By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer 
12/31/2008
Last Modified: 12/31/2008  2:32 AM 

NORMAN — On Thursday, Bob Stoops becomes the Six Million Dollar Man. 

The
University of Oklahoma football coach is scheduled to receive a $3
million anniversary benefit on New Year's Day, pushing his 2008
compensation over the $6 million mark. 

Details of Stoops' contract were obtained by the Tulsa World through the Oklahoma Open Records Act. 

Stoops'
contract calls for him to earn $2.775 million this year. Of that, his
$220,000 base salary is paid by the University of Oklahoma. The rest —
$1.975 million for personal services (TV appearances, shoe and apparel
contracts, other endorsements) and $580,000 for speaking engagements
and fundraising appearances — is paid by the school's fundraising arm,
the Sooner Club, which is operated through private donations and
without state funds. 

Add
to that his performance bonuses, which so far have totaled $335,000.
Figure in the $3 million bonus for completing 10 seasons as the
Sooners' head coach, and his total pay for 2008 is $6.11 million. 

He
could make even more if No. 1-ranked OU beats No. 2 Florida on Jan. 8
in the Bowl Championship Series national title game in Miami, Fla.
Stoops, 48, would receive another $250,000 for winning. 

The
terms of Stoops' current contract, including the addition of the
anniversary benefit, were approved by the OU board of regents on June
23, 2005. The school has contributed $750,000 annually to the stay
bonus. The contract is effective through 2013. 

"I'm
always appreciative to the university, all our regents, our president,
our athletic director and all our administration who feel that what
we're doing here, they value it and feel it's brought value to the
university," Stoops said Tuesday night after practice. 

"I
think it's pretty special that I've been able to be a part of this
program for the last 10 years and to build it back to a pretty strong
position in college football. Year in and year out, we seem to be in
that position. And again, it isn't me. It's everybody." 

The
stay bonus is becoming more common among college football coaches. It's
built into contracts as additional incentive to keep a coach at his
current school, instead of accepting other job offers. 

Texas'
Mack Brown — the highest-paid coach in the Big 12 (a guaranteed $2.9
million a year) — also has a stay bonus. He will receive $1 million for
coaching through the 2008 season and will receive an additional $2
million if he stays at Texas through 2009. 

Stoops
was hired Dec. 1, 1998, following John Blake's firing. OU was 12-22 in
three seasons under Blake from 1996-98, the worst three-year stretch in
school history. 

In
10 seasons under Stoops, the Sooners are 109-23 with a record six Big
12 Conference championships and the 2000 national championship. Against
Florida, OU under Stoops is playing in its fourth national championship
game.

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione last summer said Stoops "is worth every penny" of the money he's paid. 

"He
is fantastic to work with as an AD to a coach. It's an ideal
relationship," Castiglione said. "The root of it is probably trust. He
understands his role over something that is important to not just the
university and not just the broader University of Oklahoma community,
but something that's important to the state and the country. You're
talking about one of the most storied college football programs of all
time. And he's the CEO." 

The
year before Stoops arrived, OU's athletic department generated $26.1
million. In 2007-08, the athletic department generated $68.8 million in
revenue, with football producing 44.5 percent of that total. 

OU's athletic department in 2007-08 had expenditures of $68.1 million, providing a net of nearly $650,000. 

Football's
revenue, Castiglione said, allows OU to be among a few universities
with an athletic department operating in the black. The success of the
football program under Stoops has helped generate another $18 million
in advertising and licensing revenues, Castiglione said. 

In addition, the OU football program has contributed $4 million from ticket sales to academic enhancements, Castiglione said. 

Stoops
said he appreciates his contract, but "the figures, to me, aren't
what's special. It's the people you work with and what's happening
around you that's been positive. 

"But
I understand in my profession, though, that there's a lot that goes
with it. So I appreciate them recognizing maybe positive work and
compensating me accordingly."