Guiding a team to its first ever bowl game is impressive, but winning it on the first try? Chances are that gets a little extra love from a school’s administration.
Such is the case at Old Dominion, which announced on Friday that head coach Bobby Wilder had signed an extension with the program through the 2021 season. The deal, which reportedly runs around $650,000 a year, is a nice raise for the man responsible for the football team existing in the first place.
“I am excited and grateful to sign this contract as I enter my 11th year as the head coach of Old Dominion. We are focused on the process of improving as a program as we enter the 2017 season,” Wilder said in a statement. “I am very proud of all the players, coaches, staff, administrators, faculty and 12th Monarchs that have worked to achieve a 67-30 record in our eight years of football at ODU. We will work together to continue to bring value every day to the university as people, students and program.”
In addition to that impressive overall record in Norfolk, Wilder has spearheaded two major transitions at the school. The first came when he was hired to start the football program up back in 2007 and the second came in a relatively effortless transition to the FBS level back in 2013. The Monarchs have only finished below .500 once in program history and went 10-3 in 2016, capping the season off with a Bahamas Bowl victory over Eastern Michigan.
ODU is set to wrap up spring football next month and figures to be one of the Conference USA favorites in 2017 with the bulk of last year’s team returning.