9 assistants get raises, contract extensions
The last time Steve Spurrier had his contract extended, he said the $3.3 million he was making was enough.
But after an 11-2 season, the head ball coach is taking a $700,000 raise, bringing his total salary to $4 million.
And he could stand to make even more, depending on how well the team does next year.
Spurrier’s compensation for participating in a bowl game was doubled; it’s now $100,000. Should USC win a national championship, Spurrier will receive a $550,000 bonus, up from $400,000.
If the next season matches this past one, with a New Year’s Day bowl and 11 wins, his pay would go from $3.75 million to $4.55 million in all, according to contracts.
Plus, if this ends up being his last contract with USC, Spurrier will be given the opportunity to take a new role, special adviser to the president and the athletics director, for as long as he lives in Columbia, and either President Harris Pastides or Athletic Director Ray Tanner are still in their current positions.
Pastides said he and Tanner came up with the position “to let [Spurrier] know that we want him to retire in South Carolina and not switch universities.”
As special adviser, Tanner said Spurrier would interact more with donors, possibly over a meal or on the golf course.
“I don’t know too many donors around the country that would not be excited about coach Spurrier visiting for lunch or maybe a round of golf,” Tanner said.
Spurrier’s assistants also received raises and extensions. Among them: Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward will make $750,000, up from $650,000; quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus will make $275,000, up from $175,000; and co-offensive coordinator Shawn Elliott will make $430,000, up from $325,000.
Ward’s contract was extended through 2017. The eight other assistant coaches’ were extended through 2016.
Spurrier will be 72 when the new contract runs out. But according to Tanner, that shouldn’t be an issue.
“Age is just a number when you’re talking about coach Spurrier,” he said. “He’s in great shape. He works out every day. I’m glad I don’t have to follow him around.”