See where Old Dominion, Norfolk State’s athletic department finances stand among their respective conferences
Of all the schools in Conference USA in 2021-22, Old Dominion’s athletic department had the largest total expenses and total revenue.
The Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database holds the financial data for 209 Division I colleges and universities. With data from 2022 now being available, it can be used to compare schools at the FBS and FCS levels.
Old Dominion’s total expenses in 2022, its last season in CUSA before moving to the Sun Belt, rounded out to $51.91 million. The closest CUSA school to Old Dominion in total expenses was North Texas, which spent $44.22 million.
The Monarchs’ athletic department brought in $53.42 million in total revenue in 2022 — the most of any Conference USA school by far.
North Texas was once again second behind Old Dominion, bringing in $44.48M.
Of Old Dominion’s 2022 expenses, 16% was tied up in coaches compensation. The coaches for the various ODU teams earned a total of $8.51 million in 2022, third-highest in Conference USA for the year.
In ticket sales, the Monarchs were ranked fourth in CUSA. Southern Mississippi and UTSA were tied atop the list, raking in $3.32 million across ticket sales for all sports. Old Dominion made $2.49 million in ticket sales in 2022.
Old Dominion made the switch to the Sun Belt in 2023, and if you compare the school’s 2022 numbers to that of the Sun Belt schools from 2022, the Monarchs still hold their own.
Coastal Carolina led the Sun Belt in 2022 with $45.44 million in total expenses. If the teams that joined the SBC in 2023 — Marshall, ODU, Southern Miss and James Madison — are added, that number would be third-highest. JMU would have the highest expenses, $57.8 million.
In 2022, Georgia State led the Sun Belt with $45.67 million in total revenue. James Madison again would have led the Sun Belt, if it had been a member in 2022, with its $57.8 million in revenue.
Appalachian State made $5.41 million in ticket sales in 2022, the highest in the Sun Belt with or without the teams added in 2023.
The Hampton Roads area had another school leading its conference in several financial categories in 2022.
Data from Coppin State, Delaware State and Maryland Eastern Shore are unavailable in the database, but of the MEAC schools whose data were available, Norfolk State led them in total expenses and total revenue.
The Spartans’ athletic department had $15.93 million in expenses, as well as $15.93 million in revenue. Of all FCS schools, Norfolk State ranks No. 48 among in revenue.
Norfolk State made $325,150 in ticket sales, enough for third-best in the MEAC and No. 43 among all FCS schools. South Carolina State led the conference with $601,290 in ticket sales.
Among the schools with available data, Norfolk State is second in the MEAC with $3.13 million of the athletic department’s expenses dedicated to coaches compensation.
Michael Sauls, michael.sauls@virginaimedia.com, (757) 803-5775, Twitter: @mcsauls
