Defensive coordinator Baer signed to three-year contract

boulder » In one of his final acts as athletic director at Colorado last month, Mike Bohn completed a multiyear contract with defensive coordinator Kent Baer that will pay the veteran coach more than $450,000 annually.

Baer signed a three-year deal in lateMay that the school released Monday with a base salary of $250,000 and supplemental salary of an additional $200,000. He is only the third CUassistant coach in history to be given a multiyear contract. Former offensive coordinators Eric Kiesau and Eric Bieniemy also had multiyear deals.

Baer’s contract also includes the use of a courtesy car, a country club membership and $2,500 in Nike apparel for each year of the contract. The deal runs through Jan. 1, 2016.

If Baer takes another job before his CU contract expires, he will have to pay the school a buyout of $250,000 if he leaves in 2013, $200,000 if he leaves in 2014 and $150,000 if he leaves in 2015.

Colorado state lawlimits the number of multiyear employment contracts each school can offer to six, and in recent years all of those deals at CU have been dedicated to coaches or administrators in the athletic department. The inability to offer assistant coaches more than at-will employment has long been a frustration for CU head coaches who often compete for assistant coaches with programswho can offer long-term deals and more security.

Five of CU’s six multiyear contracts have been signed — football coaches Mike MacIntyre and Baer, men’s basketball coachTad Boyle, women’s basketball coach Linda Lappe and volleyball coach LizKritza. The remaining long-term contract is expected to be offered to the next CU athletic director later this summer.