Todd Schaefer named Arkansas assistant; contract information released

Arkansas Tech coach Todd Schaefer reacts to a call during a game against Delta State on Jan. 25, 2007, in Russellville. Following his tenure at Arkansas Tech, Schaefer had assistant coaching jobs at Cincinnati, Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Washington.
Arkansas Tech coach Todd Schaefer reacts to a call during a game against Delta State on Jan. 25, 2007, in Russellville. Following his tenure at Arkansas Tech, Schaefer had assistant coaching jobs at Cincinnati, Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Washington.

UPDATE, Tuesday, April 25

Todd Schaefer will make $170,000 per year as an assistant coach at Arkansas, according to his contract released through an open records request.

Schaefer's contract is for 12 months, which is consistent with most university employees. It includes a $4,200 car stipend each year, as well as a membership to Paradise Valley Golf Club of the Fayetteville Athletic Club, and two tickets to all Arkansas home sporting events.

UPDATE, Friday, April 21

Todd Schaefer was hired as an Arkansas assistant coach Friday.

“To have a program identity built around skill development you must have coaches who pride themselves in that area,” Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors said. “Todd's addition to our staff gives us that immediate credibility and our current and future Razorbacks will all benefit from that.

“Regardless of level or geographic locations, Coach Schaefer's players improve on the court and graduate off the court,” Neighbors continued. “The things they will learn during their four years here will impact them the next 40 years after they leave. Todd, and his family, will be a great addition to our program and to our state.”

Schaefer is the second hire to the Arkansas staff. Lacey Goldwire was hired from Iowa on Thursday.

ORIGINAL, Tuesday, April 18

Former Washington women's basketball assistant Todd Schaefer is expected to follow Coach Mike Neighbors and join his staff with the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has learned.

Multiple sources confirm that Schaefer is expected to fill an assistant's position on Neighbors' first staff for the Arkansas women's team. The UA has not officially announced the move.

Schaefer, a native of Cincinnati, would be making his fourth different stop in women's basketball in the state. He was head coach at Arkansas Tech for two seasons in 2006-07 during a three-year run in Russellville, head coach at Greenbrier High from 2009-11 and an assistant coach at Arkansas State in 2012-13.

Schaefer spent three seasons at Ole Miss, where he was touted as the Lady Rebels' X and O guru, while working with the guards and wing players there.

Neighbors hired him at Washington last summer following the Huskies' run to the Final Four.

"Todd and I have been trying to work together for 17 years," Neighbors said after hiring Schaefer last June. "We tried to team up various times but the timing was never right. I couldn't be more excited to step onto the court as a team with him.

"His experience will benefit every student-athlete in our program. On the court, he is passionate about skill development and helping everyone reach their maximum potential and off the court he is a perfect cultural fit."

A graduate of Thomas More College in 1995, Schaefer was a member of the football team and a student assistant basketball coach at the school in Crestview, Ky. Schaefer has also been head coach at Christian Brothers University in Memphis (1999-2004), and an assistant coach at Cincinnati (2007-09).

Neighbors, a Greenwood native and UA graduate, was hired on April 3 to take over the Razorback women's basketball program. It's unclear whether he will retain any full-time assistant coaches on the Arkansas staff.

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