Basketball Coaches' Contract Comparisons
Sports Illustrated recently published information regarding the contracts of the 15 coaches who were hired in Division 1A since last season. Included in this list was UNC and. interestingly enough, they provided some of the details of the Roy Williams Williams contract which is not completed and has not been signed. I certainly don't expect RW to get involved in a situation such as the one that occurred recently at Alabama but it would appear to be prudent for every coach to operate with a signed contract. I'm told that Matt Doherty didn't sign his contract at UNC until the end of the first year.
This may be difficult to organize on the page but I'll give it a go. I will show a comparison of Doherty's UNC contract with Williams' UNC contract and Williams' UNC contract with Williams' Kansas contract to the extent that I can. It is not possible in all categories. Interesting to note that Penn State and Pittsburgh would not provide information regarding the contracts of their new coaches. Something about Pennsylvania law that is different from the other states involved.
Length of Contract
Doherty-6 years
Williams (UNC)-8 years
Williams (Kansas)-5 years
Base Salary
Doherty- $150,000
Williams (UNC)- $260,000
Williams (Kansas)-$129,380
TV, shoe, and apparel contract
Doherty- negotiated personally
( Nike contract was $500,000)
Williams (UNC)-will negotiate personally)
Williams (Kansas)-$458,000
Country Club Membership
Doherty-no
Williams (UNC)-no
Williams-(Kansas)-yes
Buyout of contract if leaves for another school
Doherty-no
Williams (UNC)-to be announced
Williams (Kansas)- not stated
Incentives
Doherty- NCAA Tournament-$12,500
Williams (UNC)-NCAA Tournament- $21,066
Williams (Kansas)-not stated
NCAA Round of 8
Doherty-$12,500
Williams (UNC)- $21,066
Williams (Kansas)- not stated
Graduation rate equal to student body
Doherty-$12,500
Williams (UNC) $21,066
Williams (Kansas) not stated
Automobiles
Doherty- no
Williams (UNC) yes
Williams (Kansas) 2
Roy Williams had a life insurance policy paid for by Kansas and was on an automatic yearly contract renewal which means that he always had a 5 year contract in effect. These two items were not mentioned in the UNC contract.
Since the SI article also examined the 14 other Div. 1A coaches who have been hired since the conclusion of last season, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what was contained in these contracts irrespective of which contract it was. Here are a few:
PR Fund (formerly called talent fund)-used for TV programs, booster club meetings, etc.
Authority to conduct summer camps and use school facilities at no charge-some schools give coach a fixed figure per student while others allow coach to operate camp independently.
Incentive for winning NCAA title but no incentives for NCAA participation or advancement in NCAA tournament.
Incentive for participating in the NIT tournament. Also incentive for winning conference championship.
One guest authorized for all road trips.
Members of family authorized to travel with team for post season play.
First class travel authorized.
Incentive paid if coach is selected National Coach of the Year.
Payment of contract in full if coach becomes disabled or dies while contract is in effect.
Automobile allowance in addition to car itself.
Expense account- Matt Doherty had a $25,000 annual expense account. No mention of such an account for Roy Williams.
I am not trying to make a point with this information. I have already written on coaches' salaries in general and this information is intended solely to let UNC supporters know what is going on. If you think the total compensation being paid Roy Williams is high, you ought to see what Tubby Smith makes at Kentucky. At least, we don't have any longevity clauses in our coach's salary.
As in life, there are losers and winners. Not many people give much thought to what the persons replaced will be making next year. Not all of them moved on to better paying jobs. Some will land on their feet and some will be forced to make career changes. What else is new?