I’m frustrated with the lack of discussion about how much money the University of Wyoming is spending on its athletic programs, especially since some of them aren’t performing well. It seems like every time UW asks for more funding, they end up paying even more for coaches who aren’t delivering results.
Over the past 18 years, Wyoming has paid significant buyouts to several coaches. Here are some examples:
- Heath Schroyer (basketball) received $480,000.
- Alan Edwards (basketball) got $220,000.
- Joe Glenn (football) was paid $316,000.
- Dave Christiansen (football) saw a buyout of $570,000.
That’s a lot of money spent on coaches who were being paid to coach in the first place. Right now, Coach Jay Sawvel has a disappointing record of 7-17 over two seasons, and there are concerns he might be headed for a buyout too. It feels like we’re just enabling this cycle.
When it comes to performance, UW football has a combined record of 73-146 in the Mountain West Conference, with just a 33% winning percentage and no championships. The men’s basketball team isn’t faring much better, with a 40% winning rate in conference games.
A ranking of Mountain West schools shows UW at the bottom in terms of value brought to the conference. Looking ahead, the conference has changed, and Wyoming will face teams like UTEP and Northern Illinois instead of its former rival Colorado State, which could make competition even tougher.
Adding to the situation, Wyoming recently built an $80 million swimming pool, even when Laramie already has the best pool in the state. They also renovated War Memorial Stadium, costing taxpayers $65 million.
It seems we need to reassess how the University of Wyoming spends its money. Continuing to pour funds into these programs could just be throwing money down a pit. Changes need to be made to ensure accountability and to use taxpayer money wisely.
For further reading on the impact of athletic programs in universities, you can check out studies from the NCAA here.
