Bonus clauses are putting quite an exclamation point on the final months of University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones' contract.

Under terms of the five-year deal that expires in six months, Jones could realize as much as $100,000 in bonuses on top of his $800,016 base pay for the Warriors' so-far unbeaten (12-0) season.

Already, Jones has qualified for a $20,000 bonus for winning the Western Athletic Conference championship, $10,000 for being named WAC Coach of the Year this week and $50,000 for coaching the Warriors to the Sugar Bowl, a Bowl Championship Series game.

An additional $20,000 awaits Jones if he is selected "the national coach of the year." The contract does not define which, among several, possible coaching awards Jones would have to win to collect the bonus.

Jones was among 12 candidates on the watch list for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award and among 11 on the Bobby Dodd Award. Mark Richt, of Georgia, which UH meets in the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, is also on both lists. Unlike Richt, however, Jones was not listed among the 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award yesterday.

Unlike some other UH coaches, there is no bonus clause in Jones' contract for winning a national championship. Men's basketball coach Bob Nash, for example, would receive $100,000 for winning a national title.

About the only bonuses Jones was out of the running for were for season-ticket sales. Had UH sold 32,500 season tickets, Jones would have qualified for a $15,000 bonus. Had they reached 40,000, he could have earned an additional $15,000. UH sold approximately 22,000 season tickets this year.

Half of Jones' $800,016 base pay is paid by the athletic department with the remainder underwritten by contributions from donors, according to the school.

Richt, whose base salary is $2 million per year, stands to earn a $75,000 bonus for the BCS appearance and would get an additional $50,000 for a top five finish in either the Associated Press or USA Today polls, according to USA Today.

But Jones isn't the only one at UH who might cash in on this banner season. Athletic director Herman Frazier already qualifies for $28,333 in bonuses based upon the success of the football team and could earn more. The WAC championship carries a bonus of one month's salary ($20,833) and he is permitted a $7,500 bonus if the team goes to any bowl game.

However, Frazier also qualifies for a $15,000 bonus if the athletic department "operates with a net increase in the net assets for two consecutive years and the athletics program repays in full the $1 million note payable to the university," according to his contract.

Both are possible this year, especially if the athletic department is permitted to keep the surplus from the BCS appearance fee. UH is assured a minimum $4.2 million appearance fee but must pay its travel, hotel, food and other expenses. Last year, Boise State realized approximately $3 million after its Fiesta Bowl expenses were paid.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.