The Gators Re-Sign Urban Meyer

Sports Betting News - August 4th, 2009 - Written by Ryan Smith

Since becoming the head football coach of the University of Florida Urban Meyer has won two championships. The Gators are now showing how much they love Meyer, and how much they want him to stay in Florida. Early Monday morning Urban Meyer had a meeting with University of Florida's athletic department where he then received a 6 year contract extension with an estimated value of $4 million a year. The contract can exceed the $4 million mark with bonuses and incentives lined all throughout the contract stipulations.

Urban Meyer is now the highest paid football coach in the SEC, a conference that is know to have high paid coaches. Alabama's head coach Nick Saban will make 3.9 million this season, he was the highest paid coach in the SEC, now he ranks second under Meyer. University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley is glad the university has the opportunity to keep one of the countries greatest football coaches. ESPN reports Foley had this to say about the contract extension, "Coach Meyer has certainly proven to be one of the top college football coaches in the country and should be compensated as such.” He later stated, "We are proud he is our coach and we appreciate all that he has done for the Gators.”

The University of Florida is not a private school, and for that reason the school itself does not pay the coach's salary. The University Athletic Association, which is a complete separate organization from the school, pays all of Urban Meyer's salary. Meyer is giving back to the community some of what he has earned as a football coach. Meyer is scheduled to grant $1 million of his total contract extension to the University of Florida's opportunity scholars program, a program that Urban Meyer himself is co-chairman of.

Meyer had comments of his own concerning the contract extension, ESPN reports Meyer had this to say after the contract extension was finalized, "I continue to be very thankful and appreciative for everything the University of Florida and the athletic program has done for me and my family.” He added, "Dr. Machen, Jeremy Foley and the community make this a special place and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Urban Meyer came to the University of Florida in 2004 after coaching for Utah. In his 4 seasons as the Gator head coach Urban Meyer has composed a 44-9 record and amounted two NCAA college football National Championships. The University of Florida, like any other college football program has three main rivals, Tennessee, Florida State, and Georgia, and in the 4 years Urban has played these three teams, he is 11-1 against them. Urban Meyer recently signed a new contract worth 3.25 million dollars after the first National Championship title in 2007, but after claiming his second victory in the big game, signed a more lucrative offer. If the Gators are going to keep offering new contracts to Meyer after he wins a National Championship, the Gators might go broke. Looks like the Gators will be a top 5 team until 2014 now.

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