Florida A&M men’s basketball coach Patrick Crarey appears to have earned a contract extension just months after his credentials were openly questioned by the Board of Trustees at the HBCU.
A proposal for a contract offer from the FAMU Board of Trustees appeared online over the weekend.
Florida A&M University is offering Patrick Crarey the position of head men’s basketball coach with an annual salary of $160,000 through June 30, 2026, increasing to $170,000 for the period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. The agreement is contingent on funding availability and annual budget approval by the university’s Board of Trustees.
In addition to his base salary, Crarey is eligible for the following performance-based bonuses from the HBCU:
- Regular Season Conference Champion: $1,000
- Conference Tournament Champion: $2,000
- Conference Coach of the Year: $2,500
- National Invitational Tournament (NIT) Appearance: $1,000
- Single Game Win over a Power Five Opponent: $7,000
- NCAA Tournament Incentives:
- $2,500 for a tournament appearance
- $5,000 for an initial tournament game win, plus $1,000 for each additional win
- $15,000 for a Final Four appearance
- Game Guarantees exceeding $600,000 annually: $30,000
These bonuses are contingent on funds received or awarded to the university by the SWAC, another conference the university may join, or the NCAA.
The offer has been submitted by FAMU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Angela Suggs. The contract is scheduled to be put before the BOT on Feb. 13.
Crarey was initially announced as the head coach at FAMU by previous AD Tiffani-Dawn Sykes in mid-April after a national search. Sykes and Crarey agreed to a three-year deal in April, a deal that the board of trustees declined in July after tabling it for months, leaving the coach to operate as an at-will employee.
“But it bothers me when I see some names on there, many which I don’t even know, but I look at their background and experience and wonder how we got to this individual [Crarey] that’s two [divisions] beneath where we are playing in the SWAC,” Trustee Kevin Lawson said in July, shortly before the contract. “I lean towards the person having a one-year agreement and give them a contract based on how they do this year and revisit it later.”
Crarey recruited and built much of his team without a contract. The BOT at the HBCU approved a one-year deal with a salary of $150k — one of the lowest in Division I basketball — in August.
Six months later, Crarey has led FAMU to a 10-12 overall record, giving the school its first chance for an overall winning record since the 2006-2007. FAMU is now 7-4 in SWAC play after winning just nine conference games in the previous two seasons.