FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Jimmy Dykes will make $450,000 per season under the terms of his four-year offer letter released Monday by the University of Arkansas.

Dykes, introduced Sunday as the eighth headcoach of the Razorbacks, will draw a $250,000 salary from the university and will make another $200,000 per year for speaking engagements and appearances.

Tom Collen, fired on March 7 by Athletic Director Jeff Long after seven years as head coach, was making $415,691 per year. He is owed $500,000, $250,000 for each of the next two years as part of his buyout.

Dykes, 52, said his salary at Arkansas is very close to the annual pay he gave up by resigning his position as a basketball analyst at ESPN, for which he had two-plus years remaining on his latest contract.

“I’m a pretty low maintenance guy at my core,” Dykes said Sunday. “Money doesn’t drive me. Jeff has made agood commitment to me there, so at the end of the day, money was not the issue.”

Maybe even taking a little bit of a pay cut, to be honest with you. But I’m pouring myself into something, that again, for this job, maybe not for other jobs, but for this job, I think I’m the best person in the country right now.”

The buyout on the offer letter, for both sides, is $250,000 per year. Dykes will also work under a non-compete clause with the the rest of the SEC schools, meaning he has agreed not to accept employment by any current of future SEC schools during the four-year deal.

Dykes can also earn incentive bonuses, such as $50,000 for winning the SEC regular season championship, $25,000 for winning the SEC Tournament, making the NCAA Tournament or being named the SEC coach of the year or Naismith national coach of the year.

Dykes would make an extra $50,000 for advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen, $75,000 for making the Elite Eight, $100,000 for reaching the Final Four and $200,000 for winning the NCAA championship.

The agreement also includes incentive payments for ticket sales thresholds, such as $10,000 if the Razorbacks sell 1,500 or more season tickets, $20,000 for 2,000 or more season tickets and a $20,000 bonus if Arkansas averages 5,000 or more in paid attendance for the season.

The Razorbacks averaged 1,603 tickets sold per game to rank 13th in the 14-team SEC, ahead of only Missouri (1,481).

Dykes can also earn smaller bonuses for achievements in the program’s Academic Performance Rate and its federal graduation rates.

More money, if ...

Jimmy Dykes will receive bonuses, with stipulations, tied to achievements: ATHLETICS $25,000 SEC Tournament championship, NCAA 1st round, Coach of the Year (SEC or national) $50,000 SEC title, NCAA Sweet 16 $75,000 NCAA Elite Eight $100,000 Final Four $200,000 National championship NOTE NCAA achievements noncumulative TICKET SALES $10,000 1,500-plus season tickets $20,000 2,000 or more season tickets, 5,000 or more average attendance ACADEMICS $1,000-$2,000 Academic Performance Rate, ranging from 970-1,000 $3,000-$10,000 Various achievements in six-year federal graduation rates SOURCE UA offer letter to Jimmy Dykes

Sports, Pages 17 on 04/01/2014