White earns pay bump, vows to remain a Knight
UCF athletics director Danny White agreed to a contract amendment and touted his commitment to sticking with the Knights despite a fertile national job market.
White’s base salary will increase from $525,000 to $600,000 annually, with a 5 percent annual bump in pay. The five-year deal is automatically extended for one year on the anniversary of his hire date.
White’s buyout increased to two years’ salary if he departs and UCF Athletics will owe him the remainder of the contract if they ever fire the athletics director.
“Shawn and I are committed to UCF and Orlando,” White said in a news release, mentioning the focus his wife and family have on staying in Orlando. “We absolutely love it here and I believe, with confidence, that I have the best AD job in the nation. I’ve said since I got here that our goal is to build a top 25 intercollegiate athletics program. I believe we are well on our way to doing that, and it's going to be a fun ride! UCF Athletics is going to be a powerhouse in the world of college athletics and I couldn't be more excited to lead this department into what is sure to be a very bright future.”
Arkansas and Louisville are among the high-profile schools looking for new athletics directors, but White has repeatedly insisted he has no interest in leaving.
While UCF football coach Scott Frost’s future has generated considerable buzz, White has been instrumental in an overall surge within the athletics program.
White was hired in December 2015. Within his first year, he made extensive hires that included the addition of Frost, men’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins, women’s basketball coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, baseball coach Greg Lovelady and others. Frost, Dawkins, Abrahamson-Henderson and Lovelady all took over struggling programs and immediately led them to postseason bids.
During White’s first full year, 11 of UCF’s 16 programs made postseason appearances.
UCF has continued its academic success under White’s direction and he launched an aggressive fundraising campaign that has led to an expansion of facilities and amenities to support the various sports programs.
“Danny has done a remarkable job leading the Knights to success in competition, in the classroom and in fundraising,” UCF president John Hitt said in a news release. “I am pleased that he shares my vision that the sky is the limit for our athletics program.”
This year, the No. 15 UCF football team is off to the first 10-0 start in school history and has set numerous records. Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak led the women’s soccer team to a top-10 ranking and an NCAA Tournament berth. The men’s soccer program reached the American Athletic Conference championship match during coach Scott Calabrese’s first season.
As an athletic department, the Knights have continued a streak of 19 consecutive semesters with a 3.0 gradepoint average or better. As a department, UCF earned a Graduation Success Rate of 94 percent, up one percentage point from last year.
During White’s tenure, UCF Athletics earned the largest cash pledge ever committed to the university by an individual alumnus and has seen more than $13 million committed toward UCF Athletics’ $25 million athletics village.
Kenneth G. Dixon committed more than $5 million to establish the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village. Ground was recently broken on the Roth Athletics Center, which will house the UCF Athletics administration as well as expand football operations. Tony and Sonja Nicholson recently donated $2 million to support the Athletics Village vision. John Euliano committed $1.5 million toward the renovation of the UCF Baseball Complex that will become John Euliano Park. Bob and Carol Garvy committed $1 million to establish the Garvy Center for Student-Athlete Nutrition.
White also has invested in Spectrum Stadium and CFE Arena amenities, adding new video boards and renovating luxury seating.