UNLV’s Hauck to receive contract extension

ELY -- As UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck enters his second season, administrators have seen enough to know they want to make sure he has time to turn around the long-struggling program.

Hauck will be given a two-year contract extension through 2014, pending approval by the Nevada Board of Regents on Sept. 8 or 9, Regent Mark Alden said.

There will be no increase in Hauck's annual salary of $350,000.

"If the regents do in fact approve it, I'll be excited about that because I'm fired up about what's going on with UNLV athletics," Hauck said.

Athletic director Jim Livengood said he would withhold comment until after the regents meet.

Alden said he was confident Hauck's contract extension would "pass unanimously."

"I pushed for another three or four years," Alden said. "We settled on two. It isn't costing us any (extra) money. He's very underpaid."

Alden said Hauck had shown enough promise in his brief time at UNLV to convince him the program is on the right track. The Rebels went 2-11 in Hauck's first season, but it was against the toughest schedule in school history and with a team that played 23 freshmen, including 14 first-year players.

The Rebels have not had a winning season since 2000, when they went 8-5 and won the Las Vegas Bowl over Arkansas.

"(Hauck) was left with nothing in the cupboard," Alden said. "We play in a tough conference (Mountain West).

"We're lucky to have him. He's the best (football) hire since Tony Knap."

Knap went 47-20-2 from 1976 to 1981.

Extending Hauck's contract also was important, Alden said, because opposing coaches can't using it as a recruiting weapon by telling prospects the coach has only one season left after this one.

"It's hard to recruit if players and parents are wondering if you're going to be there," Alden said. "This gets rid of that. He'll be here for four (more) years."

Hauck's original contract included a clause that he will receive a $450,000 completion bonus after three years. It was unclear whether that would remain in the new deal or be extended to reflect the extra years.

He also previously signed an incentive-laden contract that earned bonuses depending on how the team performed. It was unclear how those incentives would be affected, if at all.

The Rebels are in Ely for training camp, which ends Thursday with a morning scrimmage. UNLV's season begins Sept. 1 at Wisconsin.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.