If money talked, Derek Kellogg would have a hard time being heard over his multimillionaire mentor, John Calipari. But even as Calipari got richer by guiding Kentucky to the national championship game, Kellogg cashed in on his contract incentives by coaching UMass into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years.
Calipari, who earned more than $5 million this year to coach Kentucky, received a $350,000 bonus for reaching the NCAA title game. His Wildcats lost to the University of Connecticut, whose coach, Kevin Ollie, received nearly $167,000 in bonuses, bringing his total compensation to more than $1.4 million. Kellogg’s five-year contract with UMass, which runs through the 2016-17 season, provided him two opportunities to increase his pay for guiding the Minutemen to the tournament, where they lost to Tennessee in the second round. The first opportunity was a straight performance bonus of $25,000, in addition to his base salary of $271,000. The second was an incentive benchmark that helped push his “other compensation’’ to $480,000, bringing his total package this year to $776,000. He continues to rank among the state’s highest-paid employees. The “other compensation’’ clause of Kellogg’s contract provides him $415,000 a year for speaking and media appearances. It also offers a number of incentive benchmarks, including $75,000 for reaching the NCAA Tournament, that can increase his “other compensation’’ over the course of the deal to as much as $550,000 a year. While the terms of the agreement capped his “other compensation’’ this year at $480,000, Kellogg will earn the maximum $550,000 annually for the remainder of his contract in part because of the NCAA Tournament appearance. By maxing out at $550,000, Kellogg is guaranteed to earn more than $800,000 for each of the final three years of his contract. He also receives 25 percent of gross ticket revenue greater than $700,000 each year for the team’s home games. The amount from the 2013-14 season has yet to be determined, according to athletic department spokesman John Sinnett. Kellogg’s deal allows him to earn additional income from endorsement and consulting deals, as well as from running camps and clinics. Sinnett said Kellogg was traveling Thursday and not available to comment. Kellogg, who took over at UMass in 2008, guided the Minutemen last season to a 24-9 record, marking the first time the team has logged three straight seasons with more than 20 wins since Calipari coached in the 1990s. Kellogg played for Calipari from 1991-95, when the Minutemen went a combined 111-24 and reached the NCAA Tournament all four years.
Bob Hohler can be reached at hohler@globe.com.
Success at UMass pays for Derek Kellogg
