Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Naturally, University of Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long wants to see the school’s 19 sports teams perform well athletically and academically. There’s a sense of pride attached with winning. Public perception of the Athletic Department could increase with players also having classroom success.

Achievement also pays. A lot.

Long stands to substantially benefit from the on-field and in-classroom performance of Razorback teams. Through incentive bonuses built into Long’s contract, he can double his $450,000 annual salary.

Within the 35 pages of Long’s contract (in effect through June 30, 2013) are two tiers of incentive compensation. Arkansas Business obtained the contract through a Freedom of Information Act request and learned the UA will pay Long up to $150,000 for “Special Achievement Incentives” and $300,000 for “Extraordinary Achievement Incentives.”

Triggering the $150,000 Special Achievement Incentives requires Long to meet four of seven criteria that include academic and athletic goals. Hitting three of seven results in a bonus of $112,500. 

All seven appear to be easily achievable.

• All teams avoid Academic Progress Rate scholarship penalties for the academic year;

• The overall NCAA graduation rate for student athletes in a given academic year equals or exceeds the graduation rate for the general university student population using the same criteria and time period for the determination; and/or at least 50 percent of the student athletes achieve a 3.0 GPA or better cumulative or semester GPA during an academic year;

• The director maintains good citizenship;

• The football team participates in a postseason bowl game;

• The men’s and/or women’s basketball team participates in the NCAA postseason basketball tournament;

• Any other team participates in NCAA postseason competition; and