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Dawn Staley, South Carolina women's basketball coach, continues to make history.
According to USA Today's Lindsay Schnell, the 51-year old signed a $72.4 million, seven-year contract with the Gamecocks. This makes her the highest-paid Black coach for women's basketball.
Staley stated, "Credit where credit is due." "This university as well as this state have a rich history in racism. I won't forget that. This is however one of their most important and progressive decisions. They should be recognized for their commitment to gender equality in America. It's an equitable statement, and I hope that it will be a turning point in spite of all the inequalities in this country.
Staley was last granted a raise in 2017 and an extension in 2018. Staley's new salary will be $1million per year with an additional $100,000 in outside compensation.
The Gamecocks have been to the NCAA tournament nine times since Staley took over as coach in 2008. This includes three of the six past NCAA Final Fours. In 2017, they won the NCAA championship.
After leading the Gamecocks' No. 1 ranking, Staley was named National coach of the year in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic cut short the Gamecocks' No. 1 ranking prior to the postseason.
Staley coached the United States women's basketball team to a Tokyo Olympics gold medal. She was twice named USA Basketball National Coaches of the Year and helped the U.S. win eleven international gold medals.
Staley joins UConn's Geno auriemma as women's basketball's highest-paid coach. Auriemma earns approximately $2.8 million annually. Around 12 women's college basketball coaches earn at least $1,000,000 per year, including Adia Barnes of Arizona, LSU's Kim Mulkey, and Oregon's Kelly Graves.
