Nike contract extended
The Idaho State Board of Education approved a five-year contract for the University of Idaho to continue receiving its apparel and athletic equipment from Nike. The deal was approved at the SBOE meetings in Pocatello on Aug. 15, providing Idaho with the ability to receive approximately $400,000 in athletic team purchases at half-retail value as well as the opportunity to receive up to $140,000 per year in retail-value equipment for student-athletes, athletic staff, boosters and others associated with athletics.
“We are very fortunate to have Nike. We’ve had them the last five years, it’s been a great relationship, I think our kids like the Nike product,” athletic director Rob Spear said. “I want to thank Nike for sticking with the University of Idaho because with all the conference uncertainty and all of the different things we were battling within the last year it could have gone a different direction.”
The decision to stick with Nike was an easy one for Spear and his department, he said. It takes time, and money, to rollover an entire athletic department from another apparel company as Idaho did in 2008 when it switched from Adidas to Nike.
Spear said Idaho tries to mix up uniforms for its athletic teams every other year, as happened for women’s basketball last season and football in 2011 when Idaho received new road uniforms.
When asked if new football uniforms could be forthcoming, Spear said: “I think you can look forward to having some new and exciting uniforms in the upcoming years.”
Basketball coaches extended
Following up men’s basketball coach Don Verlin’s contract extension earlier in the summer, the SBOE approved Idaho’s contract extension for women’s basketball coach Jon Newlee during the Pocatello meetings. Newlee’s contract extension provides the same rollover provisions that Verlin’s contract does. Newlee will be on a three-year contract that will automatically extend one-year with a six-percent bump in base pay every time he hits benchmarks such as 15 wins over Division-I opponents or make the NCAA Tournament — the Idaho women did both last season.
“If you look back at coach Verlin’s success since he’s been here, he’s done a nice job. And Newlee of course going to the NCAA Tournament was great, but his body of work rebuilding the program is equally impressive,” Spear said. “I wanted to make sure we gave both coaches an opportunity to be here as long as they wanted, which is why the rollover was so important to me.”
Newlee inherited a women’s basketball program at Idaho in 2008 that won only four games the year prior, and has built it up to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1985.
Verlin inherited a similarly in-the-gutter program in 2008 as well but has yet to see a similar breakthrough. He’s had three winning seasons on campus, but his tenure has been marred by the fact that he hasn’t won a conference tournament game yet.
The one-year rollover provision for each coach required a special consideration from the SBOE, which is usually reluctant to provide contracts beyond three-years.
“I was looking at a contract more that would reward them automatically when they have success, rather than have to sit down and renegotiate a contract after so many years,” Spear said.
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]