GLIAC Men’s Basketball Coach Salaries (2026–27)
Head coach and assistant coach pay at the 11 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) men’s basketball programs, an NCAA Division II conference. Division II pay is rarely published for named coaches, so most figures below are institutional bands, not contracts. Women’s programs: GLIAC women’s basketball coach salaries.
Key numbers
- Median head coach pay: about $102,000 across the nine programs with a figure. Figures run from $75,000 to $148,578.
- Highest: Grand Valley State’s Cornell Mann at $148,578, an exact figure from the school’s published salary book. Among bands, Ferris State’s is highest ($110,000–$130,000).
- Assistant coaches are paid roughly $35,000 to $68,000. Grand Valley State’s salary book shows $50,500 and $54,000 for its two men’s assistants.
- Five of 11 programs have hired a head coach since May 2025: Saginaw Valley State, Purdue Northwest, UW–Parkside, Ferris State and Northern Michigan.
Head coach pay by school
| School | Head coach | Pay | Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Valley State | Cornell Mann | $148,578 | Exact (salary book, Nov. 2025) | Hired April 2022; entering fifth season |
| Ferris State | Brooks Miller | $110,000–$130,000 | Hiring band | Named April 2026; previously associate head coach at Central Michigan |
| Roosevelt (private) | Dee Brown † | $90,000–$130,000 | Estimate | Hired 2022; private school does not publish pay |
| Northern Michigan | Keil Ganz | $98,000–$115,000 | Hiring band | Named April 3, 2026; replaced Matt Majkrzak, who left for Northern Illinois |
| Purdue Northwest | Jordan Ashton | $102,000 | Exact, unconfirmed | First season 2025–26; replaced Boomer Roberts |
| Lake Superior State | Steve Hettinga | $90,000–$110,000 | Range | 10-year extension through 2035 |
| Michigan Tech | Josh Buettner | $85,000–$105,000 | Institutional scale | Succeeded Kevin Luke, who retired |
| Davenport (private) | Burt Paddock † | $75,000–$95,000 | Estimate | Third head coach in school history; 18th season in 2025–26 |
| UW–Parkside | Kyle Blackbourn | $75,000–$88,000 | Hiring band | Named March 24, 2026; previously Rockhurst |
| Saginaw Valley State | Chris Fowler | Not disclosed | — | Named May 2025; replaced Randy Baruth |
| Wayne State | Bryan Smothers | Not disclosed | — | Named March 2022; entering fifth season. The school’s salary report lists the whole athletics department without sports |
† Roosevelt and Davenport coaches are confirmed through 2025–26 only; we could not confirm their 2026–27 status. “Hiring band” is the range approved at hire. Bands are not individual salaries. Grand Valley State’s figure comes from its published salary book, which lists title, hire date and salary without names; Mann is matched by title and hire date. Sorted by pay (midpoint where a range is given).
What the numbers show
- The path to Division I runs through this league. Matt Majkrzak left Northern Michigan for Northern Illinois in March 2026, and Andy Bronkema left Ferris State for Central Michigan in April 2025. Both Division I schools are in the MAC. Miller then moved from Central Michigan to Ferris State.
- The spring 2026 hires span the range. Ferris State’s band ($110,000–$130,000) is the highest band in the league; UW–Parkside’s ($75,000–$88,000) is near the lowest.
- Internal promotions are common. Michigan Tech and Purdue Northwest both promoted from within, replacing Kevin Luke and Boomer Roberts.
Assistant coach pay
| School | Title | Salary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Valley State | Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach | $54,000 | Salary book |
| Grand Valley State | Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach | $50,500 | Salary book |
| Wayne State | Associate Head Coach | $55,000–$68,000 | School pay range |
| Wayne State | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$52,000 | School pay range |
| Wayne State | Assistant Coach | $42,000–$48,000 | School pay range |
| Michigan Tech | Associate Head Coach | $52,000–$62,000 | School pay range |
| Michigan Tech | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$55,000 | School pay range |
| Lake Superior State | Associate Head Coach | $48,000–$55,000 | School pay range |
| Lake Superior State | Assistant Coach | $38,000–$45,000 | School pay range |
| Roosevelt (private) | Associate Head Coach | $45,000–$55,000 | School pay range |
| Davenport (private) | Assistant Coach | $38,000–$48,000 | School pay range |
| Davenport (private) | Assistant Coach | $38,000–$48,000 | School pay range |
| Purdue Northwest | Assistant Coach and Facilities Events Coordinator | $42,500 | Unconfirmed |
| Saginaw Valley State | Assistant Coach | $38,000–$45,000 | School pay range |
| Ferris State | Assistant Coach | $40,000–$45,000 | Posting range |
| Ferris State | Assistant Coach | $40,000–$45,000 | Posting range |
| Northern Michigan | Assistant Coach | $35,000–$45,000 | School pay range |
| Northern Michigan | Assistant Coach | $35,000–$45,000 | School pay range |
“Salary book” figures come from Grand Valley State’s published salary book (Nov. 21, 2025). “Posting range” is the pay range in a school’s job posting. “School pay range” is the range the school uses for that position, not an individual’s salary; we have not matched it to payroll records, so treat it as approximate. “Unconfirmed” is a single figure with no second source.
School-wide averages (federal data)
Every college that offers athletics reports average coach pay to the U.S. Department of Education. These are averages per full-time coach across all men’s teams at each school (2024–25 reporting year), not basketball only and not individual salaries. They are the only confirmed pay data for Wayne State.
| School | Average head coach, men’s teams | Average assistant coach, men’s teams |
|---|---|---|
| Ferris State | $136,559 | $60,422 |
| Michigan Tech | $136,211 | $58,032 |
| Northern Michigan | $132,939 | $58,136 |
| Lake Superior State | $126,780 | $50,767 |
| Wayne State | $125,962 | $62,860 |
| Grand Valley State | $114,245 | $51,894 |
| UW–Parkside | $76,030 | $44,507 |
| Saginaw Valley State | $75,727 | $50,186 |
| Roosevelt (private) | $71,213 | $43,760 |
| Davenport (private) | $65,863 | $34,585 |
| Purdue Northwest | $62,093 | $28,677 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act data, 2024–25 (ope.ed.gov/athletics).
Data notes
- Nine of 11 member schools are public universities in Michigan, Indiana or Wisconsin; Roosevelt and Davenport are private. Most head coach figures in our records are bands labeled “institutional scale” or “Section 245”, not individual pay.
- Grand Valley State’s salary book (Nov. 21, 2025) is the only exact, sourced individual pay in this post. Wayne State’s published salary report (latest found: 2022–23) lists the entire athletics department by title, so basketball coaches cannot be isolated.
- Purdue Northwest’s exact figures have no second source. Saginaw Valley State’s figure often cited for its head coach is actually the average for all of its men’s teams, so it is not shown as individual pay.
