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Colorado's best-paid public employee is CU's Coach MacIntyre, says ESPN report

It would take 31 Hickenloopers to equal 1 Coach Mac.
Credit: Dustin Bradford
Head coach Mike MacIntyre of the Colorado Buffaloes works on the sideline during a game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the California Golden Bears at Folsom Field on October 28, 2017 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Most of the highest-paid state employees across the country are college football or basketball coaches, and Colorado's highest-paid state employee is part of that trend.

University of Colorado Football Coach Mike MacIntyre is the highest-paid public employee, according to ESPN. Their analysis, which used USA Today data, found Coach Mac made $2.8 million in 2017.

Compare that to Governor John Hickenlooper's salary of $90,000 a year, and you'll find one Coach Mac equals 31 Governor Hickenloopers.

For some context, MacIntyre's salary is 26 percent lower than the Pac-12 average. ESPN also notes that it's not all taxpayer money. Schools pay those salaries with boosters and other contributions.

The best paid public school coaches are Nick Saban with Alabama football, Dabo Swinney with Clemson and John Calipari, with Kentucky basketball. And, says ESPN, the salaries of all 50 governors combined is about $19 million less than the combined salaries of four of the coaches on the list.

In case you're wondering, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock's office confirmed that his salary is $171,197. So, yes - Mayor Hancock makes more than the governor.

Check out the full analysis from ESPN here.

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