Auburn Athletics is operating in the black for the first time in four years, according to records obtained by the Opelika-Auburn News.
In the 2014 fiscal year, the Athletics Department finished $13.6 million in the red, but turned a $9 million profit for the 2015 fiscal year, good for a $22.6 million improvement.
A large component of the turnaround can be attributed to the SEC Network, which brought in an additional $21 million for each school in the conference on top of the already existing broadcast rights.
Auburn posted $27.39 million in broadcast rights revenue, factoring in the $21 million on top of of the $6.39 million the Tigers already receive.
But aside from media rights, Auburn still decreased expenses by $11.8 million to $115.5 million, while accruing $124.66 million in revenue.
The Tigers also recorded an increased profit from ticket sales, up to $30.18 million from the $29.8 million in 2014.
However, Auburn is still shelling out a significant amount to coaching staffs in 2015--their salaries and bonuses came out to $21.12 million across every sport the Tigers participate in.
Head football coach Gus Malzahn's salary clocked in at $4.49 million, and $6.73 million went to other football staffers, including the $1.6 million paid to then-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.
Former coaching staffs in basketball and football take up a significant amount of money as well, as $4.65 million went to severance pay. $3.64 million went to departed football staffers, and $1.01 million was paid to former basketball staff members.
The two biggest sports at Auburn continued to contribute in 2015, as football pulled in a $86.2 million in revenue, and basketball pitched in just over $11.1 million in Bruce Pearl's first year on The Plains.
The highest-grossing women's sport was softball, which registered a $347,923 profit in the year the Tigers captured an SEC Championship and finished in the top four of the Women's College World Series.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
