'Incredibly Grateful': UMN Athletic Director Mark Coyle's Contract Extended Into 2026
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Director of Athletics Mark Coyle is staying with the University of Minnesota for a good while.
On Friday, the university's Board of Regents approved a two-year contract extension for Coyle.
The amendment to his employment agreement keeps him under contract as the leader of Gopher Athletics through June 2026. He was originally introduced as the athletic director on May 11, 2016.
"Gopher Athletics has excelled under Director Coyle's leadership, not only winning in competition but, more importantly, setting records in the classroom and investing countless hours in community service," said University President Joan Gabel. "The visibility of those successes have positively reflected the ideals of the University, one of the most important contributions any athletics department can make. What Director Coyle and his team have accomplished gives me great confidence that his department will continue to deliver exceptional results."
Since Coyle was introduced, Minnesota won 11 regular season conference championships and seven tournament titles. Six Gopher athletes also won an individual national championship.
"I am incredibly grateful for the support of President Gabel and the Board of Regents," Coyle said. "Their belief and trust in our department has been tremendous and is a significant reason why we have been successful. Our student-athletes continue to perform at high levels in competition and in the classroom, and I am continually impressed by their collective desire to become the best students and teammates they can be. We also have fantastic coaches who stress the importance of being a well-rounded student-athlete and have a keen focus on preparing our students for success after college. I also want to thank our staff of 275 full-time employees. They are the backbone of our department and their dedication and hard work is the reason why we are one of the best athletic departments in the country."
