Compher to Accept Buyout of Contract as AD at East Carolina

ECU athletic director Jeff Compher will exit the post in Greenville after taking a buyout of his five year contract pending a Board of Trustees meeting on Friday according to sources close to the situation..

The contract was signed last June for an annual salary of $435,000 per year.

Compher 59, was hired in 2013. He was set to earn nearly 2.2 million over the life of the contract and a $140,000 longevity bonus on April 30 which would have marked five years as AD at ECU.

His buyout is expected to be somewhere in he range of 1.2 million dollars.

Some of the highlights of Compher's tenure at ECU include the final fundraising phase of the Smith-Williams Basketball practice facility and the initial launch of the department’s Undaunted Strategic Plan completed under his direction during the 2013-14 academic year.

The new football stadium addition that will hold new press, donor and student athlete facilities in addition to about a thousand new seats was initiated under his watch.

Compher’s first year of competition in Greenville was notable for the Pirate football program putting together their second-highest victory total in school history. Both the men's and women's basketball teams advanced to postseason play and the track and field squad captured Conference USA indoor and outdoor titles.

In November of 2015, Compher spearheaded a 10-year contract with athletic outfitter Adidas.

.A two-term chairman of the AAC AD Committee chair and named head of the finance committee for the league just last year, Compher saw the Pirates' fortunes on the football field and basketball court diminish over the last few seasons.

The controversial firing of football coach Ruffin McNeil and the overall lack of a turnaround in basketball was seen by the fans as negatives for Compher.