University of Minnesota AD Mark Coyle extended through 2026

A two-year extension has been approved for Minnesota Director of Athletics Mark Coyle, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents announced in a news release Friday.

With the new extension, Coyle will remain under contract at the university through 2026. The agreement lists his annual base salary at $975,000, which will increase by 2.5% each year. His contract also details significant bonus incentives, which include:

• A maximum performance bonus of $225,000.
• A longevity bonus of $150,000 to be paid out every year Coyle remains in his position, starting in 2024.
• A payment of $400,000 into his retirement fund in 2020, followed by payments of $150,000 each subsequent year.
• $25,000 each year for Minnesota athletic events.
• A university-provided automobile.

"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 was hired in 2016, and Minnesota athletics programs have won 11 regular-season conference championships and seven tournament titles since then. Six student-athletes have also won individual national championships during that time.

The athletic department is also thriving academically, and the current collective GPA of 3.28 is the highest in school history, according to the release. Gopher student-athletes’ cumulative GPA has also increased each of the past four semesters, and it’s the first time every program has had a GPA above 3.0.

Minnesota’s current graduation rate for student-athletes is at 94%, which is also an all-time high, according to the release. This past fall, 110 Minnesota athletes were named to the Academic All-Big Ten.

"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," U of M President Joan Gabel said in a statement.

"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."

Some of Coyle’s hires at Minnesota include football coach P.J. Fleck, women’s basketball coach Lindsay Whalen and men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko.