http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/uga/stories/20...gaexpenses_0507.html

UGA spent $2.2M in New Orleans for Sugar Bowl

123 players, massive presidential group among traveling party for week-long trip

By CHIP TOWERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 05/06/08

Athens — It takes a lot of money to party with Georgia in New Orleans.

That's one conclusion that can be drawn after reviewing January expenses by the Bulldogs during their week-long trip to play Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.


Georgia spent about $2.2 million, or $323,753.30 more than it was allocated, in New Orleans from Dec. 26-Jan. 2.

But the university will get that money back and more when the Southeastern Conference hands out its annual revenue distribution checks later this month. Georgia is expected to receive at least $10 million.

Perhaps that's why the Bulldogs lived well while in New Orleans, according to information obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution through state and federal open records laws.

The Bulldogs spared no expense. A massive group, including the president's official party of 89 people, made the trip and went to numerous parties, all paid for by the athletic association. The 400-member Redcoat Band made the trip. So did the cheerleaders, Hairy Dawg and Uga.

Georgia spent $164,687 to take 123 players - starters, substitutes, redshirts, and walkons - to New Orleans. The money paid for mileage, meal money, per diems and incidentals.

In all, there were 745 people in the Bulldogs' traveling party.

Here's a look at where the money went:


PRESIDENT'S PARTY

This is the official name of the group that travels with the university president. Officially, there were 50 invitees, but each is permitted to bring their spouse or a guest. Thirty-seven did, not including President Adams and his wife, Mary.

The athletic association paid for their hotel room and valet parking, gave guests and their spouses each a per diem for meals and paid for their travel to New Orleans and back via a mileage equation.

For those who stayed four days and three nights, that came to an average of $1,632.39 per guest.

Overall, it cost $137,895.88 to take the president's party to New Orleans.

"It isn't really just the president's party; it's the university party," said Tom Landrum, senior vice president for external affairs. "Schools typically carry their board members and a certain number of people, based on their title, such as the alumni association president and the SGA [student government association] president. It's an end-of-year representation of the school at the bowl event."


PRESIDENT'S ENTERTAINMENT

There were at least two official parties hosted by the president - a soiree at Pat O'Brien's on Bourbon Street and a reception at the World War II Museum, featuring jazz singer Yvette Voelker. That cost about $28,000.

Another $9,000 was spent on a food-and-beverage stocked hospitality suite at the Riverside Hilton, and $17,400 went for 116 tickets at $150 each to the Sugar Bowl Gala.

A total of $59,401 was spent under the heading "President's Entertainment." To President Michael Adams' credit, his personal expenses came to $490.

"My sense is that we probably do no more than anybody else does, nor no less," Adams said. "Of course, it's all paid for by athletic association monies, which is part of the revenue created by the bowl. So it's all part of that bowl culture, and I think that's an important concept. The bowl committees like to have the representation of the athletic and academic community to take part in what they're doing. When we were there, Hawaii also had an official traveling party. Every bowl does. It's a work week for me."


PARTYING WITH THE PRESIDENT

Event — Cost

Gala (116 tickets @ $150) — $17,400.00

Pat O'Brien's party — 11,203.52

WWII Museum reception — 10,163.33

Food/beverage — 7,881.47

WWII Museum rental — 6,600.00

Catering at Sugar Bowl — 2,368.84

Yvette Voelker performance — 1,808.60

Hotel hospitality suite — 1,145.49

Adams' expenses — 490.00

Sugar Bowl exhibits/K-Paul's — 340.00

Total — $59,401.25


VIPS

Some who traveled in the president's party were invited because of what they've done for the university, such as several major donors and board members of UGA's Arch Foundation.

Others were invited for what they can do for the university.

At least six legislators, including Rep. Paul Broun Jr., Sen. Johnny Isakson, State speaker Glenn Richardson and one member of the board of regents, made the trip as Adams' guests.

"We typically invite them," Adams said of politicians.

"Sometimes we invite the legislative leadership, and on occasion, governors have gone with us. The governor did not go this time, but some legislative leaders did go. That's just part of the courtesy that the athletic association affords the different constituencies representing both the academic and athletic side of the University of Georgia. It's a work week for me."

The majority of the group was donors, athletic board members, administrators and members of the president's staff.

Here's the legislative representation and what it cost the athletic association:


GOVERNMENT DOGS

U.S. Rep. Paul C. Broun Jr. (R) — $1,632.39

Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) — 1,632.39

Sen. Ralph Hudgens (R-Hull) — 1,632.39

Rep. Douglas McKillip (D-Athens) — 1,632.39

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) — 1,632.39

U.S. Sen. John Isakson (R) — 954.21


NEED TICKETS

The Bulldogs sold 23,008 tickets to the game.

But the athletic association also needed tickets for their "official" guests and for coaches' wives and children and players' families who wanted to attend. So Georgia absorbed another $191,110 for 1,560 tickets at an average of $122.51 per person.


BONUS BONANZA

The biggest outlay for the Sugar Bowl falls under the heading of "Salary Supplements." UGA handed out bonuses like breath mints for earning a spot in the BCS bowl.

The lion's share went to the coaching staff. Head coach Mark Richt was paid $100,000. His 10 assistant coaches averaged $28,745 each.

But bonuses also were distributed to 42 other members of the athletic association's full-time staff. They ranged in rank from senior associate athletics directors, who earned as much as $14,479, to secretaries and sports information assistants, the least of which earned $373. Ten individuals made $6,248 or more.


BULLDOG BONUSES

Mark Richt (head coach) — $100,000

Willie Martinez (defensive coordinator) — 35,200

Stacy Searels (offensive line) — 35,200

Mike Bobo (offensive coordinator) — 35,200

Rodney Garner (defensive line/recruiting coord.) — 31,477

John Eason (WRs/asst. head coach) — 28,098

Jon Fabris (defensive ends) — 28,016

Dave VanHalanger (strength & conditioning) — 24,473

Tony Ball (running backs) — 23,566

David Johnson (tight ends) — 23,566

John Jancek (linebackers) — 22,660

Total: $387,456


CHECK'S ON THE WAY

While Georgia is in the red from its trip to the Sugar Bowl, it will soon be very much in the black.

The SEC, like most of the major conferences, operates under a revenue-sharing system. Whatever a school earns from a bowl game goes into the league pool and is redistributed at the end of the academic year. Therefore, other than their original budgeted amount from the SEC - based on a formula determined by the league's executive committee, it will be about $1.8 million - the Bulldogs have received no money from the Sugar Bowl.

And although the Sugar Bowl proudly publicizes its payout of $17 million per team, that's not what Georgia will earn. Because LSU played in the national championship game, that gave the SEC two teams in BCS games. So the league is not allowed to get the full payout of $17 million from each school. By agreement, no conference can receive more than $21.5 million from BCS bowls.

The bowl game payouts for all the SEC schools go into the pot and will be redistributed at 1/13th per school (one share to the SEC and 12 for each of the member institutions) at the SEC Meetings in Destin, Fla., on May 29. Also included in the end-of-the-year distribution is all the monies from television contracts, the NCAA basketball tournaments and all the major revenue streams. Last year, that amounted to about $122 million, or a little more than $10 million per school.

Meanwhile ...

Vanderbilt made $10M ... By simply staying HOME!

" ... Or BE 'd!"

Membership does have its privileges...

quote:

Originally posted by FAMUVenom:
Meanwhile ...

Vanderbilt made $10M ... By simply staying HOME!

" ... Or BE 'd!"

Ain't that sumpin'? And Vandy's not missin' out on a thang, either.

well....speaking from someone who has traveled in the "official travel party with UGA".....it is all money well spent!

Don't forget...UGA has a brother who is the athletic director and has stacked $50 million (that's right---fiddy million dollars) in a reserve account for facilities improvement.

quote:

Originally posted by Jebus (Stinker):
Don't forget...UGA has a brother who is the athletic director and has stacked $50 million (that's right---fiddy million dollars) in a reserve account for facilities improvement.

So this is just a drop in the bucket compared to all the money they bring in. Heck, they can just get a Booster to flip the bill in exchange for their name in the locker room!

Now thats

The loot brought in in donations from all those muggz who got the free trip SINCe the Sugar Bowl has MORE than made up for any "paper deficit" incurred taking them all to Nawlins ...

And we reiterate ...

"It AIN'T about 'just playing football' anymore ... It's about 'Playing POLITICS'!"