Contract extension, raise approved for Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke

After piloting Arizona’s athletic department through a pandemic, while also making a slew of coaching hires, Dave Heeke will get to stick around for some (hopefully) smoother sailing.

The Arizona Board of Regents on Thursday approved a new contract for Heeke, extending the athletic director for two more years through the 2024-25 school year.

Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star is reporting that Heeke will also get a raise, increasing his base salary by $95,000 to $875,000 per year. He’ll also receive an annual retention bonus of $100,000, bringing his total compensation to nearly $1 million.

Heeke, who came to the UA from Central Michigan in February 2017, had to hire six head coaches between December 2020 and July 2021 while also dealing with the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on his department’s budget. Those hires included football coach Jedd Fisch, men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd, softball coach Caitlin Lowe and baseball coach Chip Hale.

He has also signed several existing coaches to extensions, including women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes, who as of March was the 11th-highest paid coach at a Division I public school, and earlier Thursday inked all-time school volleyball wins leader Dave Rubio to an extension through 2026.