Danny White, the vice president and athletic director at Central Florida, has signed a new five-year deal to continue in those roles, the school announced Tuesday.
White’s contract, with a base salary of $1,081,500, includes an annual one-year rollover clause. On the rollover date, his salary will increase by 5 percent each year.
“Danny has excelled at building a nationally recognized athletics program where our student-athletes are thriving academically and in competition,” UCF interim president Thad Seymour Jr. said in a release on the school’s website. “The Knights are one of the most exciting teams in the nation, and I can’t wait to see what our student-athletes and coaches accomplish under Danny’s leadership in the years ahead.”
The athletic programs have excelled under White’s leadership at UCF since he started guiding them in both positions on Nov. 18, 2015.
UCF football went on a record 25-game winning streak that lasted through the 2018 regular season. After finishing the 2017 season as Division I’s only undefeated team at 13-0, White heralded UCF as national champions.
The following year, under first-year coach Josh Heupel, the Knights were ranked eighth in the final 2018 College Football Playoff poll. Their streak ended with a 40-32 loss to No. 11 LSU at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2019.
The Knights finished the 2019 season with 10-3 record and beat Marshall in the Gasparilla Bowl to reach double-digit wins for the third straight season.
The UCF men’s and women’s basketball teams made trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2018-19. This season’s baseball and softball teams are in the Top 25 national rankings.
“I couldn’t be more committed to building UCF for the long term — and I am humbled to be able to lead such a talented group of coaches, staff, and student-athletes who make it all happen,” White said in a statement. “I’d like to thank our interim president, Thad Seymour, for his leadership and unwavering support, as well as our many generous donors and sponsors who share our ambitious vision and are bringing it to fruition.”
