The USC Board of Trustees meeting Friday added another two years to the contract of athletics director Ray Tanner. His previous contract was set to expire in June of 2024. His contract now runs through June of 2026. Tanner’s was making a little over a million dollars annually. His new contract will raise his total compensation package to 1.175 million annually.
Here’s the release from USC on Tanner’s new deal:
The University of South Carolina’s Board of Trustees approved a two-year contract extension for
Athletics Director Ray Tanner during its March meeting Friday (March 17). Tanner’s previous contract,
set to expire in June 2024, will now run through June 2026. Additional contract details are included in
the attached summary.
Under Tanner’s watch as head of athletics, Gamecock student-athletes have achieved tremendous
success in intercollegiate athletic competition, in the classroom and in the community. Gamecock
student-athletes have posted a cumulative 3.0 grade point average or better in 32 consecutive
semesters. Since 2015, Gamecock student-athletes have earned more SEC Academic Honor Roll honors
than any other school.
During Tanner’s tenure, the Gamecocks have won three national championships (2014 equestrian; 2017,
2022 women’s basketball), 17 SEC regular season and tournament championships and have posted
three of the top six finishes in the Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup All-Sports Standings in school
history.
After a historic regular season, the No. 1 ranked Gamecock women’s basketball team begin their NCAA
tournament run Friday afternoon, seeking to defend last year’s national title. The Gamecocks football
team defeated two top 10 teams last year and were ranked 23rd in the country in the final Associated
Press and USA Today Coaches’ polls, marking the first time since the 2013 season that the Gamecocks
finished the season ranked in the top 25. In all, nine sports either are currently ranked or recently
finished in the top 25, including Men’s tennis (No. 2), baseball (No. 16) and women’s golf (No.4).
Gamecocks have 25 wins this year alone against teams ranked in the top 20.
USC also has claimed the Palmetto Series every year since it began in 2015. The series consists of
athletic, community service and academic points in head-to-head matchups against Clemson University.
Every athletics program at USC is the beneficiary of either a new or significantly upgraded practice or
competition facility since Tanner was named athletics director. Just last month, USC announced
intentions for a major modernization of Williams-Brice Stadium that could also pave the way for the
development of more than 800 acres of undeveloped USC property situated adjacent with the Congaree
River.
Tanner was first named Athletics director in July 2012 after serving for 16 years as the Gamecock’s
baseball coach. His storied coaching career included six College World Series appearances and two backto
back national championships (2010, 2011).
Term sheet for Tanner’s
new contract:
