Not the basketball or football coach: This is Duke University’s highest paid employee

Following the retirement of legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, there’s a new top earner at Duke University.

Sportico, a media outlet that specializes in sports finance, has revealed that Duke’s highest-paid individual in fiscal year 2024 was neither Krzyzewski’s successor at the helm of the basketball team, nor the Blue Devils’ then-football head coach. Indeed, he wasn’t even employed in the university’s sports set-up.

Who is Duke’s highest earner?

Sportico’s Daniel Libit, who gained access to Duke’s most recent tax filings, has reported that the Durham, North Carolina institution’s chief investment officer, Neal F. Triplett, took home an unmatched $4.7 million in FY2024 (a period that ran from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024).

Per Libit, Duke’s former football coach Mike Elko was paid $3.9 million in FY2024, while basketball boss Jon Scheyer pocketed $2.38 million.

Elko has since been replaced by Manny Díaz, whose salary is not yet publicly available, although he reportedly averages about $4 million a year as a coach.

Krzyzewski earns over $100m during long Duke tenure

Nicknamed ‘Coach K’, Krzyzewski spent 42 years as Duke’s basketball coach, leading the Blue Devils to five national championships.

Before he retired at the end of the 2021-22 season, Krzyzewski’s annual salary had risen to over $13 million, per College Football Network.

Sportico notes that the 78-year-old was Duke University’s highest earner from “at least 2001” until fiscal year 2023, when he was paid around $9 million despite his retirement in April 2022.

Krzyzewski banked more than $100 million during his four-decade Duke career, the outlet adds.

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