Wisconsin gives AD Chris McIntosh a 5-year contract extension that includes pay raise

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh has signed a five-year contract extension that includes a pay raise.

McIntosh’s contract will now run through June 30, 2029. He has served as Wisconsin’s athletic director since Barry Alvarez’s retirement in the summer of 2021.

“Chris is an extremely effective leader at a time of unprecedented change across the collegiate athletics landscape,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said Wednesday in a statement. “In the midst of this shift, he continues to position the Badgers for long-term success in the top tier of college sports. I’m thrilled he’ll continue to be a Badger and look forward to his leadership in the years to come.”

In the release announcing McIntosh’s extension, Wisconsin said he will make $1.45 million in base salary this year with an annual $50,000 escalator clause that would increase his pay to $1.5 million the following year.

Under that escalator clause, McIntosh would make $1.65 million the final year of his contract.

McIntosh’s original contract had given him a base compensation of $1 million for 2024.

His contract will be funded by a combination of athletic department revenues and UW Foundation gift funds designated for athletics.

McIntosh, 47, has worked in Wisconsin’s athletic department since 2014. He was an All-American offensive tackle for Wisconsin before the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2000 draft.

His most notable moves as athletic director have included coaching changes in football and men’s hockey. He fired Paul Chryst as football coach in October 2022 and hired Luke Fickell away from Cincinnati later that year. He dismissed Tony Granato as men’s hockey coach at the end of the 2022-23 season and replaced him by luring Mike Hastings from Minnesota State.

Fickell went 7-6 in his debut season at Wisconsin. Hastings went 26-12-2 and led Wisconsin to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021.

“Serving as Director of Athletics at Wisconsin continues to be a privilege and I am grateful to Chancellor Mnookin for her support and confidence in me,” McIntosh said. “The college athletics landscape is changing quickly, and I am committed to helping our student-athletes achieve both academic and athletic success in this new environment. Along with our administrative team, coaches and staff, I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead and creating more opportunities for success.”