HOUSTON -- A regent at the University of Houston says that the salary being paid to new Cougar basketball coach Alvin Brooks amounts to a 'racist act' when it's compared to other coaching salaries paid by the school.
The charges Wednesday by Zinetta Burney, the only black UH regent, caused the regents to postpone approval of a salary for Brooks until further study.
Brooks, the first black head coach at the university, was hired in April at a base rate of $75,000. His predecessor, Pat Foster, made $113, 645 before he left for the University of Nevada.
Birney charged that Brooks would make $38,000 less than Foster and $45,000 less than the UH football coach.
Birney said Brooks was chosen as the best candidate for the job. 'So to doubt his qualifications at this point, I think, is ridiculous,' he said.
UH President James Pickering and Athletic Director Bill Carr said the difference in the compensation is less when Brooks' complete package is taken into account, including a $25,000 'attainable' incentive provision that was not part of Foster's pay plan. They also said Brooks had no head coaching experience and Foster had 12 years of head coaching when he came to Houston.
