By Alan Lytle
Lexington, KY – Retiring University of Kentucky President Lee Todd says he wants the next president to have one less thing to worry about. That's one of the main reasons why the school on Wednesday announced a raise and contract extension for Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart. The deal takes his salary from $475,000, to $600,000 a year, and tacks on three years to his current five year employment contract.
"Mitch Barnhart does not have a reputation just with me he's got it nationally. People know who he is. And I'll talk to any candidate that wants to talk about this and I will tell them that this is one thing that I'm extremely proud to leave behind. I'm glad he wants to be here that long."
Barnhart, who will be 60 when his contract expires, has been the A.D. at Kentucky since 2001.
"I want to make sure that when we leave here, that there can be no doubt, and there's no doubt in my mind right now that if we left today it would be better than when we came, but I want there to be no doubt, than when we leave, all the coaches you see around this table have everything they need to be successful."
Todd says the raise and contract extension for Barnhart keeps him competitive with other peer programs, and will allow him to focus on the department's strategic goal of being a Top Overall College Athletic Program by 2015.