WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor announced a 10-year contract extension for athletic director Mack Rhoades on Monday, saying the deal would allow him to “complete his career” at the Big 12 school.
Rhoades joined Baylor in 2016 after Ian McCaw resigned following an investigation that found the school had mishandled allegations of sexual assault, including claims against football players. The scandal also led to the firing of football coach Art Briles.
The first significant hire for Rhodes was football coach Matt Rhule, who debuted in 2017 after Jim Grobe was the interim coach for a year. Rhule led the Bears to the Big 12 championship game and an 11-3 record in 2019, just two years after going 1-11 in his debut.
After Rhule was hired as coach of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, Rhoades chose LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. The Bears went 12-2 in Aranda's second season in 2021, winning the Big 12 title, beating Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl and finishing No. 5 in The Associated Press poll, the highest season-ending ranking in school history.
School officials said the contract confirms that Rhoades wants to stay at Baylor; his name was connected to other openings recently.
“Our intent is for Baylor to be the last job that Mack Rhoades will have, and we are glad that he has trusted Baylor and has chosen to complete his career here,” Baylor Board of Regents chairman Mark Rountree said. “We expect to share in more success with Mack, our coaches and student-athletes in the decade to come.”
Baylor became the first Big 12 school to win regular-season titles in football and men's and women's basketball in the same academic year in 2021-22.
The Bears have 24 Big 12 titles and six national championships under Rhoades, including men's basketball in 2021 when Baylor beat top-ranked Gonzaga in the title game.
In 2019, Baylor received a $100 million donation to start fundraising for a new basketball arena that's expected to open in 2024. The school also has plans for a new football training facility.
Rhoades was named the athletic director of the year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 2019-20, one of his three AD of the year honors.
