Jack Graham is expecting, even demanding, that CSU athletic teams do better.
But Colorado State University?s newest athletic director won?t get rich if the Rams compete and/or win Mountain West Conference championships.
Graham?s contract shows he will be paid $100 in each or all of seven categories tied to the athletic department?s academic and athletic success. The most bonus money he could earn a year is $700.
That?s not much on top of the five-year, $260,000-a-year contract he signed Nov. 30, the same day he replaced Paul Kowalczyk as CSU?s athletic chief. But it?s thousands of dollars less than a similar stipulation in Kowalczyk?s contract, and it?s the only oddity of the 16-page contract the Coloradoan obtained from the university.
Otherwise, Graham?s contract is fairly straightforward. Highlights include:
» A five-year deal from Dec. 1, 2011 to Nov. 30, 2016.
» An annual base salary of $260,000 with annual review, evaluation and adjustments by the university president.
» An annual stipend of $6,000 for membership in a country club and other organizations.
» Use of a suite at Hughes Stadium.
The bonus categories are:
1) $100 for each year all teams meet or exceed the minimum NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 925;
2) $100 for each year the football team finishes in the top three and plays in bowl game;
3) $100 for each year the men?s basketball team finishes first or second in the MW or wins the conference tournament;
4) $100 for each year the women?s basketball team finishes first or second in the MW or wins the conference tournament;
5) $100 for each year all teams finish in the top three in the MW, either in league standings or a tournament;
6) $100 for meeting targeted ticket objective;
7) $100 for meeting targeted fundraising objective.
Kowalzcyk, who was fired Nov. 30 by university President Tony Frank, had similar clauses in his contract. Kowalczyk?s bonuses, however, ranged from $5,000 to $10,000.
Frank could not be reached for comment. CSU spokesman Kyle Henley, however, said money wasn?t an issue with Graham.
?Such bonuses are common for athletic directors at universities across the nation, and we?ve historically included them in contracts at CSU,? Henley said in an email. ?In Jack?s case, money wasn?t the issue, but we wanted to make sure that having winning programs was one of the documented goals for this position at CSU. Keeping the bonus in place with a small monetary figure was a way to do that.?
CSU can terminate the contract without cause at any time but must give Graham 90 days notice and would be on the hook to pay him through November 2016. Graham can resign at any time but must give 30 days notice, and his only compensation would be until his last day worked.
