The Arizona Board of Regents voted Thursday to approve a two-year contract extension and raise for UA athletic director Dave Heeke that pushes his annual salary and retention package to nearly $1 million.
The Regents' Finance, Capital and Resources Committee had made a recommendation to give Heeke an immediate $95,000 raise to $875,000 and $10,000 annual salary escalators on top of the $100,000 annual retention bonuses he has been making.
"Dave certainly has been an incredible partner to me," UA president Robert Robbins said in support of Heeke at the Regents' meeting Thursday at the UA student union.
Both Heeke and Robbins arrived at UA in 2017, before the FBI launched an investigation into college basketball that included Arizona's program. UA's ensuing NCAA infractions case is still pending, while the school fired basketball coach Sean Miller in April 2021.
Regent Ron Shoopman commended Heeke for "improving the culture of a department that was in need of some change, quite frankly."
Robbins said he and Heeke "inherited some very exciting projects," and also noted that Heeke made five "tremendous" hires over the past year that included football coach Jedd Fisch and basketball coach Tommy Lloyd.
Heeke, 58, has been under contract through March 2023. The new deal extends his contract through March 2025 while boosting his base salary to $875,000 annually from April 2022 to March 2023. Heeke’s base pay will rise to $885,000 in 2023-24 and $895,000 in 2024-25, ending on March 31, 2025.
Heeke will continue to receive a $100,000 annual retention bonus for staying at UA. Heeke can leave in the final year of his deal without owing the UA any buyout money, a change from past deals. Heeke would owe $200,000 if he left before April 1, 2024, though UA president Robert C. Robbins can waive the buyout should he choose.
Heeke will continue to earn bonuses based on athletic and academic achievement. Last year, the Wildcats’ AD received $147,126.43 in total bonuses. He was paid $118,007.66 in various bonuses after Arizona’s women’s basketball team made the Final Four, the baseball and softball teams made the College World Series, and the women’s golf team finished in the top eight nationally.
He also received $29,118.77 because Arizona’s women student-athletes had a higher cumulative GPA (3.48) than that of the general women’s student body (3.23).
Heeke will also continue to receive other perks of the job: Access to two cars, season tickets to all the Wildcats’ major sporting events, seats on the football and basketball teams’ charter jets, and a country club membership.
Arizona hired Heeke away from Central Michigan five years ago to replace Greg Byrne, who left for a similar job at Alabama. Heeke had spent 11 years at CMU after spending 18 in various capacities at Oregon.
