Part Three: Financial incentives are a guideline for football coach
For as much as he works with his players, CU head football coach Dan Hawkins does a lot without the team and away from the field.
Hawkins promotes the football team and university at large in order to gain fan support by speaking at and participating in a large number of events throughout the year.
While half of the $200,000 incentive clause in Hawkins’ contract focuses on his continued effort in this development of the football program, the athletic department looks for a coach who will take these steps without the financial incentive. Athletic director Mike Bohn and Hawkins agree that the coach fills that role already.
The third and final portion of the incentive clause in Hawkins’ contract, worth $50,000 every six months, states: “Development of the football program outreach, culture and reputation on campus; integration and support of campus constituencies; community involvement and development of community support for the football program; national leadership in athletics; and, coach and staff citizenship.”
This incentive varies depending on whether the period includes in- or offseason football.
Since Hawkins focuses chiefly on his coaching duties during the season, his efforts center on football and the media opportunities there.
Bohn said it is in the offseason that Hawkins is able to really engage with people.
“The offseason time is more geared towards external opportunities — helping us with fundraising, helping us with community outreach, helping us with our marketing endeavors,” Bohn said.
Hawkins takes part in and speaks at a number of events throughout the entire year. Some of these include Buff Club events, luncheons and golf tournaments, as well as visiting nursing homes and speaking at elementary schools.
Bohn said that while the coach is paid for going to some of the events, he is not paid for the ones the university asks him to attend.
Along with formal events, Hawkins has been involved in the CU community by speaking at leadership classes on campus.
Bohn said Hawkins participates in all the media events he is asked to go to, including 75 speaking appearances in the past year.
“Dan Hawkins is arguably the most active marketer and promoter of this institution that we have based on his visibility and the opportunity that he has throughout his numerous media outlets to talk about the great things that are happening on campus,” Bohn said. “And he is really good at it, and he means it, and he is sincere about it.”
Hawkins received the full $50,000 in the last incentive period, and $48,000 of $50,000 in the period from January to June 2007.
As emphasized by this clause, Hawkins has consistently promoted not just the football program, but the university as a whole in his public appearances. Bohn said the coach is always actively promoting the university.
In the memorandum from Bohn to Chancellor G.P. “Bud” Peterson outlining why Hawkins received the $50,000, Bohn cited the fan support at the PetroSun Independence Bowl in December as a demonstration of Hawkins’ promotions throughout the year. Bohn said there is “absolutely no question” that fans have specifically mentioned Hawkins in stating their support for the football program.
Bohn added that there were a number of instances other than the Independence Bowl where fans have shown their support for Hawkins and the program.
“I think it shows in the money that we raise, in our development efforts, it shows in our tickets sales, which are up over $2 million from last year,” Bohn said. “It comes in the forms of notes of appreciation out of respect they have for the program, I think it comes in the way the recruiting class came together this year. I think there are a lot of indicators.”
Incentives are a guideline
While the incentives are listed as part of the contract, Bohn said he looks to hire coaches that already have these philosophies in place before they come to CU.
Hawkins said the incentives for promoting academics, athlete citizenship and personal conduct do not motivate him at all.
“I would do that regardless,” Hawkins said. “I mean you do that because that’s who you are, you don’t do that because you are making money on it. That has nothing to do with it.”
After Hawkins sees the incentive salary and Bohn’s reasoning behind it, Bohn said he does not see a change in how Hawkins approaches the items addressed in the incentives.
The incentives are not necessarily meant to be a motivator, though. Bohn said they are meant to be a guideline in what the university, the Board of Regents, the chancellor, the president and faculty want Hawkins to focus on.
“It creates a real guide, a real conscientious effort on everyone’s part to understand what is important,” Bohn said.
Bohn said the university works hard to evaluate as much as they can in an objective way, even though many of the categories under the $200,000 incentives could be viewed subjectively.
“I think from an outsider’s view they may think, ‘well, it is hard to define that,'” Bohn said. “But I think when you see Dan conducting his coach’s shows in different venues on campus every week, when you see Dan conducting over 70 personal appearances on campus alone in the last calendar year, when you get feedback from people, from emails, from fans, from faculty, from different people on campus, from leadership about things that he is doing, all of those things weigh in.
“We do the best we can to ensure that we can quantify those and ensure that we feel good about the investment we are making.”
Bohn said the feedback from regents and other leaders on campus has been extremely positive. The chair of the Board of Regents, Pat Hayes, said she agreed that the regents are happy with the incentive policy.
The athletic department has worked similar incentive clauses into recently hired head men’s basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik as well.
Because of the success of the incentives since they started in 2006, Bohn said the university will continue to use them.
“It’s working for us,” Bohn said. “I believe the high salaries, that some people perceive as high, for our coaches, this is further review, accountability and confidence in the process ensuring that we are going to continue to emphasize the right things.”
Contact Campus Press Assistant Sports Editor Margot Schneider at Margot.Schneider@thecampuspress.com.
