Louisiana-Monroe, football coach Terry Bowden still working to finalize contract. Here's why
Terry Bowden has been working without a formal contract since becoming Louisiana-Monroe's football coach in December.
Bowden signed an offer letter with ULM in January, according to documents obtained by the News-Star. The letter classifies Bowden as an at-will employee, meaning he can be fired at any time without financial penalty until a contract is signed and approved by the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors.
ULM athletic director Scott McDonald told the News-Star that Bowden's contract should be finalized within a "few days."
"I would say it's a little more complex than agreements we've done in the past, but it's all gone very well," McDonald said. "The terms and salary in the offer letter will be consistent with the contract. The holdup is just adding the right language."
McDonald said the language in question refers to performance-based incentives. Bowden is represented by Birmingham-based attorney Richard Davis, who also represents Bobby Bowden.
"The contract isn't something I think about because I've already signed a letter of agreement," Bowden told the News-Star. "Are there things that are still being discussed? Yes, but it's not like I'm going anywhere.
"I think right now Scott and I work so well together that we're just seeing what things we might be able to do in specific areas that might be more beneficial to me without putting a strain on the university's funds."
The proposed contract is a four-year agreement through Dec. 31, 2024. Bowden will earn $350,000 in base pay and a possible $50,000 in incentives if the Warhawks become bowl eligible or win the Sun Belt Conference — the same salary structure as former ULM coach Matt Viator.
Other benefits include an annual housing allowance of $40,000, an annual vehicle allowance of $10,000 and a monthly cell phone allowance of $45.
"We're all in agreement and (Davis) seems to be happy where we are," McDonald said. "When you drop all of those things into an agreement, it just takes time and we're working with that."
Per data obtained by USA TODAY, Bowden will be the lowest-paid coach in FBS. The average salary for a Sun Belt coach in 2020 was $659,000.
The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors is voting Thursday on a contract extension that will increase Louisiana-Lafayette coach Billy Napier's salary to $2 million. Napier was that Sun Belt's highest paid coach in 2020 at $1 million.
Coastal Carolina's Jamey Chadwell signed a seven-year extension in February worth $850,000 in 2021, making him the conference's second-highest paid coach behind Napier. Georgia State's Shawn Elliott also received a raise in October worth $750,000 annually.
"You don't come to a place like ULM and say you want twice as much money as the last guy — that's not the strategy," Bowden said. "By no means are we at an impasse and it's not something where I better get this or that. It's just a matter of little things that we're trying to work out."
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