The highest-paid public employee in 39 US states is either a football or men's basketball coach

Schools and conferences have seen a sharp increase in sports television revenue in recent years. That, combined with large contributions from boosters, has led to more and more money going to the coaches of football and men's basketball teams.

The earnings have risen so much, that in 39 of the 50 U.S. states, the highest-paid public employee is a university coach, according to data collected by 24/7 Wall Street.

Below is a look at each of those coaches, ranked by their earnings.