‘Richmond is home.’ Here’s what EKU athletics director Matt Roan gets paid in new contract.

Cameron Drummond
·4 min read

Eastern Kentucky University athletics might be entering a golden age.

The Colonels’ men’s and women’s basketball programs are both off to hot starts in ASUN Conference play, the volleyball team is fresh off a historically good season that resulted in a contract extension for head coach Johnna Bazzani and EKU football is back on the national stage following an FCS playoffs appearance in 2022.

Additionally, both men’s basketball head coach A.W. Hamilton and football head coach Walt Wells agreed to new contracts last year.

It’s a good time to be an EKU fan, and the man responsible for overseeing this athletic success will be sticking around in Richmond.

In October, EKU announced athletics director Matt Roan agreed to a contract extension. Roan was first named EKU’s athletics director in January 2020.

Roan’s latest contract with EKU — obtained by the Herald-Leader via the Kentucky Open Records Act — started in July 2023 (although the contract wasn’t signed until Oct. 13) and would keep Roan in Richmond through June 2027.

“For me, Richmond is home. My parents live in Richmond, my sister has relocated to Richmond with her family. EKU and Richmond are absolutely home to us,” Roan told the Herald-Leader last fall after signing his new contract.

“I hope that what it conveys, or portrays, is the opportunity that I think the president (David McFaddin) and I think the board (of regents) believe in the direction that our athletics department is heading in. Certainly we’re heading in that direction because of that institutional investment.”

Roan will receive a base salary of $215,000 per fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. Additionally, EKU will pay Roan $4,300 each Aug. 1.

Here are some other important details from Roan’s new contract extension:

EKU athletics director Matt Roan has signed a new contract with the school that would keep him in his post through June 2027. Roan will receive an annual base salary of $215,000.
EKU athletics director Matt Roan has signed a new contract with the school that would keep him in his post through June 2027. Roan will receive an annual base salary of $215,000.

Bonus structure in Matt Roan’s contract

Roan has a detailed bonus structure in his new contract that covers both athletic and academic success.

Roan would be paid $10,000 for a conference championship (either regular season or tournament) or for postseason competition, such as the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, for each of EKU’s 16 varsity sports.

(Men’s sports: Basketball, baseball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, track and field. Women’s sports: Beach volleyball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball.)

Additionally, Roan would receive a bonus for each national postseason win that an EKU varsity sport achieves.

The payout for these national postseason wins would be $10,000 for men’s basketball and $5,000 for each of the other sports. For sports such as cross country, track and field and golf, a win is considered advancing past regionals of the national postseason.

Should an EKU varsity sport win an NCAA championship, Roan would receive the following bonus payments.

▪ Men’s basketball (NCAA Tournament or NIT): $20,000.

▪ Women’s basketball (NCAA Tournament or WBIT): $15,000.

▪ Football: $15,000.

▪ Baseball: $10,000.

▪ Softball: $10,000.

▪ All other team sports: $5,000.

Other bonuses of note that are part of Roan’s contract include:

▪ Receiving any ‘Athletic Director of the Year’ award: $20,000.

▪ Top 150 ranking in the Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup: $10,000.

Additionally, Roan has a plethora of potential bonuses tied to the academic performances of EKU student-athletes.

These potential academics-related bonuses are cumulative. Some of these bonuses include:

▪ All EKU sports record a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 940 or higher: $15,000.

▪ All EKU sports record a single-year APR of 940 or higher: $15,000.

(The multi-year APR for each EKU varsity sport must remain at or above 930 for Roan to collect these academic bonuses).

▪ EKU student-athletes produce a cumulative GPA (grade point average) of at least a 3.0 during any academic year: $10,000.

Other bonuses that could be paid out to Roan include:

▪ If revenue from private fundraising and ticket sales at EKU exceeds that of the previous fiscal year’s total revenues from the same sources by 5%, Roan would receive $10,000.

▪ Roan has the potential to receive up to a $50,000 bonus each fiscal year at “the sole and absolute discretion” of EKU president David McFaddin.

Between all the bonuses that Roan could earn — from athletic performance, academic performance or otherwise — he is limited to only receiving up to $107,500 in total bonus payments each year.

This means Roan can earn up to $326,800 each year (from his base salary, annual one-time payments and bonuses) as EKU’s athletics director.

Other contract details for EKU’s Matt Roan

Roan’s contract also includes several other benefits provided to him by EKU.

This includes:

▪ An executive level membership at The University Club at Arlington, a private country club in Richmond that’s owned by EKU.

▪ Up to eight tickets to each EKU regular-season sports game.

▪ EKU provides tuition and fee waivers for each of Roan’s four children to attend Model Laboratory School on the EKU campus.

If EKU was to terminate Roan without cause during the life of his current contract, EKU would owe Roan $215,000.

If Roan was to leave EKU without cause “for the purpose of accepting another athletics related position” during the life of his current contract, Roan would owe EKU $50,000.