Tennessee extends Fulmer contract, ups pay to $1.65M

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Posted 6:50AM on Saturday, January 19, 2002

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - The University of Tennessee on Friday made Phillip Fulmer the highest paid football coach in the Southeastern Conference at $1.65 million a year. ``The contract is a reflection of the success coach Fulmer has brought to our football program,'' athletics director Doug Dickey said. ``It also is a sign of the confidence we have in his continued performance.'' Fulmer, 50, gets a $350,000 raise and a one-year extension to 2008 under a compensation package that puts him just ahead of the $1.6 million Louisiana State will pay Nick Saban. Florida's Steve Spurrier was the league's highest paid coach at $2.1 million until his recent departure to the NFL. Fulmer's package includes $225,000 in base salary, up $25,000; $675,000 from radio and television, up $75,000; and $550,000 for endorsements, up $50,000. The new deal also features a deferred $200,000-a-year retention bonus to keep him at Tennessee, where he has been head coach since 1992, and for the first time a buyout clause if he tries to leave. Fulmer will receive a total retention bonus of $1 million, payable in five years if he doesn't leave before then. His contract last year didn't have a retention bonus, but he did have one from 1996-1999 that paid $125,000 a year, or $475,000 total. The buyout clause says Fulmer will have to pay the university $500,000 if he leaves in 2002 and $250,000 if he leaves in calendar 2003. Fulmer, a Tennessee native who played for the Vols and was a longtime assistant coach before taking the helm, has been mentioned for other coaching jobs but seems content at his alma mater. ``I am excited and appreciative of the confidence and support that our administration continues to show in our football program and in me as the head coach,'' he said in a statement. ``Our successes have in large part been due to the effort and hard work of many outstanding players, coaches and staff, along with the support of our great fans and administration. ``I am very proud of what we have accomplished in our 10 years and look forward to many great years ahead,'' Fulmer said. The Vols have compiled a 95-20 record under Fulmer, making him the winningest active coach in college football. The Vols have won one national championship (in 1998), two SEC titles and three SEC division crowns. Tennessee finished last season with a 11-2 record, a 45-17 victory over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl and a No. 4 ranking in The AP poll.