UTEP’s Terry gets contract extension, Dimel doesn’t; both coaches take pay cuts

EL PASO, Texas -- UTEP men's head basketball coach Rodney Terry has been awarded a contract extension.

ABC-7 obtained, through an open records request, the now-completed contract amendments for both Terry and football head coach Dana Dimel.

Terry's extension is for one year through the 2023-24 season. In exchange, he is taking a $200,000 salary cut for this academic year from his current salary of $730,999 to help the university's athletic department absorb budget cuts due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Dimel was not offered a contract extension.

"I didn't feel like we were there for football and I told [Coach Dimel] that," UTEP Director of Athletics Jim Senter told ABC-7.

But Dimel did agree to a salary reduction of $71,191 from his $711,999 original salary.

The total combined savings for this year from salary reductions of Terry and Dimel is about $270,000, which is what Senter estimated before the amendments were finalized.

Why did Senter believe Terry deserved an extension in the middle of an inconsistent year? Watch Erik Elken’s special report - ‘Coach Pay Cuts’ - in the video player at the top of this article.

Below you can view copies of both coaches' amended contracts that were obtained by ABC-7.