This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Even though he is still making more than the next highest paid assistant, Norm Chow still took a big cut in salary when he joined Utah's staff. Chow will receive $275,000, annually, according to his contract which was finalized Wednesday. The contract runs from Jan. 25, 2011 to June 30, 2013. Chow's salary is far from the $640,000 package he was earning at UCLA, but still way above Utah's next highest paid assistant, defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake who receives a base salary of $170,000. Aaron Roderick and Dave Schramm, who shared the offensive coordinator responsibilities last year, have two-year deals worth $160,000 each. Chow does get a couple of bonuses other assistants don't, such as a $20,000 bonus if the Utes play in a BCS game, the use of a courtesy car for work-related matters and complimentary tickets for home and away games (12 for home, four for away games). Still, I'd say the Utes got Chow at a bargain price. Utah athletic director Chris Hill said he was prepared to increase salaries with the Utes joining the Pac-10, acknowledging the Utes would have to do so to compete. He believes the Utes should be somewhere in the middle when comparing athletic budgets of the schools. Last year the Utes paid their football assistants $1,285,000 in base salaries combined, which would put the Utes near the bottom of the Pac-10, according to USA Today's database when base salaries are combined for schools. Washington spent more than $2 million. USC is believed to have the highest, although the school doesn't have to report its salaries since it is a private institution.