Charlotte 49ers wanted to extend Will Healy’s contract when he was 2-5. Here’s why

Mike Hill stepped into Will Healy’s office just days after the Charlotte 49ers had lost to Western Kentucky last season.

It was a low point for first-year coach Healy and his football team, which had dropped to 2-5 after the 30-14 loss against the Hilltoppers on Oct. 19. All Healy was interested in talking about was looking for ways to snap a four-game losing streak.

But that wasn’t why Hill, in his second full year as athletic director, was coming to talk. He came to tell Healy he wanted to extend his contract.

“I’m a big believer in having the right leader in place,” Hill told the Observer. “When you’re going through difficult times, you show commitment and belief in them. It was clear to me that the program was heading in the right direction, regardless of the record at the time.”

The 49ers quickly turned their season around under Healy, winning their final five regular-season games, finishing with a winning record for the first time in program history, as well playing in their first bowl game.

Tuesday, Healy was officially rewarded with that extension, Hill confirmed to the Observer. UNC Charlotte’s board of trustees approved a two-year extension through Jan. 31, 2026, and a raise of $55,00 in his annual salary to $755,000.

The board also approved a one-year contract extension for Hill, who has had a dramatic impact on the 49ers’ athletics department. That includes hiring Healy and men’s basketball coach Ron Sanchez, who are both in the process of turning their programs around. Hill has spearheaded the 49ers’ 10-year athletics facility master plan and athletics brand assessment, which are both expected to be concluded soon.

Locking down Healy, 35, for another two years was a top priority. His instincts were proven in the way the 49ers finished the season.

“None of us predicted how the next five games would go, even the most optimistic among us,” Hill said of his decision to broach the contract subject with Healy after the Western Kentucky loss. “But it was definitely the right decision to start having those conversations then. It was important for Will to see how we felt about him under those circumstances. All that does is strengthen relationships.”

In addition to winning games, Healy injected new life into a program that had started to grow stale in its six previous seasons of existence. A “player’s coach” in every sense of the term, he opened up practices to the public and required his 49ers to shake hands with everyone in attendance. The 49ers’ post-game locker room “Club Lit” victory celebrations went viral.

Hill offered Healy a $100,000 signing bonus with the extended contract, but Healy asked for that money to be allocated into a pool for his assistant coaches.

“I’ve got to take care of my assistants,” Healy told the Observer in December. “I don’t want a dollar. I don’t have contract negotiations about my salary — ever. I want to talk about my assistants. Mike (Hill) has been great. The only thing I’ve ever talked to Mike about is my assistants. The other stuff goes through my agent.”

Healy’s raise keeps him in the middle range of Conference USA coaching salaries. According to a USA Today database, North Texas’ Seth Lettrell is the league’s highest-paid coach at $1.86 million per year. Healy now makes slightly less than Marshall’s Doc Holliday’s $787,820.

The 49ers’ success after just one season under Healy has made him a hot coaching prospect. He was contacted by at least two Power 5 teams in the market for new coaches in January (Missouri and Mississippi), as well as Memphis from the American Athletic Conference.

If Healy chooses to depart before his contract expires, he will owe a buyout of $631,250 if he leaves after the first year, decreasing to $505,000 over the remaining years of the deal. Healy’s new team would also have to schedule the 49ers in a home-and-home series.

Other details of Healy’s new deal include:

▪ Receiving 20 percent of any net increase in ticket sales for football games.

▪ A $500,000 bonus if the 49ers win a total of 21 regular-season games over the next three seasons.

▪ An annual $50,000 retention bonus for the next three years.

▪ An additional $100,000 pool for the assistant coaches for any season the 49ers win eight or more regular-season games.

This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 6:00 AM.