Auburn University’s win in college football’s national title game earned coach Gene Chizik $600,000 in contract bonuses, giving him $1.1 million in performance- related compensation for the season.
The 22-19 victory over the University of Oregon, fueled by two touchdown passes from Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton, capped a 14-0 season and was the fifth straight Bowl Championship Series national title for the Southeastern Conference. Chizik, whose base salary is $2.1 million, will earn at least $3.2 million next season, according to his contract, which Bloomberg News obtained through open-record laws.
Auburn won its first national championship since 1957 on Wes Bynum’s 19-yard field goal as time expired at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Tigers drove 73 yards for the winning field goal after Oregon scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game 19-19 with 2:33 left.
“These are historic moments,” Russ Campbell, Chizik’s agent, said in a telephone interview. “When coaches reach historic heights, you compensate them for it.”
Chizik, 49, signed his current contract in June 2009, taking less guaranteed money than six other SEC coaches, according to USA Today.
“To be the leader of great men is overwhelming for me,” Chizik said at his post-game news conference. “The national championship thing will set in I’m sure.”
Buyout Loan
Under the terms of his accord, he got a $750,000 loan to pay for the buyout of his contract at Iowa State University, his previous employer. That loan is forgiven $150,000 for every year Chizik coaches, and will be paid off entirely if he reaches the end of the five-year deal.
Chizik’s victory, his second bowl win in as many seasons on the Auburn sideline, triggered bonuses for the national tile, a 14th win and a Top 5 finish in the final Associated Press poll. Chizik has already earned an additional $500,000 for a 13th win, an SEC title, a BCS bowl appearance and his first AP SEC Coach of the Year award, under terms of his contract.
Campbell said that Chizik’s bonus pays for itself in the exposure and national attention that a BCS title brings to any football program and its institution.
“The financial gains to the university are going to be long term and they’re going to far exceed what any of the coaches gain,” Campbell said.
Academic Incentives
Chizik also has provisions in his contract that give bonuses for academic success. For example, he will receive an additional $150,000 if the program reaches a 1,000 score in the annual Academic Progress Rate, a measurement created by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Auburn’s most recent ranking was 915. He would get $50,000 if the team reaches 950, the contract says.
The university didn’t respond to requests to interview Chizik about his contract.
Performance incentives have been a part of coaches contracts for more than 20 years, according to Colgate University Athletic Director David Roach, who had bonuses in his contract when he coached at the University of Tennessee from 1986-1990. Roach, also the president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, said bonuses are meant to reward, not motivate.
“With or without the bonus, coaches should do a great job and want to win, but you also want to reward them for doing something extra special,” Roach said in a telephone interview.
Universities often use bonuses in lieu of more costly annual salary increases, Roach said.
“If you win a league title and the bonus is $50,000, it’s easier for me to pay you that money once than it is to increase your salary $50,000 for the next 20 years,” Roach said.
Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens, who was prepared to pay coach Chip Kelly $735,000 in total performance bonuses if the Ducks won, said paying coaches extra for a national title is worth it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ten Thoughts on the BS Championship Game
- No, that wasn't a typo.
- In 2008, Oklahoma entered the game hailed for their fast pace offense. They ran 70 plays compared to Florida's 74, and lost the game 24-14.
- In 2010, Oregon's fast break offense ran 74 plays to Auburn's 85.
- You know you're old when...you realize former NFL QB Jeff Blake has a son playing WR for Auburn as a sophomore. And Blake left East Carolina in 1992, four years after I used up my undergraduate eligibility at Oklahoma.
- Oregon's fast paced offense finished the year averaging 78.84 plays per game. They would have been fourth in the Big 12, behind Oklahoma (86.5), Texas Tech (81.1) and Texas A&M (79.5). Not so fast, my friend.
- Cam Newton will return to Auburn for his senior year. It's an uncapped year in the SEC in 2011, and there's too much uncertainty in the NFL labor agreement.
- I'm wondering if Cecil tithed the money paid to him by Auburn.
- Nick Dyer is a heckuva back.
- Great shirt I found today while following tweets of Frosh WR Kenny Stills http://yfrog.com/h2koxdmj
- My theory on why the S-E-C keeps winning championship games. They are more physical up front than other conferences, and have speed to boot. Other conferences have focused on the speed, but don't have the depth in the lines to handle the physical strength throughout the game
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Mega Millions
You could certainly buy a whole lot of toys with $355 million. Toys for you, toys for your spouse, toys for your kids, for your kid’s kids. You could pretty much buy toys for anyone and everyone.
So who is the lucky winner of the $355 Mega Million jackpot ?And how about the rest of us who might have had a couple matching numbers?
Sadly, we don’t know the answer yet. The winner will be – if there was a winner that is – announced by the Mega Millions organization on Wednesday. But I can tell you this, the winning ticket was not sold in California or in Georgia who already post their results.
And all the payouts per state vary and many of the state lottery sites were very much overtaxed on Tuesday night. Many sites could not handle the large amount of traffic going to their page to check for their winning numbers and Mega Million payouts.
But for example in California:
Match 5 (no mega) gets $579, 888 (two people won that on Tuesday night)
Match 4 + Mega gets $11296
Match 4 – gets $164
Match 3 + Mega gets $145
Match 3 gets $7
Match 2 + Mega gets $9
Match 1 + Mega gets $3
and just matching the Mega gets you $2.
Some states just have $200,000 as the prize for match 5, it all seems to depend.
Were you a winner? Me? I was lucky enough to match the Mega on one. That’s a whole $2 coming my way. As for toys, I’m going to have to get mine from the gumball machine.
So who is the lucky winner of the $355 Mega Million jackpot ?And how about the rest of us who might have had a couple matching numbers?
Sadly, we don’t know the answer yet. The winner will be – if there was a winner that is – announced by the Mega Millions organization on Wednesday. But I can tell you this, the winning ticket was not sold in California or in Georgia who already post their results.
And all the payouts per state vary and many of the state lottery sites were very much overtaxed on Tuesday night. Many sites could not handle the large amount of traffic going to their page to check for their winning numbers and Mega Million payouts.
But for example in California:
Match 5 (no mega) gets $579, 888 (two people won that on Tuesday night)
Match 4 + Mega gets $11296
Match 4 – gets $164
Match 3 + Mega gets $145
Match 3 gets $7
Match 2 + Mega gets $9
Match 1 + Mega gets $3
and just matching the Mega gets you $2.
Some states just have $200,000 as the prize for match 5, it all seems to depend.
Were you a winner? Me? I was lucky enough to match the Mega on one. That’s a whole $2 coming my way. As for toys, I’m going to have to get mine from the gumball machine.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The who, what, where, when, why — and why not — of L.A. sports
Eric Mangini has been fired after two seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, the team said in a statement Monday.
Mangini was dismissed during a meeting with team president Mike Holmgren on Monday morning, a day after the Browns finished 5-11 for the second year in a row. He had two years remaining on his contract.
“This decision was not easy for me, and it was one into which I put a great deal of thought,” said Holmgren, who will address the media at 10 a.m. “Although we have made improvements this season, my responsibility is to ensure that we establish a program that will allow this team to compete at a championship level. That will continue to be our goal in everything we do.”
Mangini, 39, is the fourth coach for the Browns since the team returned to the NFL in 1999. During that period Cleveland has gone 64-129 with one playoff appearance.
“The experience coaching the Cleveland Browns the past two years has been tremendous,” Mangini said in a statement. “I appreciate the opportunity that the Lerner family gave me. I have a deep respect for the players that I have coached the past two years and how they have made a profound difference in changing the culture — a tougher, smarter, more competitive, selfless team that never gave up.
“Our goal was to build a team for long-term success. The core characteristics we were dedicated to, I believe, will help achieve that goal, and have provided a strong identity for this football team and have helped to create a positive foundation upon which the organization can continue to build.”
Mangini was dismissed during a meeting with team president Mike Holmgren on Monday morning, a day after the Browns finished 5-11 for the second year in a row. He had two years remaining on his contract.
“This decision was not easy for me, and it was one into which I put a great deal of thought,” said Holmgren, who will address the media at 10 a.m. “Although we have made improvements this season, my responsibility is to ensure that we establish a program that will allow this team to compete at a championship level. That will continue to be our goal in everything we do.”
Mangini, 39, is the fourth coach for the Browns since the team returned to the NFL in 1999. During that period Cleveland has gone 64-129 with one playoff appearance.
“The experience coaching the Cleveland Browns the past two years has been tremendous,” Mangini said in a statement. “I appreciate the opportunity that the Lerner family gave me. I have a deep respect for the players that I have coached the past two years and how they have made a profound difference in changing the culture — a tougher, smarter, more competitive, selfless team that never gave up.
“Our goal was to build a team for long-term success. The core characteristics we were dedicated to, I believe, will help achieve that goal, and have provided a strong identity for this football team and have helped to create a positive foundation upon which the organization can continue to build.”
Cleveland Browns fire Eric Mangini as coach after second 5-11 season
The Browns coach was fired this morning in a meeting with President Mike Holmgren. He had two years remaining on his contract at an average salary of about $3.9 million, according to previous reports.
Holmgren is scheduled to address the media at 1 p.m.
Unlike a year ago, when Holmgren met with Mangini over a few days to decide his fate, this inquisition didn't take long.
Two NFL sources speculated that Holmgren himself would take over as coach, returning to the sideline for the first time since he left as Seattle coach following the 2008 season. It's possible that he would seek to retain defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and special teams coordinator Brad Seely.
Holmgren took a one-year sabbatical from coaching in 2009 and then was lured to the executive suite as Browns president on Jan. 5, 2010. Prior to formally accepting the job, Holmgren said in a radio interview that coaching the team was an option welcomed by owner Randy Lerner if Holmgren so desired.
Holmgren opted not to coach in 2010, instead focusing on rebuilding the Browns' football and business operations. He reduced Mangini's authority but brought him back to coach despite well-known differences in football philosophy. Those differences -- most notably on offense -- widened in the one year they worked together. While Holmgren acknowledged "his way" wasn't the only way to win, he often winced at and privately criticized the Mangini offense coordinated by Brian Daboll.
"This decision was not easy for me, and it was one into which I put a great deal of thought," said Holmgren. "Although we have made improvements this season, my responsibility is to ensure that we establish a program that will allow this team to compete at a championship level. That will continue to be our goal in everything we do. I want to thank Eric for all of his contributions to the Cleveland Browns, and wish him and his family the best of luck in the future."
"The experience coaching the Cleveland Browns the past two years has been tremendous," Mangini said. "I appreciate the opportunity that the Lerner family gave me. I have a deep respect for the players that I have coached the past two years and how they have made a profound difference in changing the culture - a tougher, smarter, more competitive, selfless team that never gave up. Our goal was to build a team for long term success. The core characteristics we were dedicated to, I believe, will help achieve that goal, and have provided a strong identity for this football team and have helped to create a positive foundation upon which the organization can continue to build.
"I feel strongly that the Cleveland Browns are headed in a very positive direction and greatly value the commitment and exceptional efforts of the coaches, players and everyone in the building that I’ve worked with in trying to help achieve our goals. My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed living in the Cleveland community and appreciate the support and passion of the fans. I know Mike and Tom are also dedicated to building a championship caliber organization and wish them nothing but success."
Holmgren tried to mentor Mangini and also offered the guidance of senior advisor Gil Haskell, his long-time offensive coordinator in Green Bay and Seattle, as a resource for Daboll. But Daboll at times seemed put off by the presence of Haskell, according to a team source. And the offensive product didn't improve. Holmgren was particularly critical of the passing game in his only public comments all season in November. When Mangini failed to improve on his 2009 record, falling to 5-11 again with four season-ending losses, Holmgren decided to make a change. The emergence of rookie Colt McCoy as a potential franchise quarterback influenced Holmgren to consider the job himself.
If he moves to the sideline, Holmgren would install the West Coast-style offense he learned under Bill Walsh and employed in Green Bay to take the Packers to the playoffs six times in seven seasons as coach in the 1990s. They reached the Super Bowl following the 1996 and 1997 seasons, winning one of them against the Bill Parcells' New England Patriots. Holmgren moved on to Seattle for 10 seasons and took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl following the 2005 season. They lost to Pittsburgh.
Holmgren has always called the offensive plays as head coach. Haskell could serve again as his offensive coordinator. A source said that Holmgren would have an interest in adding UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow, with whom he once worked at Brigham Young University. Another possibility is Miami Dolphins receivers coach Karl Dorrell, said the source.
Mangini's .312 win percentage (10-22) ranked 11th among the 12 full-time coaches in Browns history. Only Chris Palmer, the first coach of their expansion era, did worse (5-27, .156). Mangini's immediate predecessor, Romeo Crennel, had a .375 mark (24-40) in four seasons.
Mangini's separate 5-11 seasons came about in different ways. In his first year, the Browns were a franchise-worst 1-11 before winning their last four games. That winning streak earned Mangini a second season.
Amid higher expectations boosted by several player acquisitions and a solid draft orchestrated by new General Manager Tom Heckert, the Browns proceeded to lose their first three games in 2010. They were 1-5 when they embarked on successive monumental upset wins over defending champion New Orleans (30-17) and future No. 1 AFC seed New England (34-14).
The season turned in an overtime loss to the New York Jets. The Browns lost three key players to injury in the game and had possession of the ball in the final minute of overtime with the score tied, 20-20. Instead of maintaining possession and settling for a tie, the Browns tried to move from their 2-yard line and wound up punting with less than a minute to go. The Jets won when Santonio Holmes scored a 36-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left in overtime.
That loss started a 2-6 tailspin. Included in that run was a 24-20 loss at Jacksonville despite seven defensive takeaways, a 13-6 loss to 2-10 Buffalo, and a 19-17 loss to 2-11 Cincinnati. In all, the Browns had seven losses by seven points or less.
Mangini was a surprise choice of Lerner when he was hired 11 days after being fired as coach of the New York Jets following the 2008 season. Mangini was 23-26 in three years with the Jets. His overall mark as a head coach was 33-48 (.407.)
After he concluded his second season with a 41-9 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, Mangini declined to say his plans if he were fired.
"I think that I just look at things and evaluate things," he said. "You learn from your mistakes, you learn from just the process. I feel lucky for the opportunity to continue to grow in this role and in this job and I think that will continue. In terms of what could happen, we'll have to see, but I am really happy with the things that I've been able to learn
Holmgren is scheduled to address the media at 1 p.m.
Unlike a year ago, when Holmgren met with Mangini over a few days to decide his fate, this inquisition didn't take long.
Two NFL sources speculated that Holmgren himself would take over as coach, returning to the sideline for the first time since he left as Seattle coach following the 2008 season. It's possible that he would seek to retain defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and special teams coordinator Brad Seely.
Holmgren took a one-year sabbatical from coaching in 2009 and then was lured to the executive suite as Browns president on Jan. 5, 2010. Prior to formally accepting the job, Holmgren said in a radio interview that coaching the team was an option welcomed by owner Randy Lerner if Holmgren so desired.
Holmgren opted not to coach in 2010, instead focusing on rebuilding the Browns' football and business operations. He reduced Mangini's authority but brought him back to coach despite well-known differences in football philosophy. Those differences -- most notably on offense -- widened in the one year they worked together. While Holmgren acknowledged "his way" wasn't the only way to win, he often winced at and privately criticized the Mangini offense coordinated by Brian Daboll.
"This decision was not easy for me, and it was one into which I put a great deal of thought," said Holmgren. "Although we have made improvements this season, my responsibility is to ensure that we establish a program that will allow this team to compete at a championship level. That will continue to be our goal in everything we do. I want to thank Eric for all of his contributions to the Cleveland Browns, and wish him and his family the best of luck in the future."
"The experience coaching the Cleveland Browns the past two years has been tremendous," Mangini said. "I appreciate the opportunity that the Lerner family gave me. I have a deep respect for the players that I have coached the past two years and how they have made a profound difference in changing the culture - a tougher, smarter, more competitive, selfless team that never gave up. Our goal was to build a team for long term success. The core characteristics we were dedicated to, I believe, will help achieve that goal, and have provided a strong identity for this football team and have helped to create a positive foundation upon which the organization can continue to build.
"I feel strongly that the Cleveland Browns are headed in a very positive direction and greatly value the commitment and exceptional efforts of the coaches, players and everyone in the building that I’ve worked with in trying to help achieve our goals. My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed living in the Cleveland community and appreciate the support and passion of the fans. I know Mike and Tom are also dedicated to building a championship caliber organization and wish them nothing but success."
Holmgren tried to mentor Mangini and also offered the guidance of senior advisor Gil Haskell, his long-time offensive coordinator in Green Bay and Seattle, as a resource for Daboll. But Daboll at times seemed put off by the presence of Haskell, according to a team source. And the offensive product didn't improve. Holmgren was particularly critical of the passing game in his only public comments all season in November. When Mangini failed to improve on his 2009 record, falling to 5-11 again with four season-ending losses, Holmgren decided to make a change. The emergence of rookie Colt McCoy as a potential franchise quarterback influenced Holmgren to consider the job himself.
If he moves to the sideline, Holmgren would install the West Coast-style offense he learned under Bill Walsh and employed in Green Bay to take the Packers to the playoffs six times in seven seasons as coach in the 1990s. They reached the Super Bowl following the 1996 and 1997 seasons, winning one of them against the Bill Parcells' New England Patriots. Holmgren moved on to Seattle for 10 seasons and took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl following the 2005 season. They lost to Pittsburgh.
Holmgren has always called the offensive plays as head coach. Haskell could serve again as his offensive coordinator. A source said that Holmgren would have an interest in adding UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow, with whom he once worked at Brigham Young University. Another possibility is Miami Dolphins receivers coach Karl Dorrell, said the source.
Mangini's .312 win percentage (10-22) ranked 11th among the 12 full-time coaches in Browns history. Only Chris Palmer, the first coach of their expansion era, did worse (5-27, .156). Mangini's immediate predecessor, Romeo Crennel, had a .375 mark (24-40) in four seasons.
Mangini's separate 5-11 seasons came about in different ways. In his first year, the Browns were a franchise-worst 1-11 before winning their last four games. That winning streak earned Mangini a second season.
Amid higher expectations boosted by several player acquisitions and a solid draft orchestrated by new General Manager Tom Heckert, the Browns proceeded to lose their first three games in 2010. They were 1-5 when they embarked on successive monumental upset wins over defending champion New Orleans (30-17) and future No. 1 AFC seed New England (34-14).
The season turned in an overtime loss to the New York Jets. The Browns lost three key players to injury in the game and had possession of the ball in the final minute of overtime with the score tied, 20-20. Instead of maintaining possession and settling for a tie, the Browns tried to move from their 2-yard line and wound up punting with less than a minute to go. The Jets won when Santonio Holmes scored a 36-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left in overtime.
That loss started a 2-6 tailspin. Included in that run was a 24-20 loss at Jacksonville despite seven defensive takeaways, a 13-6 loss to 2-10 Buffalo, and a 19-17 loss to 2-11 Cincinnati. In all, the Browns had seven losses by seven points or less.
Mangini was a surprise choice of Lerner when he was hired 11 days after being fired as coach of the New York Jets following the 2008 season. Mangini was 23-26 in three years with the Jets. His overall mark as a head coach was 33-48 (.407.)
After he concluded his second season with a 41-9 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, Mangini declined to say his plans if he were fired.
"I think that I just look at things and evaluate things," he said. "You learn from your mistakes, you learn from just the process. I feel lucky for the opportunity to continue to grow in this role and in this job and I think that will continue. In terms of what could happen, we'll have to see, but I am really happy with the things that I've been able to learn
Jeannine Edwards: Sweetcakes Or A-Hole?
The sports world can be a tough place for a woman and it takes a tough woman to be in that place. The incident with Ron Franklin shows the fact that there are still men that do not like women to be all up in their business. Well I’ve got news for you, the women are here and we are not leaving. Jeannine Edwards has been in the business since 1994 what makes you think she’s going to let this stop her?
Jeannine Edwards works for ESPN covering Horse Racing, College Football and College Basketball. She is from New Jersey so good ole Ron Franklin should have known not to mess with her. Maybe he was just having a bad day but I hope it was worth getting pulled off the Fiest Bowl radio broadcast. Jeannine Edwards then covered the event with Dave Lamont.
What happened with this little run in with Ron Franklin is that Jeannine was trying to get in on a conversation about Franklin’s wife and her recent mayoral win. He call her sweetcakes and told her to leave the conversation to the boys. When she told him that she did not like being called that he said ok how about A-hole? Needless to say Jeannine Edwards didn’t take kindly to that and rightfully reported him.
Jeannine Edwards works for ESPN covering Horse Racing, College Football and College Basketball. She is from New Jersey so good ole Ron Franklin should have known not to mess with her. Maybe he was just having a bad day but I hope it was worth getting pulled off the Fiest Bowl radio broadcast. Jeannine Edwards then covered the event with Dave Lamont.
What happened with this little run in with Ron Franklin is that Jeannine was trying to get in on a conversation about Franklin’s wife and her recent mayoral win. He call her sweetcakes and told her to leave the conversation to the boys. When she told him that she did not like being called that he said ok how about A-hole? Needless to say Jeannine Edwards didn’t take kindly to that and rightfully reported him.
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