01-30-2008, 09:58 AM
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...7/1064/SPT
University of Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly said his new five-year contract extension provides him with the tools he needs to produce a top-20 football program rather than a program that produces a top-20 season now and then.
UC finished 10-3 in its first season under Kelly in 2007, its first 10-win season since 1951.
The Bearcats defeated Southern Miss in the PapaJohns.com Bowl and was No. 17 in the final Associated Press poll, the first time a UC team has been ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the season.
"I had a top-20 team," said Kelly, who was named the Big East Conference coach of the year. "A top-20 program is infrastructure. It's staff. Those things allow for the building of a top-20 program. I'm confident that everybody is rowing in the right direction."
The new contract, which runs through Dec. 31, 2012, includes an increase in Kelly's base salary from $250,000 to $300,000.
Kelly's TV-radio income has been bumped up from $200,000 to $400,000. He will receive $300,000 for the public relations aspect of his job - up from $150,000 - and $100,000 from the school's new adidas contract.
The university also guarantees Kelly $100,000 in revenue from a summer camp.
The UC Board of Trustees approved the deal Tuesday and Kelly signed it. Under the new contract, Kelly is guaranteed $1.2 million next season, up from $800,000 under his previous contract.
The new contract commits the school to "use its best efforts" to build or acquire on campus by Sept. 1, 2009, two practice fields and an indoor facility, "which shall be understood to include a bubble over Nippert Stadium or some other campus facility," by Dec. 1, 2009, or by the conclusion of the last home game of that season.
Kelly, 45, said he's confident the new facilities will be built.
"The most important thing is that with everybody on the same page, it will get done," he said. "What this says is that from top to bottom, they're in agreement that these things need to get done."
Kelly's contract also includes incentive bonuses for winning, attendance and academic performance that are similar to the numbers in his previous contract.
If Kelly leaves UC for another college coaching job or for the NFL before Jan. 15, 2009, he must pay the school $2 million. The compensation gradually decreases to $1 million if he leaves before Jan. 15, 2010, down to $500,000 if he leaves before Jan. 15, 2012.
However, if UC does not build the practice fields on campus and the indoor facility by the target dates, the buyout payment will be cut in half.
Now, Kelly said, it's up to him and his staff to take UC's financial commitment and produce a consistently successful football program.
"Talk is cheap," he said. "You've got to back it up with wins."
MAUK UPDATE: As UC waits for a ruling on whether quarterback Ben Mauk will be granted another year of eligibility, Kelly said the NCAA has asked for more information.
At issue is whether Mauk's 2006 season with Wake Forest should be counted toward his eligibility. He suffered a season-ending injury in the team's opening game.
"We have had two additional requests from the NCAA for further information regarding his most recent surgery (in December)," Kelly said of Mauk. "I'm not reading into it other than the fact that the NCAA is really doing a thorough job in evaluating Ben's situation."
University of Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly said his new five-year contract extension provides him with the tools he needs to produce a top-20 football program rather than a program that produces a top-20 season now and then.
UC finished 10-3 in its first season under Kelly in 2007, its first 10-win season since 1951.
The Bearcats defeated Southern Miss in the PapaJohns.com Bowl and was No. 17 in the final Associated Press poll, the first time a UC team has been ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the season.
"I had a top-20 team," said Kelly, who was named the Big East Conference coach of the year. "A top-20 program is infrastructure. It's staff. Those things allow for the building of a top-20 program. I'm confident that everybody is rowing in the right direction."
The new contract, which runs through Dec. 31, 2012, includes an increase in Kelly's base salary from $250,000 to $300,000.
Kelly's TV-radio income has been bumped up from $200,000 to $400,000. He will receive $300,000 for the public relations aspect of his job - up from $150,000 - and $100,000 from the school's new adidas contract.
The university also guarantees Kelly $100,000 in revenue from a summer camp.
The UC Board of Trustees approved the deal Tuesday and Kelly signed it. Under the new contract, Kelly is guaranteed $1.2 million next season, up from $800,000 under his previous contract.
The new contract commits the school to "use its best efforts" to build or acquire on campus by Sept. 1, 2009, two practice fields and an indoor facility, "which shall be understood to include a bubble over Nippert Stadium or some other campus facility," by Dec. 1, 2009, or by the conclusion of the last home game of that season.
Kelly, 45, said he's confident the new facilities will be built.
"The most important thing is that with everybody on the same page, it will get done," he said. "What this says is that from top to bottom, they're in agreement that these things need to get done."
Kelly's contract also includes incentive bonuses for winning, attendance and academic performance that are similar to the numbers in his previous contract.
If Kelly leaves UC for another college coaching job or for the NFL before Jan. 15, 2009, he must pay the school $2 million. The compensation gradually decreases to $1 million if he leaves before Jan. 15, 2010, down to $500,000 if he leaves before Jan. 15, 2012.
However, if UC does not build the practice fields on campus and the indoor facility by the target dates, the buyout payment will be cut in half.
Now, Kelly said, it's up to him and his staff to take UC's financial commitment and produce a consistently successful football program.
"Talk is cheap," he said. "You've got to back it up with wins."
MAUK UPDATE: As UC waits for a ruling on whether quarterback Ben Mauk will be granted another year of eligibility, Kelly said the NCAA has asked for more information.
At issue is whether Mauk's 2006 season with Wake Forest should be counted toward his eligibility. He suffered a season-ending injury in the team's opening game.
"We have had two additional requests from the NCAA for further information regarding his most recent surgery (in December)," Kelly said of Mauk. "I'm not reading into it other than the fact that the NCAA is really doing a thorough job in evaluating Ben's situation."