[saryant]

Salary data on public employees is public data in most (all?) states.

For example, the salaries of all of Texas' 674,000 employees: http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/government-employee...

[acrooks]

Coming from Canada, I find it amazing that 30% of the top 25 salaries are related to athletics. Really goes to show how important sports are in the US.

[deeths]

It has more to do with the amount top athletic programs bring into big athletic schools. If the school is making millions on tickets and TV rights on their top-rated football team, they're willing to pay a lot for a coach that helps them keep winning.