Men's Basketball Sports

New Sampson contact includes $18M salary, bonuses over six years

Head coach Kelvin Sampson could take some more time to go around campus, as he will receive a bonus if season ticket sales exceed 4,500. | Reagan Earnst/The Cougar

Head coach Kelvin Sampson signed his new $18 million, six-year contract Thursday morning, and The Cougar has obtained all the details of the agreement.

The main points are that Sampson will receive $300,000 in base salary and $2.7 million non-salary compensation each year.

If he is fired by the University for any reason, he will still receive all of that money, according to the contract. If Sampson leaves the contract early, then he has to pay the buyout, which will be equal to the remaining total of his salary. So, if he leaves halfway through the contract, then he owes the school $9 million.

Sampson will also earn bonuses if the team’s Academic Progress Rate, a score that takes the most recent four years of team academics into account, is 930 or higher.

With that condition met, Sampson will earn extra money for the team’s academic success. Specifically, he will earn an extra $7,500 if the team’s GPA is 2.6 or above and $10,000 if the APR is above 940.

Sampson will also earn a $100,000 raise every time the men’s basketball team makes it to the NCAA Tournament.

Sampson can win $50,000 for making it to the Sweet Sixteen, another $50,000 for an Elite Eight win and $150,000 for an NCAA Tournament title.

Even if the team does not make it to the NCAA Tournament, he will receive $15,000 for winning the NIT.

If season ticket sales are more than 4,500, then he gets another $10,000 and $25,000 if the team wins the conference regular season championship.

Winning a conference Coach of the Year Award will earn him $10,000, and a national Coach of the Year Award will earn him $20,000.

If the team ends in the top 25 in the USA Today Coaches or AP Poll, then he will earn another $20,000.

Other benefits Sampson will receive include a membership to a country club that he can use for fundraising events, a charter plane for the team’s road and tournament games that are not within 250 miles of the school and up to 40 hours of private plane use to help his recruiting.

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