The Auburn athletics department "reported a deficit" of more than $13.6M during FY '13-14, according to documents cited by Joel Erickson of the BIRMINGHAM NEWS. Auburn has "reported an operating deficit two years in a row, the first two years the university has listed a deficit" at least since FY '06. The '14 deficit "dwarfed the $865,994 loss Auburn took last year, and the university's deficit ballooned despite an athletics department that racked up" more than $113.7M in revenue, a growth of 9.7% and more than $10M "over the department's operating revenue" in '13. Football expenses "rose in several different areas." Auburn's coaching staff and support staff made roughly $2.2M more in '14, "including an increase of more than" $1.16M for coach Gus Malzahn's nine assistants. Auburn "also paid an increase" of $1.4M in buyouts, paying former coach Gene Chizik and his staff $4.05M. The overall growth in revenue "was offset" by a 21.8% increase in spending. Auburn reported a record $127.3M in expenses in '14, "largely due to increasing football expenses" by $13.3M, an increase of 36.2%. The university also spent $2.5M more on travel (in large part due to their postseason trips), $1.8M more "in guarantees to opponents," $1.3M more in game expenses and an extra $1.1M "listed under other operating expenses." But the football team "also raised its revenues" by 10.5%, racking up more than $83.3M in revenue in '14, including taking in $1M more in ticket sales at $28.2M. In addition, Auburn took in $39.4M in football donations, $7.6M more "than the program saw" in '13. Auburn football overall "produced a surplus" of $33.2M, a figure that is $5.4M "less than the program's surplus" of $38.6M in '13 (AL.com, 2/15).
TIDE ON A ROLL: In Birmingham, Michael Casagrande cites a report stating that expenses and revenues for Univ. of Alabama athletics "continue to grow," and the school "again finished with a surplus" in FY '13-14. Alabama's athletics department generated $33.1M "more than it spent" in '12-13. That is up from the $27.2M surplus in '12-13 and "continued the trend of surpluses in recent years." Alabama has not "operated at a loss in the last 10 years." The athletics department transferred $9.1M "back to the university last year after contributing" $5.9M a year earlier. Football "continues to drive the ship," as coach Nick Saban's program had a $53.3M surplus with revenues of $95.3M, a nearly $7M increase. The "biggest football gains" came from royalties ($4.5M from $1.3M), broadcast, television, radio and Internet rights ($9.1M from $7.2M) and contributions ($20.7M from $18.9M) (AL.com, 2/16).
