Mason athletic contracts Unveiled - (Sort of)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...bbdad0-2d66-11e5-960f-22c4ba982ed4_story.html

"By Steven Goff July 18 at 5:07 PM
GMU Coach Paulsen’s deal is for five years, $3.5 million


George Mason’s agreement with Dave Paulsen to coach the men’s basketball program is for five years and $3.5 million, plus numerous athletic and academic incentives.

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show the deal also includes a two-year option held by the university. The sides signed a memorandum of understanding in late March and are in the process of finalizing a formal contract.

Paulsen, the former Bucknell coach, succeeded Paul Hewitt, who was fired in March after consecutive 20-loss seasons. Hewitt had one year remaining on his contract and is owed $650,000.

Paulsen’s deal includes $400,000 in base salary and $300,000 in supplemental compensation.

The bonus package is worth up to $400,000 annually and includes incentives for the Atlantic 10 regular season title and tournament championship; NCAA tournament and NIT appearances; NCAA and NIT championships; A-10 and national coach of the year awards; and graduation rates and other academic achievement by the players.

The specified amounts of each bonus were not included on the preliminary agreement.

If he is fired before the contract expires, Paulsen would receive half of his base salary for each of the remaining years of the deal.

At Bucknell, Paulsen guided the Bison to two NCAA tournaments and two NITs in the past five years. In 21 years of head coaching at various NCAA levels, he has a 396-214 record.

Details of other George Mason contracts:

● Athletic Director Brad Edwards earns $300,000 in base salary. He arrived at the university last summer and signed a five-year deal.

He is also eligible for bonuses contingent on academics and the success of the 22 athletic programs. If George Mason athletes collectively earn a grade-point average higher than the undergraduate student body at large, Edwards receives a bonus of 5 percent of his base salary. A collective GPA that exceeds 110 percent of the student body average earns him another 1 percent bonus.

Edwards’s bonuses for teams winning A-10 titles and participating in the NCAA tournament are up to $12,000 annually.

If fired, Edwards would receive half of his base salary for each remaining year.

● The university’s partnership with Adidas went into effect July 1 and will span five years.

Under terms of the deal, George Mason will purchase $150,000 worth of footwear, uniforms and accessories annually for between 37.5 percent and 50 percent off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

Adidas will provide promotional merchandise worth $160,000 to the athletic department as a whole, $90,000 to the men’s basketball program, $50,000 to women’s basketball and $10,000 to women’s lacrosse. To assist with first-year transition, Adidas will provide $100,000 in product allotment.

Adidas also will provide cash bonuses ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 per team to the baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s soccer programs for advancing to and winning in NCAA tournaments.

The men’s basketball team would receive an additional $20,000 for reaching the NCAA tournament’s round of 16, $25,000 for the regional final, $75,000 for the Final Four and $225,000 for winning the national title. They are non-cumulative bonuses; the highest achievement shall be compensated.

The agreement also calls for Adidas signage at the basketball scorer’s table and basket padding, on the baseball and softball outfield walls and on the fence around the soccer field.

Adidas also will receive six season tickets to men’s basketball games.

●In May, the university sold the naming rights to Patriot Center, which is now called EagleBank Arena. The deal is worth a minimum of $6.6 million over 10 years and could reach almost $14 million overall if extended an additional 10 years.

by Steven Goff


George Mason’s agreement with Dave Paulsen to coach the men’s basketball program is for five years and $3.5 million, plus numerous athletic and academic incentives.

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show the deal also includes a two-year option held by the university. The sides signed a memorandum of understanding in late March and are in the process of finalizing a formal contract.

Paulsen, the former Bucknell coach, succeeded Paul Hewitt, who was fired in March after consecutive 20-loss seasons. Hewitt had one year remaining on his contract and is owed $650,000.

Paulsen’s deal includes $400,000 in base salary and $300,000 in supplemental compensation.

The bonus package is worth up to $400,000 annually and includes incentives for the Atlantic 10 regular season title and tournament championship; NCAA tournament and NIT appearances; NCAA and NIT championships; A-10 and national coach of the year awards; and graduation rates and other academic achievement by the players.

The specified amounts of each bonus were not included on the preliminary agreement.

If he is fired before the contract expires, Paulsen would receive half of his base salary for each of the remaining years of the deal.

At Bucknell, Paulsen guided the Bison to two NCAA tournaments and two NITs in the past five years. In 21 years of head coaching at various NCAA levels, he has a 396-214 record.

Details of other George Mason contracts:

● Athletic Director Brad Edwards earns $300,000 in base salary. He arrived at the university last summer and signed a five-year deal.

He is also eligible for bonuses contingent on academics and the success of the 22 athletic programs. If George Mason athletes collectively earn a grade-point average higher than the undergraduate student body at large, Edwards receives a bonus of 5 percent of his base salary. A collective GPA that exceeds 110 percent of the student body average earns him another 1 percent bonus.

Edwards’s bonuses for teams winning A-10 titles and participating in the NCAA tournament are up to $12,000 annually.

If fired, Edwards would receive half of his base salary for each remaining year.

● The university’s partnership with Adidas went into effect July 1 and will span five years.

Under terms of the deal, George Mason will purchase $150,000 worth of footwear, uniforms and accessories annually for between 37.5 percent and 50 percent off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

Adidas will provide promotional merchandise worth $160,000 to the athletic department as a whole, $90,000 to the men’s basketball program, $50,000 to women’s basketball and $10,000 to women’s lacrosse. To assist with first-year transition, Adidas will provide $100,000 in product allotment.

Adidas also will provide cash bonuses ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 per team to the baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s soccer programs for advancing to and winning in NCAA tournaments.

The men’s basketball team would receive an additional $20,000 for reaching the NCAA tournament’s round of 16, $25,000 for the regional final, $75,000 for the Final Four and $225,000 for winning the national title. They are non-cumulative bonuses; the highest achievement shall be compensated.

The agreement also calls for Adidas signage at the basketball scorer’s table and basket padding, on the baseball and softball outfield walls and on the fence around the soccer field.

Adidas also will receive six season tickets to men’s basketball games.

●In May, the university sold the naming rights to Patriot Center, which is now called EagleBank Arena. The deal is worth a minimum of $6.6 million over 10 years and could reach almost $14 million overall if extended an additional 10 years."

It feels like our programs are moving in the right direction. Over the next couple of years, I would like to see an overall improvement in all our athletic programs and facilities. Ultimately becoming the catalyst that helps push Mason to the next level. Maybe even bring enough support that we could finally begin a D1 football team. For now, I'll be happy making seeing more of our teams making it to the NCAA tournaments. Go Mason!

I think the move to the A10 killed any talk of football at Mason. And with what has been going on in D1A, it seems we missed the boat there. You add in the "true cost of attendance" and it just got even more expensive to start a football team. Not that I'm anti-football, it just seems like the BCS is poised to break away from the rest of the D1 and at that point I don't see much point in trying to start up collegiate football, better to try to focus on making the basketball team a perennial A-10 contender.