UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham gets raise in salary, doubles in some incentives
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham’s new five-year contract runs through June 2027, with a bump in base salary and an increase that more than doubles his longevity incentives, for a total compensation of more than $1.25 million yearly in annual retention pay.
Cunningham, who has presided over UNC sports since 2011, has a new salary of $814,868, a raise of nearly $75,000 from what he previously earned annually, according to information that was publicly released Friday.
Cunningham’s old contract was to expire at the end of June 2023. University documents show his new deal was agreed on March 1.
He’ll pick up $441,636 per year in longevity incentives across the course of the new contract, installments of $110,409 that will be paid every three months from 2023-27. The first of those for 2022 kicks in Sunday, with the next ones arriving June 30, Sept. 30 and Dec. 31. He’ll also collect $60,000 per year as an expense allowance.
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Cunningham’s previous deal covered six years, from July 2017-June 2023, paying him $740,440 in annual salary and $200,000 once a year as a longevity incentive, along with the requisite performance bonuses for the Tar Heels’ successes competitively and academically.
On the playing field, the new contract lays out its most profitable bonuses for football and men’s and women’s basketball. Cunningham will receive $35,000 if the Tar Heels win the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division and participate in the ACC championship game in football, $50,000 if they claim the ACC football title, $50,000 if the team reaches the College Football Playoff, $75,000 for a victory in the CFP semifinals, and $100,000 for winning the CFP national championship.
In men’s basketball, Cunningham will pick up bonuses of $50,000 apiece if North Carolina wins the outright ACC regular-season title and the ACC Tournament crown, another $50,000 if the team advances to the Sweet 16 round in the NCAA Tournament, $75,000 for reaching the Final Four, and $100,000 for claiming the NCAA championship.
In women’s basketball, Cunningham collects bonuses of $35,000 each if the Tar Heels win the outright ACC regular-season title and the ACC Tournament crown, another $35,000 if the team advances to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, $50,000 for reaching the Final Four, and $75,000 for claiming the NCAA championship.
Similar but less beefy ascending bonuses apply to North Carolina’s other sports for the 60-year-old Cunningham, whose birthday was Thursday. He’ll receive $20,000 for a top 25 finish in the Directors’ Cup, which measures the across-the-board success of all sports programs at NCAA schools, and $40,000 if the Tar Heels place among the top 10 in those standings.
Cunningham has been the point man for a number of significant coaching hires in recent years. North Carolina brought back football coach Mack Brown for a second stint in November 2018 after firing Larry Fedora, hired Courtney Banghart as women’s basketball coach in April 2019 to replace the embattled Sylvia Hatchell, promoted Scott Forbes to baseball coach in August 2020 when Mike Fox retired, and promoted Hubert Davis to men’s basketball coach in April 2021 when the legendary Roy Williams retired.
Cunningham served as athletics director at Ball State in the Mid-American Conference (2002-05) and Tulsa in an earlier variation of Conference USA (2005-11), before taking the top job with the Tar Heels a decade ago in November 2011.
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Adam Smith is a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News and USA TODAY Network. You can reach him by email at asmith@thetimesnews.com or @adam_smithTN on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Times-News: UNC rewards athletic director Bubba Cunningham with contract extension
