The contract is a significant increase over the $135,000 that Tech paid Rupp's predecessor Keith Richard during his final season.

"We're excited to have coach Rupp and his great staff on board, because this signals a new era of Bulldog basketball," Tech athletic director Jim Oakes said.

Rupp's deal includes $150,000 in base salary and another $50,000 from the Louisiana Tech University Foundation for his role in the Tech Radio Network. There are also built-in incentives for success in the WAC postseason tournament, advancing to the NCAA or NIT tournaments and for reaching a certain level in season ticket sales.

"I'm excited about the opportunities here and looked for a contract to get this program moving forward," Rupp said. "I feel good about the vision we have for this program and for the foundation that is being laid."

Rupp, who guided Utah to the NCAA tournament as interim coach in 2004, replaced Richard, who did not have his contract renewed after nine seasons as head coach.

"We will build a program with strong core values and a standard of excellence," Rupp said. "We want tough kids who want to play here and who want to earn a degree. We have a program in place here to do just that."

All three of Rupp's assistants are making significantly more than Richard's assistants.

Former LSU assistant coach Nikita Johnson will earn $115,000, while Curtis Condie and Rennie Bailey will take home $75,000 per year. Under Richard, Charles Baker made $60,000, Kevin Johnson earned $55,000 and Lou Gudino was paid $45,000.

The director of men's basketball operations, Cody Fueger, will earn $45,000, while director of basketball promotions Karl Malone will not be paid.

Besides his base pay, Rupp can earn a $12,500 bonus if his team makes the NIT or $25,000 for advancing to the NCAA Tournament. He will get another $12,500 for advancing to an NCAA second-round game, $25,000 for making a regional, $25,000 for making the Final Four and $25,000 for a national championship.

If he is able to generate 5,000 season ticket sales in a single season, he gets $25,000. The bonuses are cumulative and he cannot earn more than $100,000 in extra pay during one basketball season.

Rupp also gets to keep revenue from his basketball camps, after paying the school an unspecified fee for use of facilities.

The contract also calls for Rupp to receive $600,000 if he is terminated without cause in the first year of his contract. That payout drops to $300,00 in his second year, $150,000 in the third season and $100,000 in his fourth season. In the final year of the contract, Rupp would be paid his remaining base salary, not to exceed $100,000.

If Rupp decides to leave in his first year, he will be required to pay Tech $500,000. That amount decreases over the next two years, until the fourth and fifth years, when he can leave without paying anything.