Dawn Staley Becomes Highest Paid Black Coach In Women’s College Basketball

Dawn Staley continues to make history.

The University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball coach has inked a seven-year, $22.4M contract, making her the highest-paid Black coach in women’s basketball.

“Credit where it’s due,” Staley said. “This university and this state have a rich history of racism, and I’m not going to disregard that. But this is one of the most progressive decisions they’ve ever made. They need to be recognized for being committed to leading the way in gender equity in America. This is an equitable statement and in the midst of all our inequities in our country, I hope it’s a turning point.”

Salary

According to BleacherReport, Staley’s “new salary will be $1 million per year, with outside compensation beginning at $1.9 million in the first year and escalating by $100,000 every year after,” the outlet writes.

“Dawn Staley is one of the nation’s top coaches, regardless of the sport,” said South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner in a statement.

“She has built our women’s basketball program from the ground up, and her teams have produced champions, both on and off the floor.”

Dawn Staley, A Leader

Staley, 51, became head coach of the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team in 2008. They won the NCAA championship in 2017 and in 2020, she was named National Coach of the Year.

Dawn Staley also won a gold medal as the coach for the United States women’s basketball team at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Philadelphia native joins a list of women’s college basketball coaches who make at least $1M per year or more, including Adia Barnes (Arizona), Brenda Frese (Maryland), Kelly Graves (Oregon), Kim Mulkey (LSU), and Vivian Stringer (Rutgers), according to USA Today.

Pay Negotiations

Staley said when she began contract negotiations she considered pay inequality in sports and the fact that WNBA players earn seven times less than their male counterparts.

“I didn’t do this for me,” Staley said. “I am an advocate of equal pay and overall, this is a huge statement for women and for Black women — and not just in sports but all over the country — when you think about how much less they’re paid on the dollar compared to men.”

Congratulations Dawn Staley!