UW Basketball Coach Says He Gives Athletic Department $50K a Year
LARAMIE -- Turns out Jay Sawvel isn't the only head coach at the University of Wyoming handing over part of his paycheck in an attempt to retain, recruit players.
Sundance Wicks Thursday said as a member of the 7220 Society, an additional fundraising arm of the Cowboy Joe Club, he pitches in an annual amount of $50,000 that goes toward "philanthropic commitments."
Women's basketball coach Heather Ezell and athletics director Tom Burman, along with Sawvel, also made a public 5-year commitment to the booster club in September of 2025, which will raise nearly $185,000 in funds. Wicks said head wrestling coach Mark Branch also routinely gives back to the university.
"So, all that, as you well know, goes into the pot," Wicks added. "Every single coach that's in this athletic department gives to the athletic department, and they give to the athletic department because it's the right thing to do.
Wicks said he not only fulfills that commitment, he also donates to non-profit groups like the Boys & Girls Club, Jae Foundation and Make a Wish, which also employ student-athletes for Name, Imagine and Likeness opportunities throughout the state.
"It'd be really selfish of me to just give money to the university just for our program and not go help (charities)," he continued. "... The fact of the matter is, if coaches are having to lead the way to pay for their own possible chance of having success, that's a little bit backward. Now, it's a little bit backward, and I think it's freaking awesome that they're doing it, but I also think, like, 'What the heck are we doing right now, right?' But, if that's the only chance that we can have, trying to give ourselves a better chance to win, then we're freaking competitors. You better believe we're going to do it.
"We we may never get another shot at an opportunity like this ever in our lives."
Sawvel announced publicly in late January that he gave $125,000 of his own salary back to the football program in the form of revenue sharing. He also handed over a portion of his annual retention bonus, another roughly $100,000, to ensure he could keep certain staffers. The 54-year-old gave almost double that amount last offseason, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Why?
"I thought that with what we had returning player wise, with where we were at budget wise -- I thought we could have a really good (transfer portal) cycle here -- we needed a shove a little bit, and we needed a little extra.
"... There was one vehicle and one means to do it, and that was to do it yourself."
Thanks to that generous donation, the athletic department and the Cowboy Joe Club launched the Step Forward Campaign, hoping to generate $500,000 to go toward the football program's NIL efforts. Sawvel's initial $125,000 gift was already matched by an anonymous donor.
The state's legislature is also in the midst of accepting or denying Burman's request for an additional $6 million in funds, which he says will go toward the House Settlement, raising insurance costs, recruiting, travel and scholarships.
Those funds, he added, will help his staff shift its collective focus to raising NIL funds that will help his revenue-generating programs: football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball and wrestling.
Wicks said one of his main focuses in the coming month is retaining his current roster, something that has been near impossible for the basketball program in Laramie over the previous three seasons.
What will that take?
You guessed it.
"Financial support is still a premium," Wicks said. "It's always just a premium, and it comes with this day and age. But that's not telling people to open up their checkbooks and just drop checks and pay for players, because we all know what it is right now. I mean, it's just, either you have it now or you don't. I'm sorry. If we're having to beg and sort of gofundme to keep our players, we're already behind the eight ball, right? That's really the nuts and bolts of it all."
There's an additional path to retention, too, Wicks added.
"One thing that helps is showing up and supporting," he said. "That's No. 1. If you have a really rabid fan base that shows up and supports, as we've seen in our league, that really helps players, because players like to play in front of crowds that show up for them and people that show up for them.
"Regardless of whether they're good or bad, they show up for them."
Wicks said, financially, he's in a much better space this offseason than last, but there's still plenty of work to do if he wants to keep this core of young players together as Wyoming navigates the new-look Mountain West next fall.
He said he knew Year 1 would be tough. He wanted to see some improvement this winter. Next year, it's time to compete for championships, especially with San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State and Fresno State leaving for the re-envisioned Pac 12.
"We're going to give what we have to give to make sure that we have the best chance of positive success," he added. "And if everybody thought like that, then guess what? You'd have a powerhouse."