According to the information generated from the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act forms, in 2008 Texas generated the most revenue of any athletic program ($120.3 million), the most revenue of any football program ($72.9 million) and the most profitable football program ($52 million). While Texas narrowly edged Ohio State in overall revenue and football revenue it dominated the Big XII like my clubbing arm dominates baby seals. Notably no Pac 10 program, even media darling USC, cracked the top ten in athletic revenue or football revenue.
Let me put Mack Brown’s financial juggernaut into perspective, Texas generated more in profit from football than any other team in the Big XII generated as revenue from football. Nebraska the second highest grossing team in the Big XII generated $49 million in football revenue, and the land thieves in Oklahoma only generated $40.9 million in revenue from football. So if you are keeping score at home that means Texas could buy and sell the rest of the Big XII and the Pac 10 the way Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas used to buy and sell orphans.* College football is a story of the haves and Kansas States and Pac-10s of the world, and Texas certainly is head of the class in the haves column. As a Longhorn, let me humbly say: WOOOOO HOOOOO!!
*This may or may not be baseless rank speculation. Not about Dave Thomas though, he was pure unadulterated evil.
Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds once made the statement “We aren’t trying to keep up with the Jones, we are the Jones.”
Now THAT’S a headline.