Steve Alford announces restructured contract set to end in 2020
UCLA men’s basketball coach Steve Alford and the Bruins finished the 2015-2016 season in 10th place in the Pac-12, falling in the first round of the conference tournament. (Jintak Han/Daily Bruin)
By Tanner Walters
March 20, 2016 6:34 p.m.
Despite recent uproar calling for the firing of Steve Alford, it appears the UCLA men’s basketball coach will return for a fourth season in Westwood.
In an email message addressed to “UCLA Family, Friends, Alumni and Supporters” sent Sunday evening, Alford wrote that he decided to restructure his own contract, removing a one-year extension that he received after his first season in 2014.
The contract, which was originally for seven years and $18.2 million, now returns to its scheduled end date – after the 2019-20 season.
“My coaching staff and I fell short not only of our own expectations, but the expectations of (Athletic Director) Dan (Guerrero), the Chancellor and you, our fans,” Alford wrote. “As a coaching staff, we intend to earn that extension back.”
In Alford’s first year, he led the team to the 2014 Pac-12 title – its first in six years – and a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Bruins failed to make it past the first round of Pac-12s and weren’t selected to play in March Madness.
Sunday night’s message, full of references to the upcoming offseason and moving forward from a disappointing season, signals that Alford and Guerrero are also moving ahead, even while some fans remain vocal – and visible – about their disapproval.
