USC Rewards Bibby With Salary Increase

As a reward for leading the USC basketball team to an NCAA tournament bid in his first season as coach, the school has modified Henry Bibby’s original five-year contract with an increase of salary, according to USC general counsel Robert Lane.

Bibby, who led the Trojans to a 17-11 record and a second-place finish in the Pacific 10 Conference last season, will average about $250,000 a season the next four years.

“Negotiations were made between Mr. Bibby and the university following last season,” Lane said Thursday. “It was based on the team’s performance from last season.”

USC recently hired Chris Gobrecht as women’s coach with a reported contract worth $200,000 a season.

Bibby, who played on three national championship teams at UCLA, could not be reached for comment. According to USC sources, he is in New York taking part in the celebration honoring the 1972 New York Knicks’ NBA championship team.

Because USC is a private university, salaries for the school’s coaches are not published. However, according to information contained in a financial disclosure Bibby filed with the Superior Court of Maricopa County in Phoenix during his divorce case with his estranged wife, Virginia, Bibby was paid $191,180 last year.

That was well below the Pac-10 average for coaches. Arizona Coach Lute Olson is the top-paid coach in the league with an annual income estimated at $700,000.

After last season, USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett said he was happy with the job Bibby did and had hoped to eliminate the chance of Bibby’s leaving solely for financial reasons.