Tide’s Gottfried gets new contract, $200,000 raise
http://www.tidesports.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050626/NEWS/506260391/1011
By Cecil Hurt
Sports Editor
June 26, 2005
TUSCALOOSA | Mark Gottfried now has everything a college basketball
coach could want: a new contract, a raise and a strong commitment from
the school administration.
The University of Alabama head coach has signed a contract extension
that will make him the first basketball coach in UA history to earn $1
million per year. The new six-year deal, which extends his previous
contract by two years.
However, Gottfried said the most gratifying thing was the commitment
shown by the UA administration, both with the contract extension and
with the renovation of Coleman Coliseum.
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Trustees has approved the
deal, which runs through June 30, 2011. It increases his compensation
from $800,000 annually to $1 million annually, a level that the
committee said was “commensurate with the success of the men’s
basketball program under his leadership and in line with the current
market value of other SEC head coaching positions."
“I’m very appreciative of what Dr. Witt and Mal Moore have done,"
Gottfried, 41, said on Saturday. “They have made a commitment to
basketball that I am very grateful for.
“I’m also very grateful for our players. We’ve recruited good kids that
want to win, but also want to graduate. I want to win on the court as
much as anyone, but I don’t want to do it if the kids aren’t graduating.
I feel we can do both here, but it starts with recruiting good kids.
“My goal here is the same as it was the first day I took this job. I
still carry that dream that we can win a national championship here. I
had that dream as a player, and I continue to have it today.
“From a personal standpoint, I, my wife and my family all hope that we
can be here for a long time. That’s what we’re committed to doing."
Gottfried, a former Crimson Tide player, became the head coach at UA in
1998. He has 143-83 record at Alabama, and a 210-107 record in his
career, which includes three years at Murray State.
Alabama has made the NCAA Tournament field for the past four seasons.
Over the past five years, the Crimson Tide has averaged 22.6 wins per
season.
Additionally, all 17 seniors who have completed their final year of
eligibility at Alabama have earned their degrees from UA.
“First, I want to say how much I appreciate Coach Gottfried’s
accomplishments," said Mal Moore, Alabama’s director of athletics. “Two
years ago, by reaching the Elite Eight, he brought our team where no
team in the history of our men’s basketball program had ever gone. Last
year, we won our (West) division in the SEC. Those accomplishments are a
tribute to Coach Gottfried and his staff.
“Attendance has been increasing in each of the past few years.
“Our graduation rate and our APR (academic progress rate) in men’s
basketball was one of the top two or three in the country. That has been
a goal of our entire athletic department, but Coach Gottfried has been
ahead of the curve in that area. That’s very important to me and also
very important to our president (Dr. Robert Witt).
“This is a part of our overall commitment in basketball. We are doing a
total renovation of Coleman Coliseum that will support several of our
men’s and women’s sports, but I think that the renovation will give Mark
a tool to take our program to an even higher level."
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, who earns approximately $2.5 million per
year, is the highest-paid coach in the SEC.
In addition to raising his compensation, the new contract also increases
the buyout payment for Gottfried should he leave UA during the term of
the contract. The new buyout figure was not immediately available.
(Reach Cecil Hurt at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 205-722-0225.)
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ROLL TIDE!!
Rick
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