University of Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Greg Gard’s new contract agreement, dated June 10, puts him as one of the highest-paid Big Ten men’s basketball coaches.
The Board of Regents voted on a new employment agreement and additional compensation agreement for Gard at its meeting earlier this month. The new agreement increased his base salary, additional compensation and buyout for termination, and it extended the deal through 2027.
Gard’s total pay for the upcoming season was increased to $3.55 million. That will grow by $100,000 per year until he reaches $3.95 million for the 2026-27 season.
Gard was paid $2.65 million in 2021-22 and was scheduled to make $2.75 million next season. The new salary figure is a 29% increase over what he was scheduled to be paid under his old agreement.
Gard’s new total compensation would rank second among Big Ten coaches listed in USA Today’s most recent coaches salary database, which was updated March 15. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo made about $8.34 million, which included a $4 million retention bonus. Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg, Illinois’ Brad Underwood and Michigan’s Juwan Howard all made $3.5 million last season.
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The 2022 Big Ten Coach of the Year’s buyout increased to $12 million for the next three years, before falling to $8 million in the fourth year and $5 million for the final year of the deal. His previous buyout was at $1 million, down from a max of $3 million at the start of his original contract.
A Sweet 16 bonus also was added to Gard’s contract. He would earn $100,000 in addition to UW’s regular postseason bonus policy, which pays coaches, assistants and strength coaches a percentage of their base salary for various postseason benchmarks. UW last made the Sweet 16 in 2017.
Gard will enter his eighth season in the fall, and he’s been named Big Ten Coach of the Year twice. The Badgers are 144-78 since he took over after Bo Ryan resigned early in the 2015-16 season.
Title IX timeline: 50 years of halting progress across U.S.
1836
Georgia Female College is the first women's college to open in the U.S.
1917
Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first woman elected to Congress.
1920
U.S. women gain the right to vote.
1936
A federal appeals court effectively says doctors can prescribe women birth control.
1947
The first Truman Commission report pushes for more equal access to higher education, including ending race and religious discrimination.
1953
1954
U.S. Supreme Court rules “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” in landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.
1960
Wilma Rudolph becomes the first American woman to win three gold medals in an Olympics. The star Black sprinter becomes a prominent advocate for civil rights.
1963
The Commission on the Status of Women, headed by Eleanor Roosevelt, finds widespread discrimination against women in the U.S. and urges federal courts that "the principle of equality become firmly established in constitutional doctrine.” Congress passes the Equal Pay Act.
1964
The Civil Rights Act includes sex as one of the things that employers can't discriminate against. It also establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Patsy Mink of Hawaii becomes the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House; she later co-authors Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act and the Women’s Educational Equality Act.
1965
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act gives federal funding to K-12 schools with low-income student populations. President Lyndon Johnson also signs the Higher Education Act of 1965 that gives college students access to loans, grants and other programs.
1966
The National Organization for Women is established, calling for women to have “full participation in the mainstream of American society ... in truly equal partnership with men.”
1967
Aretha Franklin covers Otis Redding’s 1965 hit, “Respect, ” and it quickly becomes a feminist anthem.
1969
New York Democrat Shirley Chisholm becomes the first Black woman in Congress. She later becomes the first woman to seek nomination for president.
1971
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) is founded to govern collegiate women’s athletics and administer national championships.
1972
Congress passes Title IX, which is signed into law by President Richard Nixon. Title IX states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Congress also passes the Equal Rights Amendment, but it never gets approval from the 38 states needed to become law.
1973
The Supreme Court issues its Roe v. Wade opinion establishing the right to an abortion. Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in straight sets in the “The Battle of the Sexes” tennis exhibition match.
1974
The Women's Educational Equity Act provides grants and contracts to help with “nonsexist curricula,” as well as to help institutions meet Title IX requirements.
1975
President Gerald Ford signs Title IX athletics regulations, which gives athletic departments up to three years to implement, after noting "it was the intent of Congress under any reason of interpretation to include athletics.”
1976
NCAA challenges the legality of Title IX regarding athletics in a lawsuit that is dismissed two years later.
1977
Three female students at Yale, two graduates and a male faculty member become the first to sue over sexual harassment under Title IX (Alexander v. Yale). It would fail on appeal.
1979
Ann Meyers becomes the first woman to sign an NBA contract (Indiana Pacers, $500,000). She had been the first woman to receive a UCLA basketball scholarship.
1979
U.S. officials put into effect the important three-prong test for Title IX compliance when it comes to athletics.
1980
Title IX oversight is given to the Office of Civil Rights in the Education Department.
1981
Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
1982
Louisiana Tech beats Cheyney State for the first NCAA women’s basketball title. Two months later, the AIAW folds, putting top women’s collegiate sports fully under the NCAA umbrella. Cheryl Miller scores 105 points in a high school game to kick off one of the greatest careers in basketball history.
1984
Democrat Geraldine Ferraro becomes first woman to earn a vice presidential nomination from a major political party. The U.S. wins its first Olympic gold medal in women's basketball.
1988
Congress overrides President Ronald Reagan’s veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, making it mandatory that Title IX apply to any school that receives federal money.
1994
The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act is passed. Under Title IX, schools with federal financial aid programs and athletics must provide annual information regarding gender equity, including roster sizes and certain budgets.
1995
Connecticut wins the first of its 11 national titles under coach Geno Auriemma.
1996
Female athletes win a lawsuit and force Brown to restore funding for women's gymnastics and volleyball after the saying the school violated Title IX when it turned both teams into donor-funded entities. The NBA clears the way for the Women’s National Basketball Association to begin play the following year.
1999
Brandi Chastain’s penalty kick gives the United States a win over China in the World Cup final, invigorating women’s sports in the U.S.
2001
Ashley Martin becomes the first woman to play and score in an Division I football game as a placekicker for Jacksonville State.
2008
Danica Patrick wins the Japan 300 to become the first female victor in the top level of American open-wheel racing.
2014
2015
The United States’ 5-2 win over Japan in the Women’s World Cup final becomes the most viewed soccer game in the history of American television.
2016
Citing Title IX, the Obama administration says transgender students at public schools should be allowed to use the bathroom or locker room that matches their gender identity, the guidance was rescinded by the Trump administration. Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to win a major party nomination for president.
2017
Serena Williams wins her 23rd Grand Slam title, second-most of all time.
2020
New Title IX amendments take effect, largely regarding sexual harassment.
2021
Report rips NCAA for failing to uphold its commitment to gender equity by prioritizing its lucrative Division I men’s basketball tournament “over everything else,” including women's championship events.
2022
South Carolina's Dawn Staley becomes the first Black Division I basketball coach, male or female, to win more than one national championship. The U.S. women's national soccer team reaches a milestone agreement to be paid equally to the men's national team.