Tide’s Moore gets raise

Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 5, 2010

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama athletic director Mal Moore is reaping rewards from the success of Alabama’s football program and recent facilities upgrades.

The University of Alabama system board of trustees’ compensation committee voted Wednesday to extend Moore’s contract through June 30, 2014, and give him a six-figure raise. The football team is coming off its first national title since 1992 and Bryant-Denny Stadium will seat 101,821 this season after its latest round of expansion.

“The confidence shown in me is humbling, but it is really a show of confidence in our student-athletes, our coaches and our staff,” Moore said in a statement. “Due to their fine work, we just completed one of the most successful years in our athletic history and our future is bright. There is plenty to accomplish on the conference and national levels and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I’m extremely excited about the direction of Alabama athletics.”

The 70-year-old Moore’s salary will go from $425,000 to $550,000, plus lucrative bonuses tied to academic performance and the success of the football and men’s and women’s basketball programs. The former Bear Bryant player and assistant coach has run Alabama’s athletic department since 1999.

He has been part of 14 SEC football champions and all seven AP national titles dating back to 1961 as either a player, coach or administrator.

“He’s been a fabulous partner to work with here as an athletic director,” Tide football coach Nick Saban said. “We’re very pleased and happy that he will continue to do that.

“I think Mal’s foresight in terms of building facilities and doing the things here to set the table when people didn’t have a real positive attitude about this program … That he had the foresight to do it is one of the reasons we’ve been able to be successful. He has certainly done everything he can do to help us be successful as an athletic department, as well as a football program.”

Saban and Moore both work in the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility.

Moore has presided over more than $200 million in facility upgrades for football, basketball and baseball as well as other programs. Bryant-Denny will be the fifth biggest stadium in college and pro football when the season opens Sept. 4 against San Jose State.

Moore would receive $50,000 for each national title in football and basketball. He would get $40,000 if the football team wins the SEC championship game or $20,000 for just getting there.

Moore would make $40,000 if either of the basketball teams wins the conference regular season or tournament title or half that with a first-place Western Division finish.

Academic bonuses include $40,000 if the graduation rate among student-athletes is higher than that for Alabama’s undergraduates overall. He’ll make from $50,000 to $75,000 if Alabama’s graduation success rate is first, second or third in the SEC.

Those academic incentives are contingent upon every Alabama sports team meeting the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate cutoff for avoiding penalties.