Kansas State restructures athletic director John Currie’s contract through 2020

Kansas State and John Currie have agreed to a restructured contract that will boost the athletic director’s salary to $775,000 and run through 2020, the school announced Friday.

The agreement adds one year to Currie's current contract and raises his annual pay by $200,000, while removing all performance-related bonuses. The previous agreement allowed Currie to earn up to 55 percent of his $575,000 salary in performance related incentives, with a maximum set at $316,250.

If Currie serves the remainder of his new contract, K-State will owe him a $225,000 lump-sum payment. K-State also increased his buyout from $950,000 to $1.55 million.

“John Currie has built a model program that reflects the values of the K-State family,” K-State president Kirk Schulz said in a statement. “The restructuring allows him to focus on maintaining the high performance standards the athletic department has established under his leadership. The relationship between intercollegiate athletics and the university community plays an important role in our goal to become a top 50 public research university.”

K-State hired Currie in May of 2009. Since then the Wildcats have won Big 12 championships in football, men’s basketball and baseball. They have also added $190 million worth of upgraded and new facilities, including the West Stadium Center at Snyder Family Stadium and a basketball training facility. K-State is currently constructing a new football complex on the North end of its football stadium, which will open in time for the home opener in September.

"Our family is thankful and fortunate to call Manhattan home and we are grateful for the opportunity to belong to the K-State family," Currie said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Schulz and his K-State 2025 vision, our dedicated coaches, staff, loyal fans and donors, and, most importantly, more than 425 student-athletes, we continue to make terrific progress toward our vision of a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program. We will continue to build upon those successes, both on the field and in the classroom.”

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Kansas State restructures athletic director John Currie’s contract through 2020."