MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Board of Regents at the University of Minnesota on Friday approved a two-year contract extension for athletics director Mark Coyle.
The amendment to Coyle’s employment agreement keeps him under contract as leader of Gopher Athletics through June 2026.
In a statement, university President Joan Gabel said Gopher Athletics has “excelled” under Coyle’s leadership, “not only winning in competition but, more importantly, setting records in the classroom and investing countless hours in community service.”
Coyle was originally introduced as athletics director on May 11, 2016. Since that time, Minnesota has won 11 regular season conference championships and seven tournament titles. Six Gopher athletes have also won an individual national championship under Coyle’s leadership.
In the 2018-19 school year, Minnesota was the only Power 5 institution to achieve a winning record in every team sport. Among the highlights, the softball team advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the first time ever and the men’s basketball team competed in the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.
During the ongoing 2019-20 academic year, the volleyball team advanced to the Final Four for the third time in five years and the football team highlighted its first 11-win season since 1904 with top-10 wins against Penn State at home and versus Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
“I am incredibly grateful for the support of President Gabel and the Board of Regents,” Coyle said in a statement. “Their belief and trust in our department has been tremendous and is a significant reason why we have been successful.”
Coyle returned to Minnesota in 2016 after overseeing the marketing department from 2001 to 2005. In between, Coyle was deputy athletics director at Kentucky before serving as athletics director at Boise State and Syracuse.
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