STARKVILLE — What does being No. 1 mean for a football coach at Mississippi State?
For Dan Mullen, it means more than $4 million dollars per year.
That’s exactly what happened for Mullen on Thursday, when MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin announced that the school and the sixth-year head coach had come to an agreement on a contract extension, a deal that will pay Mullen $4 million in 2015 and average $4.275 million until 2018.
Stricklin made the announcement in Jackson at the Central Mississippi Alumni Chapter’s “Evening in Maroon.”
“Dan has done a phenomenal job in leading our football team the past six years, and we’re happy to be in a position to reward his efforts while making sure he’ll be able to continue building a championship program for Mississippi State,” said Stricklin.
“Under Dan’s guidance, Bulldog football has achieved a level of consistent success unparalleled in our history, during which time we’ve been ranked No. 1 in the nation and appeared in elite bowl games. We’re proud Dan is our coach.”
Mullen, who became MSU’s coach in December of 2008 after five years as Florida’s offensive coordinator, received a contract extension after each of his first five seasons, and his salary in 2014 was at $3 million.
Then came a historic season, one that featured 10 regular season wins for the first time in school history, and a meteoric rise to No. 1 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Poll.
For his efforts, Mullen’s contract was raised and extended for the sixth time, and this time the jump in pay was substantial.
“It’s a privilege to represent our university, our program and our fans here at Mississippi State,” said Mullen. “I appreciate Scott Stricklin and our administration who have given us the tools and resources to be successful and develop Bulldog football into a national brand over the last six years.”
Mullen is 46-31 in six seasons with the Bulldogs, and he has taken MSU to a school-record five straight bowl games. His winning percentage is MSU’s highest (.591) since Allyn McKeen (1939-1948), and he has already won more bowl games (three) than any coach in program history.
In 2014, Mullen led MSU to becoming the first team in 31 years to win three straight games over top 10 opponents — No. 8 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 2 Auburn — and he guided the Bulldogs to a five-week stint atop the national polls.
But for Mullen, who has produced more than two dozen NFL players in his six seasons, the successful 2014 run may have only been the beginning.
“We spent five weeks ranked No. 1 last season for the first time, but we have only scratched this surface on what we can accomplish here,” said Mullen. “We have created a winning culture both on and off the field and built a program that has sustained success in the nation’s toughest conference. I’ve always said we are going to win a championship here, and I firmly believe that.”
The full details of the contract extension were not released.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @ BWonStateBeat
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