Alabama spent more than $5.37 million on 2017-18 playoff trips
TUSCALOOSA — As Alabama has learned five times in the last decade, playing for national championships can be costly.
That has been especially true during the Crimson Tide’s run in its last three consecutive playoff appearances, during which it has won two national titles.
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Including bowl bonuses paid out to football staffers, Alabama’s athletic department bill for its most recent championship-winning run totaled nearly $7.6 million, up slightly from its 2016-17 playoff appearance.
Alabama’s combined expense report for its recent playoff appearance totaled more than $5.37 million, including in excess of $2.8 million for its national semifinal win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl and another $2.5 million for its title victory over Georgia in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to documents released through a freedom of information request by the Decatur Daily/TimesDaily.
Those figures are up slightly from the more than $5.1 million total for the 2016-17 playoff run that saw Clemson and senior quarterback Deshaun Watson spoil the Crimson Tide’s potential for a three-peat in the final seconds of the January 2017 national championship game.
An increase in the cost for transportation and lodging/meals for this past season’s Sugar Bowl trip in New Orleans accounted for a difference of approximately $837,000, including nearly $688,000 more spent on the lodging and meal per diem expenses for the team/staff, band/cheerleaders and the team’s official travel party.
In all, the program’s entire travel party — including team/staff, band/cheerleaders, and the official party, which involves athletic department personnel and faculty employees — dropped from 944 for the Sugar Bowl to 927 for the championship game.
Also factoring into the difference between games is the fact that Alabama’s athletic department spent an additional $773,000-plus on tickets absorbed (more than $391,000) and awards (nearly $382,000 more) for the national title game compared to the Sugar Bowl.
In fact, the Tide did not sell a single one of its 750 allotted tickets in the $175 price range, which was the cheapest of the four ticket ranges that went from $675-475 before a steady drop to $175 apiece.
That’s not to say Alabama didn’t sell its fair share of tickets, raking in more than $9.3 million on nearly 17,600 tickets sold between the three highest price ranges.
And, of course, no title run is without its yearly championship bonuses.
Alabama paid out nearly $2.22 million in bonuses for winning the 2017-18 national title, more than $1.6 million of which went to head coach Nick Saban — who received $400,000 for winning his sixth career national title — and his nine on-field assistant coaches, along with $96,300 to head strength coach Scott Cochran and $27,000 to special assistant Bobby Williams.
That figure includes nearly $600,000 to five coaches no longer a part of the Crimson Tide staff, including $450,000 combined to former coordinators Brian Daboll and Jeremy Pruitt.
Pruitt was named as Tennessee’s head coach prior to the playoff, while Daboll left after one season to become the offensive coordinator for his hometown Buffalo Bills.
Football coach bonuses in 2017-18
Nick Saban, HC $400,000
Jeremy Pruitt, DC $234,000
Brian Daboll, OC $216,000
Tosh Lupoi, co-DC/ILBs $171,000
Mike Locksley, co-OC /WRs $108,000
Scott Cochran, S&C $96,300
Burton Burns, AHC/RBs $88,200
Derrick Ansley, DBs $72,900
Brent Key, OL $72,000
Joe Pannunzio, STC/TEs $67,500
Karl Dunbar, DL $49,500
Bobby Williams, SA to HC $27,000
Total $1,602,400
Alabama’s 2018 national championship ticket allotment
Price $675 $575 $475 $175 Total #
Committed 1,297 7,905 9,382 750 19,334
Sold 1,064 7,527 9,006 0 17,597 $9.324 mill
Absorbed 233 378 376 750 1,737 $684,475