Tennessee upgrades contracts with coaches Fulmer and Pearl
Jul 5th, 2008 • Basketball • Football
On Wednesday Tennessee insured that their football and basketball programs would have a strong figure at the head coaching position at least through 2014. That is the year they signed both football coach Phillip Fulmer and basketball coach Bruce Pearl until.
Fulmer’s deal includes an average salary of around $3 million with incentives for winning National and SEC Championships. If he wins an SEC Championship he will recieve a $350,000 raise. If he wins a National Championship he will recieve an $850,000 raise. The deal also includes a yearly $100,000 raise for every year he remains head coach of the Volunteers. Other incentives on the deal include a $350,000 BCS Bowl bonus, a $1,000,000 bonus for reaching his 20th year with the school, and added years on the contract for every 8 win season he produces.
Bruce Pearl’s contract was upgraded making his average salary $2.3 Million. The deal includes a $250,000 bonus for retaining the position, and a straight up $1.5 million bonus. In order to protect themselves from NBA teams, Tennessee also added a buyout clause. If Pearl were to leave the team within the next five years he would owe $2.5 million, which would decrease each year to an end total of $1 million.
Tennessee looked to secure their basketball and football programs with these deals. With Phillip Fulmer’s impressive .766 winning percentage and Bruce Pearl’s ability to bring the Tennessee Basketball Program to the national forefront, it indeed looks like they have secured a bright future through 2014.