Auriemma passing Summitt as highest paid coach

Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has received a new five-year contract that will start at $1.4 million per year and increase $100,000 annually for the life of the deal.

Excluding bonuses, Auriemma’s contract will vault him ahead of Tennessee’s Pat Summitt as the highest paid coach in the women’s game.

Summitt’s deal, which runs through 2012, paid $1.225 million this season. Bonuses pushed the total payout to at least $1.65 million after the Lady Vols won the SEC tournament advanced to the Final Four and won a second consecutive national championship.

Bonuses also are available to Summitt based on the team’s academic achievements and national coaching honors.

Auriemma’s deal has bonuses for NCAA tournament and Final Four appearances along with national championships and coaching honors.

“This new contract is a direct reflection of the University’s commitment to me and the commitment that my family and I have to the University,” Auriemma said in a release.

Summitt’s base package of salary, TV/radio, endorsements and public relations increases to $1.275 million for 2008-09.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!