NIU Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell received a $3,000 a year raise, primarily because he was being wooed by other institutions, NIU President John La Tourette said.

O’Dell, who earned $81,600 in FY91, received an increase to $84,600 for FY92.

“It’s part of the process in terms of people who were receiving outside offers,” La Tourette said of the pay raise during a time of fiscal tightness.

“We did the same thing for faculty in a similar position,” he said.

“I was concerned that he was being approached by several schools and (his leaving) would break our momentum in terms of the athletic program,” La Tourette said.

“I can assume that the president’s concern is that we (NIU) provide a salary to the athletic director that’s competitive in the marketplace,” commented O’Dell, who said that he’s been receiving offers to go to other schools ever since he came to NIU in 1987.

La Tourette and O’Dell declined to name the schools who had shown interest in O’Dell.

La Tourette said that he hopes the salary increase will keep O’Dell at NIU.

“There’s an understanding between us that he’s going to stay for his five-year term … It is kind of a commitment, but you can’t force a person to stay,” La Tourette said.

O’Dell said that he had no plans to leave NIU, no matter what his salary was.

“I’m not going to take any job based on my salary,” O’Dell said. “I don’t have a long-term contract, but I’m looking to stay here. If a certain situation came up, I’d have to listen.

“There’s no situation out there right now that interests me,” O’Dell said.