K-State’s Gene Taylor contract extended to 2030

MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Kansas State University’s Director of Athletics, Gene Taylor, has signed a contract extension through to the end of the decade.

This news comes from an announcement on Nov. 17 by the Kansas State Athletics, Inc., Board of Directors and K-State President Richard Linton. Taylor has agreed to extend his contract with the university through to the 2029-2030 academic year, with the last day set for June 30, 2030.

“K-State is fortunate to have one of the nation’s premier athletic directors in Gene Taylor,” Linton said in a press release. “Gene leads with a quiet confidence and steadfast belief in our student-athletes and the coaching staffs who support them — and he has been instrumental in growing our facilities and programs into what they are today. I am thrilled that Gene will continue to lead our athletics program through the end of the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan in 2030.”

Taylor’s annual salary will be set at $925,000 starting in the 2023-2024 academic year, which includes retention incentives for each contract year. He will also receive $250,000 at the end of each of the next four years with the amount increasing up to $500,000 annually for the last three years of his contract, according to the release.

“There is no other place our family would rather be than Manhattan and K-State,” Taylor said. “I appreciate President Linton, the KSA Board and the Kansas Board of Regents for their continued trust in me leading such a phenomenal athletics program. We have the best fans and donors in the country and a group of coaches, staff and student-athletes who are committed to competing for championships, and I am looking forward to the years ahead as we continue to elevate our program.”

Taylor became Director of Athletics for K-State in April 2017, according to the K-State Sports website. It said the university has seen both academic and financial successes with Taylor on board, namely in last season’s Big 12 Championship in the football program and the Elite Eight run for men’s basketball. He was also named the 2022-2023 Cushman & Wakefield FBS AD of the Year.