FORT COLLINS — The leadership is now officially in place.
On Monday, Colorado State released details of the new contracts that will keep football coach Jim McElwain, volleyball coach Tom Hilbert and women’s basketball coach Ryun Williams heading their programs for five-year stays at the shortest.
All three contracts include hefty buy-out clauses that should keep other suitors at bay, and all of the contracts were worked out by former athletic director Jack Graham, who was fired on Friday. Each of the deals have been in place for at least a month, but the university waited to announce them all as a group.
The McElwain contract — five years with five one-year options on the back end that can be extended by either party — replaces his initial deal which still had three years remaining. It raises his salary to $1.5 million with a 2 percent raise each year and with the same $150,000 yearly bonus intact for a clean program (strong APR rate and no major NCAA violations) as his original five-year deal he signed as Graham’s first major hire in December of 2012.
McElwain’s buyout jumps to the higher figure between $7.5 million annually for the entirety of the five-year agreement or his base salary times the remainder of the contract. Based on escalators built into his contract for certain achievements, his base salary can rise each season. This makes it more likely McElwain remains in Fort Collins for a lengthy stretch. It’s a notion McElwain prefers.
“That was the commitment. If you’re willing to commit to us, it’s only fair that I commit to you,” McElwain said. “It wasn’t necessary for that, because I’m committed to Colorado State and I feel good about it.
“The thing I think sometimes outsiders don’t understand is what a great place Colorado State University is. The vision we have from the top is something that obviously attracted us to this job. Our coaches, as you can see the stability in our coaching staff for a place that has been considered a stepping stone has been outstanding. I know that this is a place we’ve always wanted to come. Knowing because of Sonny and growing up in Montana, Colorado State is a big deal and it still is.”
In two seasons, McElwain has posted a 12-14 record. The Rams were 8-6 last year and won the New Mexico Bowl, the first winning season for the program since 2005. As part of the new contract, After the Rams’ 48-45 win over Washington State in the bowl game, his name came up repeatedly in coaching searches.
Hilbert’s deal is for five years, raising his salary from $154,000 to $200,00 with a provision both sides can extend the deal starting in 2016. Previously, Hilbert had been working under a three-year deal signed back in 2000, one that was renewable at the end of each season by either side. He also has a $1 million buyout each year of his contract, whereas before there was none.
“I’m happy, and I did not ask for this,” Hilbert said. “I think Jack and CSU wanted to reward me and they wanted to make a statement about how important volleyball is, and they wanted for them to have some security, because in my old contract they had none. Now there is a buyout in there.”
Wanting to keep Hilbert in town is a no-brainer. The most successful head coach in the school’s history, he has compiled a 431-106 record at CSU (605-178 overall including his stint at Idaho), and the program is riding streaks of five consecutive Mountain West championships and 19 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the past 17 under his guidance. His teams win 20 games annually and are consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Williams had three years remaining on his original contract, but now has a new five-year deal that will keep him in place through the 2019 season, with a series of five one-year options at the end that can be exercised by either Williams or the school. Along with it he receives a bump in pay from $150,000 to $215,000 to start. His incentives for graduation rates, running a program with no NCAA scrutiny, winning conference titles and other NCAA Tournament milestones could add up to an additional $165,000. Included is a first-year buyout of $1.075 million that moves to his base salary times remaining years each following season, and he receives a 2-percent raise each year.
“It’s a place we want to be for a long time,” Williams said. “Also, it allows you time to work, to create some program consistency and stability. We’re grateful for the opportunity.
“It’s great to be believed in; it’s great to be trusted. It just gives us an opportunity to build off what we did last year. We still have a lot of work to do; we don’t want to be a on-year wonder type of deal. We want to establish a really strong winning program, just like Hilby’s done. That’s the footprint right there.”
The deal comes one year after Williams guided the Rams to a regular-season conference title (the first in 12 years), a 25-8 record and a trip to the WNIT (the first postseason appearance since 2004). The team went 11-19 in Williams’ first season.
In all three contracts, the existing assistant coaches on staff also received raises.
The move gives the university stability at the top of its four most-visible programs, as the contract of men’s basketball coach Larry Eustachy was extended last August.
Contact Sports Editor Mike Brohard at 970-635-3633 or mbrohard@reporter-herald.com and at twitter.com/mbrohard
