Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 20, 1991 TAG: 9102200115 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Beamer's signature made official a contract that has been agreed upon for more than a month but has been held up for various procedural reasons.
"There really have never been any big hang-ups," he said. "For a while, Dave was gone with the conference [talks] and I was gone recruiting and we had a hard time getting together."
Beamer, who has been at his alma mater for four years and has a 17-26-1 record, got a raise but apparently will not accept it. His new contract, the school said in a statement, calls for him to receive $111,078 - an increase of $10,098 over his current base salary of $100,980.
But Braine said Beamer wrote a letter to be attached to the contract that states Beamer will not accept a raise until other faculty and state employees, whose salaries are frozen because of state budget cuts, also get a raise.
"It was his own decision," Braine said.
Braine said the money Beamer has refused will "be used elsewhere within the athletic department."
Braine said the contract includes a buy out clause for both sides. Beamer, if he leaves before five years, will have to pay the balance of the contract's value. But Braine said there is a clause that will allow Beamer to leave Tech for any of three schools without being required to buy out the contract. Beamer said the clause also covers any pro job - head coach or assistant.
Braine said Beamer has until July 1 to submit his list of three schools, if he desires to do so.
Beamer had two years left on his original contract with Tech, and Braine was to recommend whether to add a year to the deal by the end of 1990. Instead, Tech and Beamer began negotiating a new contract that will supersede the remaining two years of Beamer's old contract.
When Braine said Beamer's contract would be renegotiated, he said he thought another winning season might make Beamer a target for other schools. Later in December, Beamer was offered the head coaching job at Boston College but turned it down.
Beamer said that during recruiting season, his contract situation was brought up occasionally by a prospect's parents. A couple of times, Beamer said, he brought it up.
"I think it's a selling point," he said. "[A coach who] assures you, `I'm going to be the coach for the four or five years your kid is in school,' isn't really telling the truth. But some coaches have better chances than others; some coaches are more where they'd like to be than others."
Beamer's teams are 12-9-1 over the past two years, with notable victories against West Virginia in 1989 and Virginia in 1990, among others. Tech has not gone to a bowl under Beamer, but he believes the new Big East Conference football league will help a successful Tech team get a bid.
by CNB