Norwood Teague's first major move as the director of athletics at the University of Minnesota was to lock up one of the school's most recognizable coaches.
The university announced Monday that it had agreed to terms with men's basketball coach Tubby Smith on a contract extension through the 2016-17 season.
"I am pleased to announce that Coach Smith and Gopher Athletics have agreed on a contract extension," Teague said in a release. "Tubby took over our program at a difficult time and quickly got it headed back in the right direction, both athletically and academically. Since then, Gopher basketball has continued to make strides under his leadership with four postseason appearances, including last year's exciting run to the NIT tile game. I look forward to working with Coach Smith into the future to help lift Gopher basketball to even greater heights."
Smith, 61, has led Minnesota to two NCAA Tournament berths and two NIT appearances in his five seasons at the helm. His record of 103-68 is the fourth-highest winning percentage in program history and the 103 victories are the most in the first five years coaching in school history.
Overall, Smith has a 490-213 record in 21 years as a head coach at Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky and Minnesota.
"We are excited about the extension and know that the University of Minnesota is the right place for us," Smith said in a release. "I believe that we can get the job done here. The commitment from the university is there to continue to grow the program and I am looking forward to being a part of that. I appreciate the faith that Norwood Teague and President Kaler have in our staff and what we are trying to accomplish here. I am focused on reaching our full potential as a program. That is why we came here five years ago and it is still our goal."
