The University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved a two-year contract extension and salary raise for Gophers Athletics Director Mark Coyle on Thursday.
Coyle’s annual salary increases from $1.07 million to $1.4 million. The raise is effective immediately but most of the increase will vest in June 2026 and be paid as enhanced longevity bonuses.
Coyle’s contract now goes through June 2030. He first joined Minnesota in 2016.
The U said with the Big Ten’s addition of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the conference next year, the average salary for a conference ADs will “significantly increase” and Coyle’s compensation will remain in the top third in the new 18-team league.
“Given the exceptional performance he consistently demonstrates in the role, the growing demand for Athletic Directors who possess his personal character and professional experience, and the new and complex challenges facing collegiate athletics in 2024, the total compensation of this amended contract for Athletics Director Mark Coyle is appropriately in line with a rapidly changing AD market,” the U said in documents for the Regents.
The Gophers have won 16 regular-season conference championships, eight conference tournament titles and 17 individual NCAA national championships during Coyle’s tenure. But the U has not reached the same heights for its two highest profile programs — football and men’s basketball.
The U finished 31st out of 305 universities in the Learfield Director’s Cup Race, which measures success across all sports programs. That finish is within the top 11 % in the nation.
Gophers student-athletes had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.4 in the 2022-23 academic year and a 95 percent Graduation Success Rate, per data released in December.
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