EUGENE -- It's been a rather relaxing summer so far for Oregon baseball coach George Horton.
As a coach for the USA Collegiate National Team, Horton traveled to Cuba and The Netherlands, helping the U.S. team to a bronze medal at a European tournament. He then spent a "heavenly" week with family at the vacation home of
, in Aspen, Colo.
But the summer fun is quickly turning to frustration for those involved in
, as the two sides try to balance the cost of funding an elite program in a sport that traditionally doesn't make money at the college level.
Although Horton said Tuesday that he remains optimistic a new deal will get done soon, multiple sources indicate negotiations to bring back the coach who led the Ducks to the brink of the College World Series are at a standstill.
Horton's original five-year contract expires Sept. 10.
"It's unprecedented for a coach to get this far (to the deadline) and not have a deal done," one person with knowledge of the negotiations said. "There's frustration for all sides."
Horton's agent, Greg Genske, has asked for a five-year deal worth about $3 million over the life of the contract, according to a UO source with knowledge of the talks. The roughly $600,000 annual income would cement Horton's status as one of the highest-paid college baseball coaches in the country.
Oregon has countered with an offer similar to the first deal Horton signed in 2007 to revive the Ducks' baseball program from a 28-year hiatus. That agreement paid the former Cal State Fullerton coach a base salary of $450,000 a year, with incentives of up to $100,000 more, making him what was believed to be the highest-paid coach in the Pac-12. (Stanford and USC, as private schools, don't disclose such information.)
Oregon State coach Pat Casey, by comparison, has a base salary of $293,556, with bonuses and incentives of $155,000 more.
"Everyone loves George," the UO source said, adding that Oregon wants him to stay in Eugene. But, the source said, Oregon's baseball program is "not in a good place" financially, noting that ticket sales dropped for the second straight year, despite the Ducks hosting a NCAA regional and super regional this year.
Oregon reported baseball ticket revenues of $366,303 last season, down from a four-year high of $484,599 in 2010. According to
, Oregon's baseball program brought in $649,981 in revenues in 2011 and had expenses that year of nearly $2.19 million -- an operating deficit of roughly $1.54 million.
UO athletic director Rob Mullens was not available for comment Tuesday. Horton declined to discuss details of the negotiations, except to say that he is hopeful a deal would be completed soon.
Horton, 58, built a reputation as one of the nation's top coaches during his 11 season at Fullerton, his alma mater. He led the Titans to the College World Series six times, winning the national title in 2004.
In four seasons at Oregon, he has a record of 133-111-1, including NCAA tournament appearances in 2010 and 2012.
The Ducks were 46-19 last season, and ranked No. 1 for a time in one national poll; they came within one victory of the program's first CWS berth since 1954 after a
.
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