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Holtz gets raise, job security
From a news release and
staff reports
©2006 Bonesville.net. All rights reserved.
After a year of
deliberations, East Carolina and Skip Holtz have
agreed to contract modifications that secure the Pirate football coach's
position through 2011.
The agreement, approved
Friday by the university's board of trustees and announced by ECU
athletic director Terry Holland, provides a total compensation package
of $4.35 million with the ability to earn additional incentives,
according to a release from the ECU athletic media relations department.
"I'm grateful to the
leadership we have at East Carolina for the confidence they have in the
direction that our program is heading," Holtz said. "I think it's
another testament to the commitment that is in place for ECU to compete
and be successful at a high level in today's college football
environment."
After inheriting a program
which recorded a 3-20 mark in two previous years prior to his arrival in
December, 2004, Holtz has guided the Pirates to their first winning
season since 2001 with a 7-5 record in 2006. Heading into his team's
matchup with South Florida in the PapaJohns.com Bowl on Dec. 23, Holtz
owns a 12-11 record in his two years at East Carolina.
The Pirates set a school
single-season attendance record at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this fall by
drawing 223,006 fans to six games.
The new pact represents a
substantial enhancement of Holtz' core compensation. His earnings under
the previous contract were in the neighborhood of $400,000 per year.
"We have been working
since the end of the 2005 football season to find a reasonable and
responsible compensation package for our head coach that helps
reposition our football program for the future," Holland said. "It is
not our intention to attempt to "buy" our coaches' loyalty because I
believe "earning" their loyalty by supporting them through tough times,
as well as the good times, is more important.
"College football is a
highly competitive business and no one wins all the time," he added.
"Eighty-four percent of the Division I-A football programs have
experienced at least one losing season since the 2000 season. Our goal
is to provide a fair compensation package and a guarantee of great
support from the Pirate Nation to both enjoy the good times and fight
through the tough times together."
The amended contract calls
for one-time supplements of $600,000 in 2008 and $900,000 in 2011 if
Holtz remains the head coach of the Pirates. Other incentive
compensation is tied to bowl participation, conference championship game
appearances and titles, and season ticket sales.
"We are equally committed
to the creation of a similar compensation approach for our outstanding
assistant coaches," Holland said. "Coach Holtz has put together a
remarkable group of people and we are truly blessed to have one of the
very best coaching staffs in college football."
PAGE UPDATED
02/23/07 11:33 AM.
©2006 Bonesville.net and
other Publishers. All rights rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Game accounts and
statistics may be compiled from various sources, including but not limited
to staff, East Carolina University, opposing team and Conference USA reports.
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