THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 23, 1995 TAG: 9512230480
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
A Sugar Bowl berth has produced sweet rewards for Virginia Tech's coaching staff.
Hokies associate athletic director Jeff Bourne said Friday that the school will spend $160,000 of its Sugar Bowl money on bonuses for the coaches and football-related staff as a reward for their successful season. The coaches' bonuses, which will be distributed some time after the bowl game, will be equal to two months' salary.
For head coach Frank Beamer - whose base salary is $141,445 - the Sugar Bowl bonus will amount to $23,575. That's twice what the school was obligated to pay him based on language in his contract calling for a bowl bonus ``at least equal to one month's salary.''
``I think they've been very kind,'' Beamer said. ``They've gone beyond what they were required to do and have showed appreciation to the staff for what's taken place.''
Beamer led the 13th-ranked Hokies (9-2) to nine consecutive wins to close out the regular season and secure the school's most prestigious bowl destination ever. Tech meets No. 9 Texas (10-1-1) in the Dec. 31 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Tech won its first Big East championship, and Beamer was the unanimous choice as conference coach of the year and was among the finalists for national coach-of-the-year honors. Beamer, in his ninth season at Tech, has led the school to three consecutive bowl games, a first for Tech.
The Hokies broke for Christmas following practice Thursday. They will reconvene in Blacksburg on Christmas night and fly to New Orleans Dec. 26. by CNB