Bruce Weber’s salary was an annual item on the agenda for the University of Illinois board of trustees from 2004 to 2006, a stretch that saw him receive three pay raises in as many years. But since 2006, most of Weber’s Big Ten peers have passed him by.

Last season, Weber’s total compensation ranked ninth in the conference, ahead of only Purdue’s Matt Painter and Penn State’s Ed DeChellis, according to published reports of coaching salaries.

The board of trustees will vote Thursday on a contract extension and raise that would boost Weber’s salary to $1.25 million retroactive to May 1 and then to $1.5 million in January, which would rank fifth in the Big Ten based on current reported salaries.

A 50 percent raise in today’s economic environment will seem lavish to some. But rising salaries around the country and Weber’s success have prompted Illinois to make a move.

In Weber’s six seasons, Illinois is the 11th winningest team in college basketball with 152 wins. The Illini have the third-best record in the Big Ten during that stretch at 64-36, behind only Wisconsin (71-29) and Michigan State (68-32). Illinois has won two outright conference titles and finished second twice under Weber.

After a dismal 2007-08 campaign, the Illini finished second last season and went to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six years, although they haven’t won a tournament game since 2006. Throw in some of the best recruiting classes in the country for the next two years, and Weber deserves to be making more than some of his Big Ten brethren who have topped $1 million.

The contract proposal that will be discussed by the trustees notes that no state funds will be used and that the money is available from the school’s athletic department. Illinois men’s basketball is certainly a money-making venture as witnessed by Forbes magazine naming the program the seventh most valuable college basketball program in the country this year after ranking sixth in 2008.

Salary comparisons can be difficult to undertake because collecting data is an imprecise venture in the world of college sports. It’s impossible to know if figures quoted in the media are accurate because contracts are complicated these days with a multitude of salary categories, including base pay and supplemental income for TV/radio, public relations, apparel and camps and payments into deferred accounts. And that doesn’t include any incentive bonuses a coach might receive.

Some public schools are forthcoming with contract details. Missouri recently held a press briefing to distribute Mike Anderson’s new contract and answer questions. Some contracts are easily obtainable with a Google search. Private schools make it difficult to obtain the information.

Some specifics of Weber’s contract are available in the board of trustees agenda. If approved, he will make $405,000 in base pay, $645,000 for radio, TV and other promotional events and $200,000 in deferred compensation. In January 2010, his radio/TV/promotional pay would jump to $895,000.

Here is how Big Ten coaches rank in pay based on what I found:

1. Thad Matta, Ohio State, $2.5 million, according to the Associated Press and other sources when he received a raise in September 2007.

2. Tom Crean, Indiana, average of $2.36 million through 2018, according to the Indianapolis Star and other sources.

3. Tubby Smith, Minnesota, more than $1.8 million annually based on a $13 million, seven-year contract, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and other sources.

4. Tom Izzo, Michigan State, $1.7 million, according to Fox News and and other sources.

5. John Beilein, Michigan, $1.3 million, according to multiple sources when he signed in April 2007.

6. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin, $1.25 million, according to multiple sources when he received a raise in April 2007. 

7. Todd Lickliter, Iowa, $1.2 million, according to his contract, which can be found on the internet divided into base pay ($650,000) and public relations/camps/TV-radio/apparel ($550,000).

8. Bill Carmody, Northwestern, more than $1.1 million, according to the school’s 2007 990 tax form (available online) and a report at charitynavigator.org, which quoted his salary at $1,132,965 as of March 2007.

9. Weber, $1 million, according to the university.

10. Matt Painter, Purdue, $843,000, according to the Indianapolis Star.

11. Ed DeChellis, Penn State, $500,000, according to the web site coacheshotseat.com