UMass football coach Charley Molnar's contract could top $500,000
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New University of Massachusetts football coach Charley Molnar will earn a base salary of $250,000 over the five years of his contract, but that only scratches the surface of his earning capability.
The Minutemen coach stands to benefit financially from his team's production on the field, in the classroom and at the ticket window. Success in all those areas could bring Molnar's total earnings to over $500,000.
Molnar's pay will be well above that of former coach Kevin Morris, whose base pay was $200,000 and had less benefits and bonuses available. But according to USA Today's database of college football salaries, Molnar's pay is comparable to other coaches in the Mid-American Conference and well below those at the bigger Division I schools. Over 50 schools pay their head coaches over $1 million annually.
Before any performance bonuses are reached, Molnar's compensation could increase by as much as $150,000 for the following:
Guarantee game percentage - Under the contract, Molnar will receive 10 percent of any guarantee UMass gets for playing a road game. For example, the Minutemen will get $650,000 to play at Michigan this season, meaning Molnar would receive $65,000 of that total. The most he can receive in any season under that clause in his contract is $100,000.
No car allowance - In lieu of a car allowance, country club memberships and other perks that are often in coaches' contracts, Molnar will instead receive a lump sum of $25,000 distributed in quarterly payments. He'll also receive $25,000 for media and speaking fees, which includes his radio show and appearances on the UMass Sports Insider television show, and speeches on behalf of the athletic department.
Other clauses include:
Ticket bonuses - Molnar gets bonuses for certain ticket milestones that are met. If UMass averages a crowd of 15,000, the coach earns an extra $20,000. For every additional 5,000 tickets averaged, Molnar's bonus increases by $5,000 all the way up to 30,000 tickets and $35,000.
Academic incentives - Molnar receives a $2,500 bonus for any year that the team's graduation rate is higher than the previous year. He can receive bonuses of $5,000, $7,500 and $10,000 based on the team's score in the NCAA's Academic Progress Report.
Bowl bonuses - Earning a bid to a bowl game is worth $20,000 to Molnar. Winning that bowl is worth another $20,000. If the Minutemen finish the season ranked in either The Associated Press or Coaches Top 25, Molnar earns another $50,000.
Camps and clinics - Molnar may operate camps and clinics on campus for his own profit, but is required to pay UMass 3 percent of any earnings and cover the cost of insurance on the events.
Buyout clauses - If Molnar is fired before the end of his contract, UMass is required to pay him his remaining base salary and any earned bonuses.
If Molnar chooses to leave the Minutemen for another job within his first three years at UMass he'd be required to pay a $300,000 buyout. That is three times as much as the buyout was for Morris. After three years, the fee is $200,000.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.
