New "Spartan for life" contract for Dantonio
Per ESPN, a brief excerpt:
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio has received a new contract designed to keep him a "Spartan for life."
The new deal maintains a five-year rollover clause for Dantonio, who is in his fifth year as coach and last season guided Michigan State to a team-record 11 victories and a share of the Big Ten title for the first time in 20 years. Dantonio's base salary increases from $618,000 to $650,000, and his new contract includes performance incentives such as a $100,000 bonus for winning the Big Ten championship game.
October 8th, 2011 at 3:55 PM ^
...until OSU comes calling....
October 8th, 2011 at 4:23 PM ^
Even if they pay him half of what they paid tressel, I can think of about a million reasons a year being a coach for tsiO beats being a Spartan.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:59 PM ^
With Dantonio's heart complications I don't think he's going to be coaching for too much longer
October 8th, 2011 at 3:58 PM ^
I don't think I realized how relatively modest Dantonio's salary was compared to some other B10 head coaches. Of course, it's still a heck of a lot of money.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^
I dont think Hoke, "base contract" is all that much either. A six-digit figure that seems, uh, can I say, Spartan. But there is a load of third-party money like the TV show and stuff automatucally built in to life Hoke to over $2M guaranteed. So that number for Markie is probably not close to everything he makes.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:08 PM ^
Yeah, Adidas/Nike/Puma pay a big part of coach guaranteed money and whatever money they make from a show like "Michigan Replay" doesn't count towards the university contract.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:08 PM ^
There's a lot of money when you get past base salary. Brady hoke is only getting paid 300,000 dollars a year, as a base salary. But with additional compensation for broadcasting, promotional and other paiments he is making over 2 million a year. So what a base salary is really doesn't mean that much.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^
Didn't Mattison get a mil for being D.C.?
October 8th, 2011 at 4:02 PM ^
This is MICHIGAN!
October 8th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
fergodsakes
October 8th, 2011 at 4:04 PM ^
Not sure that includes the non-salary parts of his compensation. Money from Nike or Addidas and such.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:09 PM ^
$750.000
October 8th, 2011 at 4:16 PM ^
lol. $750,000 I hope. Although it would show dedication if he was only making $750
October 8th, 2011 at 4:05 PM ^
Spartan for life CONTRACT? Sounds more like a sentencing.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:08 PM ^
Hey Oh!!!
October 8th, 2011 at 4:39 PM ^
Spartan Sentence? He'll get out on a Thursday and be back on the field in the game on Saturday.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^
People are absolutely foolish if they think a bigger buyout makes hime a "spartan for life". All it means is a bigger school will have to pay more up front for him if he chooses to leave.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:56 PM ^
And by people you mean who? Sparties? Meh. To hell with those juggalos.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:09 PM ^
I wonder if Saban had an equally lucrative "Spartan for Life" contract at a whopping $650,000.
<br>Theres a big difference between $650,000 and $3,500,000. Big enough to leave MSU anyway...
October 8th, 2011 at 4:12 PM ^
Hell, Charlie Weis makes $850k base salary as OC at Florida.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:21 PM ^
Assistants typically make little beyond their base salary. Dantonio base salary represents less than half of his compensation, pretty typical for BCS head coaces.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
It looks like he's making about 1.8M, when everything is included..
October 8th, 2011 at 4:17 PM ^
I think he'll be there until he retires just because once Michigan is back to its normal self he's going to have a tough time winning games and no one's going to want him. He's also perfect for MSU. Solid coach, but once recruiting dips like we've already seen happening, the results won't look as pretty.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
If he doesn't leave this year, I agree. And honestly, the only job I really see him leaving for is OSU. Just seems like mid-west type of guy.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^
I thought "Spartan for Life" was what happened when you got herpes from an MSU co-ed.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:20 PM ^
They must think that this new deal will, at least somewhat, deter potential suitors (TSIO) or else why do it?
October 8th, 2011 at 6:37 PM ^
A source I trust told me his old contract has an "OSU clause". I don't know if the new contract has the same clause but I wouldn't be surprised.
It makes sense for everyone involved to advertise a "for life" contract. It prevents other coaches from using speculation that he's leaving for OSU against him on the recruiting trail which helps in the event he doesn't leave but doesn't actually prevent him from leaving.
Sparty would be pissed if he left but that's the reality of college football. If you aren't Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, etc. you risk losing your coach.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^
but who cares anyway.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:29 PM ^
October 8th, 2011 at 4:30 PM ^
Doesn't it seem a little desperate to make such an odd statement about your coach who was starting to get a hot seat after the 6-7 year he put up the previous year? A contract extension is fine and smart for recruiting purposes, but what's the point of calling it "forever"? I can't think of a big time program in the country that would make such a pronouncement about a guy with Dantonio's record. The expectations have never been high at State and this is another example.
This sort of reminds me of the cheesey couple we all knew in high school that would go out of their way to look serious with the promise rings and the PDAs, when everyone knew it wasn't going to last.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:32 PM ^
Lol.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:31 PM ^
indeed
October 8th, 2011 at 4:58 PM ^
MSU finally got around to seeing "The Firm" and they thought they'd try it out....
October 8th, 2011 at 5:43 PM ^
I was more used to the whole "Spartan gets life" meme.
I wonder if they gave him a t-shirt as part of the deal.
October 8th, 2011 at 5:48 PM ^
This is what $650,000 + incentives gets you these days:
1-1 vs CMU
1-2 vs OSU
2-2 vs Wisc
1-1 vs Minnesota
1-3 vs Iowa
2-2 vs PSU
0-4 in bowl games.
Countless arrests, misdemeanor and felony charges, and multiple trips from the jail to the practice field.
But we all know that contract stems from one thing, and one thing only: 3-1 vs Michigan.
October 8th, 2011 at 6:27 PM ^
...means a lot. Refer to John Cooper and Frank Solich.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:15 PM ^
October 8th, 2011 at 10:09 PM ^
Did you overlook something..............brah?
"3-1 vs Michigan"
October 8th, 2011 at 8:57 PM ^
Most coaches look pretty good when you only highlight their losses.
3-2 Notre Dame
3-1 Michigan
I'm sure he has winning records against the rest of the Big Ten teams you don't list and he took over a shit show.
Do you think Beilien is a good coach?
Who has had more sucess Beilen or Dantonio?
October 8th, 2011 at 6:00 PM ^
makin chump change
October 8th, 2011 at 6:08 PM ^
October 8th, 2011 at 6:30 PM ^
How is his salary so low?? Why would he have accepted that?
October 8th, 2011 at 6:49 PM ^
Why would he have accepted a low salary? My guess is because there aren't a lot of teams looking for a .500 coach with a bad ticker.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:18 PM ^
...something to be said for stability. OSU is going to be an eerily familiar rebuilding project with an impatient fanbase and depleted talent. Three years of that and there are a lot of scenarios where you are spending the prime of your coaching career in a tv studio on Saturdays.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:36 PM ^
Until we beat his ass every year for the next 5 years.....