Yesterday, Oregon State’s Mike Riley was handed a raise and contract extension through the 2012 season. Riley will make a base salary of $850,000 that rises each year to about $1,100,000, not including bonuses. His contract also includes new rollover provision:
Riley’s contract also stipulates that a year will be added for every season the team participates in a bowl game.
Other coaches throughout the league have rollover provisions built into their contract. For instance, Kent State’s Doug Martin’s contract rolls over another year if the team has a .625 winning percentage in the MAC or if they finish in the top two of the MAC East.
And some coaches just have to keep breathing for their rollover provision to kick in. In state rival Mike Bellotti, Navy’s Paul Johnson, and Virginia’s Al Groh are among the coaches with contracts that automatically rollover each season regardless of outcome.
The most interesting coaching contract in the league, however, belongs to Penn State’s Joe Paterno. Because of the university’s policy of not disclosing financial information to the public, the full terms of Joe Paterno’s contract are never released. H2DN’s investigative reporting has uncovered the following facts:
- The contract is between three parties: Joe Paterno, Penn State, and God
- Joe Paterno receives a base salary of $20,000, the competitive rate he was offered in 1966
1 down; 36 to go - Every season the team participates in a bowl game, one year is added to Joe Paterno’s life
- Penn State receives exclusive rights to play “Zombie Nation” at home games
- God is contractually obliged to keep Beaver Stadium from collapsing from the resulting bouncing of the student section
- In return, a diploma from the University qualifies you for a mandatory draft into God’s army in the event of an actual zombie outbreak
