KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan University’s three highest-paid employees are in athletics, while No. 4 was the university president, according to paycheck data obtained by Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive.

The public data was received via a Freedom of Information Act request. It looks at total pay for each employee between Sept. 11, 2024 and Sept. 10, 2025.

WMU Men’s Football Coach Lance Taylor made $877,600 while WMU Men’s Hockey Coach Pat Ferschweiler made $578,100 . Both numbers reflect the additional money on top of their base salaries that they receive for media appearances and public engagements.

Ferschweiler’s total also includes a number of bonuses , most notably for winning the NCAA hockey national championship this spring.

Meanwhile, Taylor is the highest-paid coach in WMU’s

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