Arizona State football coach gives away huge bonus to staffers
If Kenny Dillingham wasn't beloved by the Arizona State faithful before, he definitely is now.
Arizona State's 34-year-old head football coach, who is the leading candidate for national college football coach of the year after guiding the Sun Devils to a surprising 9-2 record, reportedly gifted ASU's non-football staff with big bonuses this week.
According to Chris Karpman of Sun Devil Source, Dillingham is taking the $200,000 bonus he earned for reaching nine wins and spreading it out among 20 staffers.
Sources: Amazing, 100% true Thanksgiving story about Kenny Dillingham.
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) November 28, 2024
Saturday: Dillingham earns $200k bonus for 9 wins.
Monday: Dillingham tells 20 off-the-field ASU staffers they’ll all get a 5–10k bonus.
What Dillingham didn’t tell them (or me): He’s giving them his bonus. pic.twitter.com/KgNx6B57kQ
Dillingham grew up in Phoenix and called the Arizona State coaching position his dream job after being hired two years ago. After going 3-9 last season, Dillingham has turned around the program and has the Sun Devils on the verge of a berth in the Big 12 football championship game.
If Arizona State (9-2) can beat rival Arizona (4-7) on Saturday in the Territorial Cup, they will play for the Big 12 championship and a potential berth in the College Football Playoff. After being picked to finish last in the Big 12, the Sun Devils enter Saturday's game in a four-way tie for first place.
Nine teams are still alive for a berth in the Big 12 championship game. But only two teams control their own destiny: Arizona State and Iowa State. If the Sun Devils and Cyclones win on Saturday, they're in.
The Arizona State vs. Arizona rivalry game kicks off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MST on FOX. The Sun Devils are 8.5-point favorites.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.