Bret Bielema Signs New Six-Year Contract

#1      

Dan

Dan
Admin
Dan
"Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has signed a new six-year contract through at least the end of the 2028 season, Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced Tuesday. The agreement is pending University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval at its meeting in January."

"Under the terms of the extension, Bielema's annual salary grows to $6 million, with annual raises and the opportunity to earn various bonuses, including a $500,000 annual retention incentive. The contract also provides for up to four one-year extensions if certain performance thresholds are met. The University's Board of Trustees will consider the extension for approval at its regularly scheduled meeting on January 26, 2023."

fightingillini.com

Bielema Signs New Six-Year Contract - University of Illinois Athletics

The new six-year contract runs through at least the end of the 2028 season.
fightingillini.com fightingillini.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1605231570415140864
 
#2      

mhuml32

mhuml32
Cincinnati, OH
mhuml32
We Got Him GIF


Money Man GIF
 
#5      

mhuml32

mhuml32
Cincinnati, OH
mhuml32
"Under the terms of the extension, Bielema's annual salary grows to $6 million, with annual raises and the opportunity to earn various bonuses, including a $500,000 annual retention incentive. The contract also provides for up to four one-year extensions if certain performance thresholds are met. The University's Board of Trustees will consider the extension for approval at its regularly scheduled meeting on January 26, 2023."
 
#7      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
GrayGhost77 said:
Easy to say because it's not my money, but I'm glad we're paying the man. What he's accomplished in the short time since he got here is nothing short of astounding. He deserves to be paid an upper level salary in the B1G.
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Yep! I also think there is a very important perception component to this - especially in today's world of NIL and conference expansion musical chairs - where you want to be thought of as a place with deep pockets and a checkbook ready! People make fun of Texas A&M "buying recruits," but would we not all take that situation if the money is there and that is simply the reality now?! I absolutely hated back in the RG days when the University of Illinois (the biggest state in Big Ten Country at the time!!) was in the bottom third of the conference for coaches' salaries. I'm glad that JW knows what to spend the money on.
 
#12      

AutoPoster 3000

AutoPoster 3000
AutoPoster 3000
It feels weird to say this because historically I’ve been a big advocate of firing our coaches early and often but I honestly do not think there is anyone who could be a better long-term leader of this program than Bielema has proven to be for us these past two years. He understands exactly what we aren’t and what we are. And he gets the current CFB environment we inhabit and how to navigate it like nobody I’ve ever seen. I say shut up and take our money.
 
#13      

Bbuck21

B
Bbuck21
For quite awhile I have discussed college sports and developed opinions about which ones being "Basketball schools" versus "Football schools". Based on nuances and "feelings", you think of schools one way or the other first. Many are obvious. Example: I tell them "Pitt is a football school, not a basketball school". They hate that. I have always said that my (almost) 50 years as an Illini fan, that "Illinois is a basketball school". Not going to boar you with my historical examples or interpretations. In my completely subjective and possibly irrational conclusion, this is my first time seeing what looks like the administrations' serious commitment to the football program. I don't mean just the Bielema contract. More than that. I am very happy for BB and us.
 
#16      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
bb10.gif


Ho Ho Ho , I be having a great Holiday season , right ??????

bb12.gif


"" I'm in the money , I'm in the money "".......I L L -

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In all seriousness , this is well earned and deserved ......Thanks coach BB for bringing the Illini up from the depth's of despair and back into prominence !!
 
#19      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
Bbuck21 said:
In my completely subjective and possibly irrational conclusion, this is my first time seeing what looks like the administrations' serious commitment to the football program. I don't mean just the Bielema contract. More than that.
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Not irrational at all, "fake it til you make it" is very much Josh Whitman's approach.

A winning, successful program in the media, financial and recruiting future of the B1G as one of two major nationwide conferences will have certain attributes and Whitman understands those (in a way many of his competitors don't) and is pushing his chips to the center of the table to build them ahead of time.

We're there in basketball more or less, and by god we're so close in football you can almost taste it.
 
#22      

IlliniSaluki

IlliniSaluki
IL metro east burbs of St. Louis
IlliniSaluki
Bbuck21 said:
For quite awhile I have discussed college sports and developed opinions about which ones being "Basketball schools" versus "Football schools". Based on nuances and "feelings", you think of schools one way or the other first. Many are obvious. Example: I tell them "Pitt is a football school, not a basketball school". They hate that. I have always said that my (almost) 50 years as an Illini fan, that "Illinois is a basketball school". Not going to boar you with my historical examples or interpretations. In my completely subjective and possibly irrational conclusion, this is my first time seeing what looks like the administrations' serious commitment to the football program. I don't mean just the Bielema contract. More than that. I am very happy for BB and us.
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Yep I always looked at Illinois as a basketball school but with JW and the commitment they have been making to the Football program I can honestly say I've viewing UofI as a BB & FB school and I'm loving it.
 
#24      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
ok
Im gonna say it
he's fighting weight accucmulation just like I have and many of us have.

as soon as the bowl game is over, for his own sake and his family's, he needs to get serious and drop 50 pounds next year
it sucks. Ive ridden the roller coaster myself . at some point in life you simply need to stop eating some things and stop drinking some things
 
#25      

Pikeillinifan

Pikeillinifan
Pikeillinifan
Mr. Tibbs said:
ok
Im gonna say it
he's fighting weight accucmulation just like I have and many of us have.

as soon as the bowl game is over, for his own sake and his family's, he needs to get serious and drop 50 pounds next year
it sucks. Ive ridden the roller coaster myself . at some point in life you simply need to stop eating some things and stop drinking some things
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As a reasonably older gentleman, I agree on this 100% I'm good with my weight and working out, but have been very bad with too much beer. Finally cut that out too and the body and mind feel so much better. It sucks not drinking beer, but I've had more than my fill over the years - and that stuff will kill you.