Travis Ford gets $9.1 million deal to coach Oklahoma State

4/18/2008 4:11 PM

By MURRAY EVANS
Associated Press Writer

LANGSTON, Okla. (AP) -New Oklahoma State basketball coach Travis Ford will receive $1.3 million a year for seven years in a deal approved Friday in a unanimous vote by the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents.

Ford spoke to regents in executive session for about half an hour before they voted on his hiring during their regularly scheduled meeting at Langston University. He was introduced as the Cowboys' coach a day earlier in Stillwater.

University spokesman Gary Shutt said details of Ford's contract are being worked out and that it likely won't be signed until sometime next week. Shutt said Ford's annual base salary will be $250,000, with the remaining $1.05 million per year considered payment for personal services.

Even though it hasn't been signed, Ford's contract took effect Friday, Shutt said. It runs through June 30, 2015.

Ford said he did not talk about money with Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder before accepting the job.

``I love what I do. I love coaching,'' Ford said. ``I think this is a great opportunity for me to continue my coaching career and to be here for a long time. All of that (contract) stuff, we can talk about that later.''

The 38-year-old Ford said his primary concerns before coming to Oklahoma State were over whether it would be a good fit for his family and a good move for his career.

``That's what I look for first and foremost. Who am I working for? That's huge for me,'' he said.

Ford, a former Kentucky standout, began his coaching career at Campbellsville (Ky.) in the NAIA. After three years there, he went to Eastern Kentucky for five years and in 2005 guided the Colonels to an Ohio Valley Conference tournament title and their first NCAA tournament berth in 26 years.

He left soon after to become the coach at Massachusetts, where he spent three years and took the Minutemen to this season's National Invitation Tournament championship game.

Just days before jumping to Oklahoma State, Ford had received a contract extension at Massachusetts through the 2014-15 season. That deal included a base salary of $200,000 that could have increased to approximately $400,000 with benefits and incentives.

Ford succeeds Sean Sutton, who resigned under pressure April 1 after going 39-29 in two seasons as the Cowboys' head coach. The regents formally accepted Sutton's resignation on Friday and also restructured the buyout he and the school had agreed on.

Sutton's original buyout package called for him to receive $2.7 million over 10 years, including an immediate lump-sum payment of $300,000, but tax considerations led officials to restructure the deal to give him $2,197,460.

Of that, $836,459 will be withheld to pay applicable state and federal taxes, with Sutton to receive $328,500 by May 1 and $1,032,500 by the end of this year.

Shutt said the revision ``provides virtually the same overall economic benefit to coach Sutton as the original agreement.''

Sutton's contract as coach had paid him $750,000 a year.

Ford said he ``had an incredible amount of respect for the Sutton family, as so many people do,'' adding he understands some Oklahoma State fans remain upset over Sutton's forced resignation. He said Sutton and his father, Eddie Sutton - who guided Oklahoma State to two Final Fours in 16 seasons as coach - ``have had an incredible impact on this area.''