Sandy Barbour Gets New Contract as Penn State Athletic Director

Penn State’s Board of Trustees’ Compensation Committee has approved a new five-year contract for Athletic Director Sandy Barbour.

The contract is retroactive to July 1, 2018 and runs through Aug. 31, 2023. Terms of the contract, released Friday afternoon by the university, include base pay of $1.1 to $1.3 million a year, totaling $6.345 million over the five years, broken down as follows:

18-19 $1,169,000

19-20 $1,219,000

20-21 $1,269,000

21-22 $1,319,000

22-23 $1,369,000

Overseeing Penn State’s 31-varsity-sport athletic program, she also will be eligible for performance bonuses, with a maximum of $260,000 in any year and a monthly contribution by the university of $20,000 a month in a defined benefit plan.

A $100,000 retention bonus from Barbour’s previous contract has been eliminated.

She will also take on the title of vice president of intercollegiate athletics.

‘Sandy has consistently promoted excellence in intercollegiate athletics — in academics and athletic competitions, and she is widely hailed among the best athletic directors in the nation,’ Penn State President Eric Barron said in a statement. ‘She is a powerful advocate for those who wear the blue and white, and her leadership has help advance our shared vision of what intercollegiate athletics can be. I’m proud of our student-athletics, the coaches and staff, and I’m very pleased that Sandy will be able to lead them to even greater success.’

The new contract places Barbour among the highest paid college athletic directors in the nation. Last year, Notre Dame’s Jack Swarbrick made $3.05 million, but the rest of the top 10 ranged from $1.1 to $1.5 million.

The new contract is a decent pay increase over Barbour’s initial five-year contract, which began in August 2014. That contracted included a base salary of $700,000 per year (with eligibility for increases each year), a maximum of $100,000 annually in bonuses and the annual retention bonus.

Previous terms, including a university-provided vehicle and health and retirement benefits, remain in effect. 

‘I am very appreciative of President Barron’s and the Board of Trustees’ confidence in my leadership and their steadfast belief in intercollegiate athletics as a powerful and positive influence on our institution and community,’ Barbour said. ‘It has been a privilege and an honor to lead this program the last four-plus years, and I look forward to the great work that lies ahead on behalf of student-athlete development and success. I am fortunate to get to work every day with the most talented coaches and staff in the country and the most passionate alumni, donors and fans ever known to mankind.’

In 2017-18, Penn State athletics pulled in $165,373,274 in total revenue, with $10.18 million in profit.

During Barbour’s tenure, Penn State teams have won five NCAA titles, 20 Big Ten championships and five EIVA championships.

Barbour also has overseen the launch of a wide-ranging facilities master plan that seeks a major overhaul of athletic facilities over a 20-year period. Among the first of those was the new Panzer Stadium for lacrosse, buoyed by a $3.55 million gift from Ken Panzer and Jordan Kaplan shortly after the unveiling of the master plan in 2017.

In 2016-17 Barbour was named national AD of the Year and was twice a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s AD of the Year honor.