Tom Izzo receives $500,000 raise from Michigan State
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo received some sort of a reward for staying with the Spartans when the team announced on Thursday 18 November that they have amended the veteran coach’s
contract, giving him a $500,000 raise in his annual salary.
Izzo, who led the Spartans to six final-four stints in the last 12 years, received an offer to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers that would have paid him more than what he is receiving from Michigan
State, but Izzo turned it down and said that he has unfinished business with the Spartans.
Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis said that the school acknowledged Izzo’s action, which made him deserving to be one of the highest paid coaches with his annual salary of $3.49
million. Kentucky head coach John Calipari is the highest paid college coach, making an average of $4 million annually.
“Tom Izzo provides so much value to the state of Michigan and to Michigan State that coming up with his true value is difficult,” Hollis said. “What we wanted to do was make sure he's among
the highest-paid coaches in the nation because I would say he is the best coach in college basketball.”
Collis also added that it would have been a big blow for Michigan State had Izzo decided to leave when he was lured by the Cavaliers during the summer. He also clarified that the team was
already thinking of raising Izzo’s salary even before Cleveland showed their interest.
“We started before the last Final Four, well before the Cavaliers showed interest in him and prior to Tom making a commitment to being a Spartan for life,” said Hollins on Izzo, who has won
a national championship and six Big Ten titles with Michigan State.
Izzo not only received a salary raise, he will also be allowed to use the team’s private plane for 25 hours a year for personal trips, and the Hollis defended this contract clause, saying
that other college coaches are also allowed to use the team’s private planes.
“We value Tom and his time,” Hollis said. “He often has family commitments and university commitments at the same time, and this will allow him to fulfil both obligations and not skip a beat
for his family or for the school.”
The Spartans started this year’s campaign on the right foot, winning in their first two games, and they face will Kentucky next week in the Maui Invitational.
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