A financial report by UCLA athletics paints a dark picture about the current state of affairs, as the department reported a $18.9 million deficit for the 2019 fiscal year, per Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group.
Per Wilner: “The Bruins generated $108.4 million in revenue against $127.3 million in expenses for the 12-month period that included Chip Kelly’s first season as the football coach and the tumultuous basketball stretch in which Steve Alford was dismissed.”
Wilner reports that this is the first time in 15 years the athletic department has lost money, and that it “coincides with the final months of athletic director Dan Guerrero’s tenure.”
Guerrero will be retiring in June.
He was asked to interview with the Bay Area News Group but instead issued the following statement: “Fiscal responsibility has been a hallmark of UCLA Athletics, and being almost completely self-funded while growing the budget from $42 million in 2002 to $130 million currently has been a point of pride.”
The money lost “will be covered by an interest-bearing loan from central campus, according to a spokesperson,” per Wilner.
Back to the topic of Chip Kelly, the Bruins football program has been a mess since he arrived, going 7-17 while missing a bowl game both seasons. The poor quality on the field has affected the bottom line, to be sure, as you can see here.
With that in mind, it’s hardly surprising that concern has been voiced about Kelly’s tenure as the head football coach.
Kimber80 on January 25th, 2020 at 14:27 UTC »
When you dig through the numbers, the deficit isn't as bad as it looks. Just about all of that $19m is in the form of one-time expenses, such as a more than $12 million paid to buy out the fired football coach.
This isn't like UConn, where they have a structural, recurring deficit.
stupidlyugly on January 25th, 2020 at 13:47 UTC »
When I was a junior at UC Irvine, I walked uninvited into Dan Guerrero's office and told him how disappointed I was with the athletic program and how upset I was about the baseball team being cut a year before his arrival, especially because I had several friends on the team.
Dan didn't throw me out of his office. He listened to me as if I were the most important person alive.
Then he pulled out a baseball from UCI's 1973 D2 championship team and said, "I keep this on my desk as a reminder that baseball is a priority for me."
We stayed in email contact for several years. When baseball came back, I thanked him and he replied that he remembered our conversation and how happy he was to be able to bring back the program after a ten year absence.
When UCI made the college world series in 2007, Dan had moved on to UCLA. He emailed me and said he had thought of me when they made that remarkable run.
I'm just some nobody kid that stormed his office one day nearly thirty years ago.
Say what you will about his successes and failures at UCLA. I will always respect him as a person.
Rkenne16 on January 25th, 2020 at 13:31 UTC »
Does that include booster money?