The Florida Gators football team announced that head coach Urban Meyer had signed a new contract, making him the highest paid coach in the Southeastern Conference during the 2009 season.
Urban Meyer's new contract will pay him $24 million over the next six years, making him the highest paid coach in the college football's toughest conference this year, at $4 million.
Alabama's Nick Saban has a deal roughly equivalent to Meyer's, but his pay rate increases incrementally. Saban will earn $3.9 million during the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons and then his salary will rise to $4.2 million for the final three years of his contract.
For those of you that question the high salary that Meyer is now making in light of the economic crisis facing the nation and the University of Florida, let me simply remind you how much the University Athletic Association brings in to the University.
Recent fiscal numbers were released for the 2007-2008 athletic year, and Florida was one of three schools to gross over $100,000,000 in athletic revenue. The UAA is expected to donate nearly $6 million to the university following the 2009 athletic season.
I'm happy that Meyer is now firmly under an extended contract, as it should put an end to any serious speculation that he may be leaving the Florida Gators football program in the near future.
Meyer has undoubtedly earned every penny of his paycheck en route to two BCS National Championships and forever etching his name into Florida Gators football lore.
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