Gillispie's (non) contract timeline

April 6, 2007: Billy Gillispie signs a memo of understanding to become the men's basketball head coach at the University of Kentucky and later in the day is introduced as the UK coach.

Nov. 14, 2007: UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart says the memo of understanding with Gillis pie "has all parameters that would basically define a contract anyway without all the legalese." One omission in the memo is language detailing how UK can fire Gillispie for "just cause." Barnhart notes that UK and Gillispie would define "just cause" in terms of violation of school rules for employment and/or NCAA regulations. "We all agreed that we could find those terms for cause in that language," Barnhart says.

April 25, 2008: UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. says he is satisfied that the memorandum of understanding sufficiently protects the interests of UK. But, he says, "I think the public in general would like to see the stability (of a contract). We have contracts with all the other coaches. So we'll get it done."

July 17, 2008: Gillispie says he has met with Todd and Barnhart twice since the season ended to discuss a more formal contract. "They're getting me a contract in the next few days," he says. "It will have the changes we discussed." When asked to elaborate on the changes, Gillispie says it involved "technical stuff" that would be important only to attorneys.

Nov. 10, 2008: Barnhart says the lack of a formal contract "hasn't precluded anybody from working hard and doing the job they need to do. And it hasn't precluded us from paying anybody their money."

March 27, 2009: UK fires Gillispie.

Herald-Leader staff report