Kansas QB Jalon Daniels, the preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year, to start opener
17 November 2023
MANHATTAN, Kan. (WDAF) — It has been a successful time for Kansas State Athletics.
The university decided to extend athletic director Gene Taylor through the 2029-30 academic year. His contract extends through June 30, 2020, with a salary of $925,000 beginning this academic school year.
He will receive $250,000 at the end of each of the next four years, and that number is going to increase to $500,000 for the final three years of the contract.
Kansas State Athletics has seen a plethora of success lately.
The women’s basketball upset second-ranked Iowa on Thursday evening, the men’s basketball team reached the Elite 8 in head coach Jerome Tang’s first season, and the football team won the 2022 Big 12 Championship and is still in contention for another one this season.
“K-State is fortunate to have one of the nation’s premier athletic directors in Gene Taylor,” Kansas State University President Richard Linton said.
“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 was recognized for his efforts last season, being awarded the 2022-23 Cushman & Wakefield FBS AD of the Year.
And one of Taylor’s biggest moves was hiring Tang, who ended up being named the 2022-23 Naismith Coach of the Year after previously being second to last in the conference the year before.
“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.”