Dantonio Signs Revised Contract, Signifying Mutual Commitment

A $2 million bonus will be payable if Dantonio remains MSU’s head coach through January 2016.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio, who has guided the Spartans to 16 victories and back-to-back postseason bowl appearances in his first two seasons, has been rewarded with a revised contract, according to a joint announcement made Friday, Dec. 26 by MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis and MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. With the contract revisions, the length and base salary remain the same; however, a $2 million bonus will be payable if Dantonio remains Michigan State ’s head coach through Jan. 15, 2016.

The 9-3 Spartans will play Georgia Jan. 1, 2009, in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando , Fla. It marks Michigan State ’s first New Year’s Day bowl appearance in nine years.

The contract remains a five-year roll over deal with a base salary of $618,000. With the revisions, his supplemental income increases from $500,000 to $869,000 annually. In addition, Dantonio will receive $100,000 from his shoe/apparel agreement. The revised contract also includes a $200,000 contingent annual bonus if he remains the school’s head coach through June 30 each year.

With the revisions, Dantonio’s annual compensation increases from $1.13 million to $1.8 million.

Here are the annual compensation components of the revised contract:

• $618,000 base salary

• $869,000 supplemental income

• $100,000 shoe/apparel agreement

• $200,000 contingent annual base

• $13,000 benefits

Components of his contract were rewritten to provide flexibility, allowing a portion of his postseason bonus to be added to a salary pool for his coordinators and assistant coaches. This is in addition to additional dollars already committed to the salary pool for his coaching staff.

“It was important to reward Coach Dantonio for what his program has accomplished in two short years, but most importantly, we wanted to ensure continuity and set this football program up for sustained success,” Hollis said. “The contract revisions certainly help make his total compensation competitive in the Big Ten as well as nationally.

“We’re so excited about the team’s New Year’s Day appearance in the Capital One Bowl and with Coach Dantonio at the helm, the future of Spartan football is in very good hands.”

“Continuity is crucial for on-the-field success, but with this change we also recognize and reward the overall stability, promise, and momentum that permeate the Spartan football program today, on and off the field,” President Simon said. “Mark’s career has been built upon integrity, high expectations, and accountability. His performance matches his rhetoric.”

“This revised contract signifies a mutual commitment,” Dantonio said. “The University has certainly made a commitment to provide all of the necessary tools to build a championship-caliber program, and I’ve made a commitment to be the head coach at Michigan State for a very long time.

“Stability is so important for the long-term success of a program, and I deeply appreciate the administration’s effort to increase the salary pool for my coaching staff because they play such an important role in maintaining continuity.

“In these first two seasons, we have established a solid foundation for the program. We know there are many challenges ahead, but we look forward to reaching our ultimate goals of winning Big Ten championships, playing in BCS

bowl games

, including the

Rose Bowl

, and playing for the National Championship.”