By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
It could cost Arizona State’s Pat Murphy more than $175,000 to accept the University of Hawai‘i head baseball coach’s job under provisions of his current contract.
UH offered the 42-year-old Murphy the Rainbows’ head coaching job last month, according to people familiar with the hiring process.
It is believed Murphy, who has coached sixth-ranked Arizona State for seven seasons, has asked for time to explore the buyout provisions in his agreement before giving UH an answer.
Murphy has been unavailable for comment but ASU officials said his contract, signed in 1999, contains a buyout clause requiring him to reimburse the school if he leaves for a related position on either the intercollegiate or professional levels.
ASU has the option of waiving the buyout as it has reportedly done on some occasions in the past.
According to ASU, Murphy’s contract runs through June 30, 2003, and pays him a base salary of $97,850 and additional income of $32,960 for a total of $130,810 plus incentives and outside endorsements.
Under terms of the contract, Murphy would be responsible for 60 percent of the value of the base and additional components for the remaining portion of his contract should he leave, officials said. Incentives and outside endorsements would not be factored in.
UH has listed a base salary range of $51,000-$75,000 for the head baseball position but can, with Board of Regents approval, extend the range. UH more than doubled the range when it hired football coach June Jones in 1998.
It is UH administrative policy not to underwrite buyouts, school officials said.
Nor, currently, does UH require buyout provisions in the contracts of its coaches, said Jim Donovan, associate athletic director.
Murphy has a career record of 618-298-4 and is 245-127-1 at ASU.
The UH job becomes available at the end of the current season. Carl Furutani has been filling in as interim coach since Les Murakami, who was to have coached his 31st and last season for the Rainbows, suffered a stroke in November.
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