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SEC FOOTBALL

Tennessee's Fulmer gets fat raise
Vols coach receives nearly $1 million bonus

Published on: 07/02/08

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer will earn $2.4 million this season and $3.3 million in 2014, the last year of his new seven-year contract, according to details released Wednesday.

His previous contract was worth just over an average $2 million a year through 2013. The raise — Fulmer's first in three years — makes his contract worth nearly $3 million a year on average.

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The pay increase keeps Fulmer, 57, in the middle of the Southeastern Conference coaching pack when it comes to salaries.

"It's an extremely competitive football league, and I am convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that in any given year ... we're capable of winning a national championship," Tennessee men's athletic director Mike Hamilton said.

Fulmer, whose overall record now stands at 147-45, took a topsy-turvy 2007 regular season with several tough losses and came out with 10 wins, an SEC Eastern Division title and a win in the Outback Bowl.

He's said that he wants to keep coaching for another eight to 10 years and hopes to win another national title — and he has plenty of incentive to do so. His new contract includes several guaranteed raises and extensions based on his team's success.

An SEC Eastern Division title earns a $100,000 raise along with his annual $150,000 base pay increase. A BCS bowl appearance without winning the SEC would earn $150,000 more, an SEC title $350,000 more and a national championship $850,000. Those raises would not be combined in a single season; only the raise for the top achievement is given.

He will also receive bonuses of $37,500 to $250,000 based on level of achievement starting with an appearance in a non-BCS bowl. For every eight-win season, he'll also receive an extra year on his contract.

Fulmer was on vacation and not immediately available for comment.

Hamilton indicated that the built-in pay raises for reaching certain benchmarks might prevent the need to renegotiate Fulmer's contract every year as has become the expectation.

"We've kind of gotten into this cycle as it relates to these coaches of having to address it annually," he said. "That helps mitigate some of those concerns and questions out of the gate every year."

Fulmer's base salary is worth $375,000. The rest of his compensation comes from media commitments, equipment and apparel fees and product endorsements.

Should Fulmer remain at Tennessee through the end of 2012, he'll also be rewarded with a $1 million longevity bonus to celebrate his 20th anniversary as head coach.

Fulmer's staff of assistants also received raises totaling $250,000. Defensive coordinator John Chavis and new offensive coordinator Dave Clawson will each receive $340,000 — a $40,000 boost over last year's coordinator salaries.

The athletic department increased football ticket prices for the upcoming season to help pay for both salary increases and the rising costs to do business in a tougher economy.

"The fans want championships, they expect championships and in essence they pay for it," Hamilton said.

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