Oklahoma State regents have approved a raise of nearly $100,000 for Jim Littell, who became the women's basketball coach after Kurt Budke died in a plane crash last fall.
Littell is now set to make just less than $300,000 annually over the course of a four-year contract. University officials said that although the terms were approved Friday, Littell's new contract is not finalized yet, so a copy was not available.
The Cowgirls have won nine of 13 games since Littell took over after Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in a Nov. 17 plane crash while recruiting in Arkansas. He led Oklahoma State to its second win in the Bedlam rivalry against Oklahoma since 1999, a span of 26 games.
His actual annually salary is 12 cents less than $300,000 - an increase of $97,600 over what he was making as the associate head coach.
Littell had been the top assistant under Budke for six years, including three trips to the NCAA tournament and two appearances in the WNIT. He was named the interim head coach immediately after the plane crash tragedy. Three weeks and four straight wins later, athletic director Mike Holder removed the interim tag and announced that Littell had been ''a rock'' for the team and the community and would retain the job on a more permanent basis.
Regents also gave President Burns Hargis the authority to finalize a new eight-year contract with football coach Mike Gundy. The school announced earlier this month that Gundy had agreed to basic terms of the deal but it also has not been signed.
''The Board of Regents and the University are pleased with the positive outcome of discussions with coach Gundy, and commend him and the entire football coaching staff for a historic season capped off by a big win at the Fiesta Bowl,'' spokesman Gary Shutt said in a statement.
A plan to use $2 million in donated funds to refurbish as many as 18 luxury suites on the south side of Boone Pickens Stadium also gained regents approval.
