Howland to make nearly $2 million in 2008-09
Ben Howland received a new seven-year deal which has him making $1.97 million for the upcoming season. By 2014-15, he'll make $2.35 million per year.
The following is the release from UCLA:
BEN HOWLAND AND UCLA AGREE ON NEW CONTRACT
UCLA head men's basketball coach Ben Howland and the University have agreed on a new seven-year contract, athletic director Dan Guerrero announced today. The new contract, which runs through the 2014-15 season, includes guaranteed compensation of $1.97 million for the 2008-09 season and escalates to $2.3 million for the 2014-15 season. It also includes the incentive package from his previous contract that has a maximum value of $235,000.
In 2007-08, UCLA set a school record for victories en route to a mark of 35-4 and a third consecutive Final Four appearance. Since the NCAA Tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985, UCLA is one of just four schools to earn three straight Final Four berths (Michigan State in 1999-01 was the last to do so). UCLA has also won three straight Pac-10 titles, making Howland the first Bruin coach since John Wooden to win three straight league championships, and two of the last three Pac-10 Post-Season Tournaments.
Howland is also one of just three coaches in the history of college basketball to win at least 30 games in three consecutive seasons. He has also produced four NBA first-round draft choices in the last three seasons, including the fourth and fifth selections in the 2008 draft.
"Ben Howland and UCLA are a great combination," said Guerrero. "Ben is at the top of his profession and is deserving of this commitment by the University. He has returned UCLA to the nation's elite, as illustrated by three straight Finals Fours and three consecutive 30-win seasons. He is an outstanding recruiter, and the foundation Ben has built for our program promises to keep us at the forefront for the foreseeable future."
"I have said this before, but there is no place I would rather be coaching than UCLA," said Howland, 51. "I grew up a Bruin basketball fan and this is my dream job. We have great young men in our program, both on and off the field, and they are the real reasons for our success. UCLA is a special name in college basketball thanks to Coach Wooden and I am proud to be the caretaker of his program. I am also grateful to Chancellor (Gene) Block and Dan for the faith they continue to show in me."
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This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
Ben deserves it! Congrats, coach! Thank you for turning our program around and bringing us back to the national stage. We know the 12th banner is in the near future!
The base of $1.97 million sounds o.k. He can probably buy a fixer house with that. But assuming he does not earn any of the incentive package (hard to win in college basketball) he only receives a raise of less than $6,000 per year. With unofficial inflation at about 10% per year on into the future, his nearly $2 million base will be eroded $200,000 every year until the 7th year when he will be making about $600,000 (adjusted for inflation). Should have gotten a better contract.
umm...this is ben's old contract...
"runs through the 2013-14 season, includes guaranteed compensation of $1.5 million for the 2007-08 season and escalates to $2 million for the 2013-14 season. It also includes the incentive package from his previous contract that has a maximum value of $235,000."
Get ready for a tuition increase. Somebody has to pay these salaries.
Jill,
Any word on the buy out amount? I think this is a great sign of faith. However, the key to keeping Ben Howland will be the buy out amount, which would deter many schools from paying for it. However, that probably wouldn't keep a pro team like the Lakers from paying for it. Shoot, Jackson is making 10 million now. I bet they would pay Ben at least 5 million per year. I would like to see a buy out of at least 4 million. If this is truly Howland's dream job, I don't see why he would decline it.
ONLYTHETRUTH:
Dude, you serious? HAHAHAHA. First of all, under Ben Howland's old contract he was scheduled to ONLY make $1.5 million this year. This is a bump up of $500k. I would love to get a raise of 30% in a recession. This also gives him a raise of over $800k per year for the forseeable future. This makes Ben Howland one of the top 5 paid coaches in the game. Remember, UCLA has bumped his contract up in the past and has the right to do so whenever they want. I bet he gets bumped up again in the next 2 years.
Also, where have you been getting your inflationary numbers from? The 1980's? 10% annual inflation? What are you smoking? Historical inflation has been 3-4% over time. Even in the blistering housing boom inflation was at those levels.
Based on an Askmen.com article of March 2007, this would make Howland the second highest paid college basketball coach in America. Second only to Tubby Smith. I'm sure things have changed a little in a year but this amount is nothing to sneeze at and is apparently more than John Calapari, Roy Williams, Bill Self, Mike K., and any of the other "great" coaches out there. He deserves every penny. Congratulations, Ben, I hope you stay 'til your 65 and great job Guerrero! Not sure where one of the posters gets a 10% inflation rate every year over the next seven years. The rate has been 3.1% over the last 20 so 10% seems high. I'm not sure if I'd worry about Howland jumping to the NBA either. I don't think pro players making millions of dollars would put up with his controlling style and I'm not sure he has that great of an offensive mind. He would make a great assistant coach specializing in defense like the guy the Celtics had this year but would anyone pay him two million for it. I sure would love to live in his 1.97 million dollar fixer-upper. Where would it be - Bel Aire, San Marino, Laguna Beach, Pacific Palisades?
ONLYTHETRUTH posts on this blog all the time and purposfully pushes the edge - most likely an $uC supporter, but that doesn't really matter. Don't take what he/she says so seriously. In fact, best just to ignore those posts.