Recently head football coach Dan McCarney and Athletic Director Bruce Van De Velde came to an agreement. Although the deal is not yet finalized, Coach McCarney is scheduled to receive a raise sometime in February that will bring his yearly earnings in line with most of his peers in the Big Twelve conference. With a $300,000 bump, McCarney’s income will balance out to about $925,000 annually until 2010 and rank about eighth in the Big Twelve lineup.

In a time of tuition increases and state budget woes, some have questioned the validity of this action. If ISU students are suffering financial difficulties, why should something as frivolous as a sports program be held to a higher standard?

The first answer that should spring to mind is that he deserves it. During the eight years he has been with Iowa State, McCarney has taken this second-rate cousin of the Hawkeyes and transformed it into a formidable and respected presence on the field.

McCarney hit the ground running with a strong recruiting effort his first year and has since parlayed that success into a number of nationally recognized players, Iowa State’s first bowl invitation in over two decades and an unprecedented three consecutive bowl appearances.

And let’s not forget the Cy-Hawk trophy. For the last five years we have enjoyed housing this valuable proof of bragging rights. Before McCarney, the trophy was well-protected and successfully defended in Eastern Iowa for 18 years.

Along with these accomplishments, Iowa State has enjoyed a few additional perks associated with a winning football team. The Cyclones played in 10 televised games in the 2002 season and attendance at Jack Trice is the highest in 18 years.

And like it or not, the fact remains: a winning football team means added benefits for the entire university.

So looking past the obvious — that McCarney more than deserves his raise — a little clarification into where the money came from may be in order.

According to news articles in both the Daily and The Des Moines Register, the ISU football coach’s salaries do not come from state monies. Instead, they are made up of funds generated by ticket sales, television revenue and additional fund raising sources such as the newly formed Gridiron Club.

Van De Velde acknowledges the athletic department will receive $2.8 million from the university’s general fund and $1.8 million from student-activity fees this year, all of which will be spent on Olympic sports and women’s athletics.

Coach McCarney’s raise is a reward for all of his hard work and patience, but it should also be looked at as an investment in Iowa State’s future and the success of things to come.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver