Men's Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun Signs New Contract

STORRS, Conn. (January 14, 2005) -- The University of Connecticut and head men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun have agreed to terms for a new six-year contract that will run through June 30, 2010. The new contract is effective retroactively on July 1, 2004. Upon completion of the six-year term, an additional two years will be added to the contract with compensation to be negotiated during the summer of 2009.

Calhoun is currently in his 19th season at Connecticut and led the Huskies to the NCAA Division I Championship in both 1999 and 2004. He currently ranks eighth in career wins among all active NCAA coaches with 689-- 441 of them coming during his tenure at Connecticut. He has led UConn to appearances in the NCAA Tournament on 12 occasions, including two trips to the Final Four, six Elite Eight Appearances  and 10 Sweet 16 trips. He also led UConn to the championship of the 1988 National Invitation Tournament. Calhoun is one of three active coaches to have multiple NCAA Division I national championships.

As the coach at Connecticut, Calhoun has led his Husky teams to an overall record of 32-9 in NCAA Championship appearances and had a career record of 44-13 in national postseason play at UConn. He was a 2004 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame finalist.

Calhoun will receive a base salary of $200,000 for the 2004-05 academic year and that amount will increase by $25,000 annually through the contract. In addition to his base salary, Calhoun will receive $1,200,000 in the first year of the contract for institutional public relations commitments, which include speaking engagements and media-related appearances for a total of $1,400,000. These two combined figures will be $1,500,000 for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 and will be $1,600,000 in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Calhoun will also receive compensation for additional services if the UConn team advances to national postseason competition. Calhoun will receive one month of base salary if the Huskies play in the NCAA or NIT tournament  and two months of base salary for an NCAA Final Four appearance.

“We are pleased to announce this new contract for Coach Calhoun, who I consider to be the preeminent coach in men’s college basketball today,” says UConn Director of Athletics Jeff Hathaway. “Coach Calhoun has an extensive record of excellence both in the performance of his teams and in the quality of the young men that have been part of our program. He is a valuable member of the UConn community and the state of Connecticut. We look forward to continued success in the men’s basketball program under Coach Calhoun’s leadership for many years to come.”

“I am very happy that the University is allowing me the opportunity to do what I hope to do, and that is end my career here at UConn, whenever that time may be,” says Calhoun. “With the help and support of Jeff Hathaway and (President) Phil Austin, that is what this new contract allows me to do. It especially pleases me to know that the University has now put me financially in the same class as the other outstanding men’s basketball coaches in America. And, importantly, this commitment allows me and my staff to continue our pursuit of another championship with a renewed show of support from the University.”