East Mississippi Community College’s football team is in the midst of a dynasty.
In 11 years at the helm, coach Buddy Stephens guided the Lions to five NJCAA national championships — including four in the past six seasons — seven Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College state titles and a 110-13 record.
While the winning tradition has brought the small school in Scooba acclaim and notoriety, the EMCC football program’s bottom line reflects a university and athletic department bordering on financial ruin.
“I’m not worried about it right now,” Stephens said of looming financial questions. “I’m worried about winning ball games right now and I’m worried about what I can control.”
In documents obtained by The Dispatch Wednesday, financial records show EMCC has developed a history of outspending its athletic budget — particularly in regards to football.
During the 2018 fiscal year, the most recent year for which The Dispatch has detailed records, the football program received $1.07 million in university funding against total athletic department revenue of just $895,405.12.
In all, EMCC spent $2.035 million that year — giving the school an overall deficit of $1.14 million in athletic spending.
More startling was the continued investment in football over the past decade despite financial issues within the university.
Between 2009 and 2018, the EMCC football program received an additional $224,159 in salary and fringe funding. During that same span, the university’s general fund lost at least $618,010 in seven of the 10 years and enrollment decreased every year from 2011-18.
Further, with the advent of Sullivan-Windham Field and a renovation of the Scooba Campus Student Union, the general fund’s total operating costs at EMCC jumped from $26.34 million in 2010 to $32.33 million in 2011 — creating a deficit of $2.58 million for that fiscal year.
Beyond the large scale numbers, a closer look at Stephens and his assistants’ salaries offers another glance at the heavy investment EMCC made in football despite not having the money to sustain it.
According to financial documents obtained by The Dispatch, Stephens earned an annual salary of $124,732 in 2016 — a number which he later said included a stipend to live off campus, a school gas card, a Nissan, a phone and meals. The EMCC head coach said his personal salary has not increased since.
The board-approved Fiscal Year 2020 budget confirmed Stephens’ salary is scheduled to remain the same. EMCC offensive coordinator David Boykin will be paid an annual salary of $90,000 that includes a duplex, phone and meals, while defensive coordinator Cliff Collins is slated to earn $87,500 with a house, phone and meals included.
For transparency, The Dispatch provided Stephens with a copy of the 2018 athletic department financial records. Though he could not confirm the accuracy of EMCC’s 2018 deficit, he objected to its note the school spent $45,726 on awards — most notably championship rings.
Stephens said this money was raised through selling reserved seats and the cost of the rings was actually more expensive than listed.
In response to the athletic department’s dire spending, EMCC President Scott Alsobrooks told The Dispatch Wednesday he expects a 10-15 percent reduction in operating costs and a 10 percent decrease in coaching salaries for the football program.
Stephens confirmed he is aware of the potential change.
“That’s something that’s probably not far from being wrong,” he said. “I haven’t been told specific dollar amounts, but I know that there’s a push from different entities to make sure less is spent on athletics at the Scooba campus.”
The board-approved Fiscal Year 2020 budget, however, does not show decreased salaries for the coaches.
While the football team has been the exceeding beneficiary of the athletic department’s overspending, it’s not the only EMCC sports program that has progressively earned a bump in funding.
Since its inception in 2010, the Lions rodeo team received a more than 1,000 percent increase in salaries and fringes — jumping from $9,203 in 2010 to $91,565 in 2018.
Baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and softball have also all received major salary boosts over that time span as all four programs were granted increases of at least $27,000.
Overall, department-wide spending increased $371,145 between 2009 and 2018.
Despite the vast spending, Alsobrooks was staunch in his stance that he would not cut any more programs after golf was discontinued in 2017.
“We did cut back on some expenses,” he said. “Certain things for athletics you can’t cut, insurance is expensive. There are some areas we’re going to look at — can you wear the same uniform for another year, or the same helmet for three? Everything we are going to look at closely. If we can figure out how to work smarter not harder, we will.”
EMCC Vice President of the Scooba Campus/Director of Athletics Mickey Stokes could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Sunday, Stephens and the Lions open fall camp. Though the team is focused on chasing a third-straight NJCAA title, an athletic department in dire financial straits could cast a shadow over the Thursday night lights at Sullivan-Windham this season.
“If anyone has a thought or a complaint, we have board meetings on the first Monday of every month,” Stephens said. “I’d ask those people to come to the board meeting if they have a problem.”
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