Purdue University board extends athletics director Mike Bobinski

WEST LAFAYETTE — The Purdue University board of trustees approved a contract extension for athletics director Mike Bobinski on Friday morning.

Bobinski’s contract was set to expire in June and now runs through June 30, 2028.

Purdue hired Bobinski to succeed former athletic director Morgan Burks in 2016. His contract was then renewed in 2019.

Bobinski’s new contract also comes with a significant pay raise. Bobinski’s base salary will now be $975,000 with a $250,000 retention bonus if he is still employed with the university in July 2026, and another if still employed in 2028.

“This is well deserved as Bobinski is one of the best athletic directors in the country,” board member Mike Klipsch said. “He is currently paid at the bottom of the Big 10 schools and now, this will put him somewhere in the middle.”

In addition to an increase in pay, Bobinski’s new contract also gives him access to the Purdue plane, or “Purdue Executive Lift,” for personal use for up to 15-hours per year.

The former Notre Dame baseball player previously had spent two decades as an athletic director at Georgia Tech, Xavier and Akron.

More: Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski on NIL, Big Ten expansion, athletic success

During his seven years as Purdue’s athletics director, Bobinski’s background in university fundraising came into play with the implementation of NIL opportunities for student-athletes, who for the first time were permitted by the NCAA beginning in 2021 to make money off their name, image and likeness.

Off the back of that, Purdue founded the Boilermaker Alliance to provide student-athletes opportunities to earn money based on their athletic ties to Purdue.

“College athletics are going through a lot of fast and furious changes,” Purdue University President Mung Chiang said. “We need someone like Mike to maintain our leadership and integrity. We as Boilermakers train, compete and win; and we do so in the Purdue fashion. We do it the right way and it is no easy task. Given all the changes, it is particularly exciting and monumental to continue to have Bobinski as our athletic director.”

Bobinski also oversaw Purdue Athletics during the coronavirus pandemic, which saw athletics programs finding ways to be creative to produce revenue. During the pandemic, Purdue’s “More than a game” campaign raised $18.5 million, which allowed the athletics programs to not assume any debt.

Fundraising efforts under Bobinski also led to facility upgrades to Ross-Ade Stadium and Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.

During Bobinski’s seven years at Purdue, he hired Jeff Brohm as head football coach, then Brohm’s successor Ryan Walters. The Brohm hire resulted in Purdue’s only trip to the Big Ten Championship game last season.

Walters’ hire is one of multiple youthful hires under Bobinski, including Katie Gearlds (women’s basketball), Alex Jerden (men’s swimming) and Magui Frezotti (softball). Bobinski said in July that it wasn’t by design and was about finding the right candidates, who all happened to be in their 30s.

Men’s basketball coach Matt Painter and volleyball coach Dave Shondell, coaches of perhaps Purdue’s two most successful programs during Bobinski’s tenure, both were extended under Bobinski.

Board Chairman Mike Berghoff also noted that Bobinski has now been on the NCAA basketball selection committee not once, but two times. This accolade is not an easy task, he noted, as conference chair members are required to nominate people onto the committee.

“I hear from his [Bobinski’s] peers, other athletic directors, who speak very, very, very highly of him,” Berghoff said. “He not only served on the NCAA selection committee, but he was the chair. Then he got recruited again when one of the committee members took a different job. They called him out of basketball committee retirement. It is a big job, and it is highly respected. We have ourselves one of, if not the best, athletic directors in the country.”

Bobinski is the fourth full-time athletics director at Purdue since 1942, following Guy “Red” Mackey, George King and Morgan Burke. The new contract is effective immediately.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue University board extends athletics director Mike Bobinski