thank $125k. It's important to note that the vast majority of these guys also serve as athletic director for their school as well.
Barbers Hill HS (TX) is home to the Houston area's highest paid coach, and it's by a wide margin.
Carl Abseck makes $179,917 leading the Barbers Hill program. That's $25k more than #2 on the list, a spot that belongs to Dickinson HS (TX) head coach John Snelson ($154,030).
The full run down of the top ten highest paid coaches in the Houston area, per Chron, is:
- $179,917 - Barbers Hills HS - Carl Abseck
- $154,030 - Dickinson HS - John Snelson
- $153,877 - Katy HS - Gary Joseph
- $146,536 - Tomkins HS - Todd McVey
- $141,055 - Morton Ranch HS - Ron Counter
- $138,991 - North Shore HS - Willie Gaston
- $136,502 - Taylor HS - Chad Simmons
- $135,353 - Cypress Creek HS - Greg McCaig
- $134,407 - Jersey Village HS - David Snokhous
- $133,922 - Dawson HS - Michael Allison
Only about $6,000 separates the 11th spot from the 25th spot on the list, with Woodlands HS head coach James Rapp rounding out the top 25 at $126,901.
The highest paid coaches in the Houston area can be found in the Katy ISD, where Gary Joseph leads the way at Katy HS making $153,877 and David Hicks represents the bottom of the district salaries at $121,462.
The average salary for Katy HS coaches comes out to $134,618.
Based on the information provided in Chron, the Houston ISD (which includes a $10k coaching stipend) is the lowest paid district with Clifton Terrell from North Forest HS at the top of the list of the district's salaries ($110,653) while Louis Rodriguez of Chavez HS and Don Holloway of Washington HS occupy the lowest paid spots in the district at $75k each.
On average, coaches in Houston ISD make $94,097, according to the data provided.
Over the last several months, Florida's college coaches (including FAU's Tom Herman) have joined the call for high school coaches in the nearby Sunshine State to earn more as the coaching stipend portion of their salary averages about $4,650 and with information like this coming to light, it's not hard to see why coaches are leaving Florida at high rates to coach in neighboring states.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.