You are, as usual Bill, correct. The statement that Bradley's recruiting budget is the largest in the state is ridiculous. Bradley's athletic expenses and recruiting expenses are about average (they rank #170 out of 331 schools listed in recruiting budget). And it is not much different from schools that are similar to Bradley (small, private). It is much lower than most state schools, and a small fraction of what schools like Illinois spend. It is well less than Missouri State spends recruiting.
Here are some numbers from 2006 from the government's
Office of Postsecondary Education. These are figures that schools are required to compile and submit to this government agency to insure fairness and compliance with Federal laws and Title IX.--
Bradley-
Total basketball budget-
$1,958,422
Men's sports recruiting budget-
$139,088 http://www.midmajority.com/school.php?s=BRAD
Creighton-
Men's Basketball budget- $3,129,548
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp- $108,624
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/CREI
Drake--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,593,612
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $92,709
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/DRAKE
Evansville--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,447,593
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $73,056
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/EVAN
Illinois State--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,172,444
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $169,826
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/ILLST
Indiana State--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,158,318
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $161,406
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/INDST
Missouri State--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,281,174
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $187,824
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/MOST
Northern Iowa--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,458,662
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $144,848
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/UNI
Southern Illinois--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,193,823
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006)* $157,978
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/SIU
Wichita State--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $2,229,801
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $127,348
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/WICH
Other Illinois schools--
Chicago State--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $927,345
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $16,793
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/CHIST
DePaul--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $2,800,403
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $87,101
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/DEP
Eastern Illinois--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $603,966
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $80,422
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/EIU
Illinois--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $3,961,099
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $650,283
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/ILL
Illinois Chicago--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,563,118
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $104,219
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/UIC
Loyola--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,366,593
Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $74,817
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/LOYO
Northern Illinois--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $1,140,238
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006)* $174,461
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/NIU
Northwestern--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $3,042,904
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $389,582
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/NW
Western Illinois--
Men's Basketball Expenses (2006) $848,109
Men's Sports Recruiting Exp. (2006) $135,589
http://www.midmajority.com/schools/WIU