CSU and football coach Mike Bobo have signed a three-year contract extension, Director of Athletics Joe Parker announced Thursday, Dec. 14. The agreement extends Bobo’s original five-year contract, which began in 2015, through the 2022 football season.
In each of his three seasons as head coach at Colorado State, Bobo’s Rams teams have qualified for a bowl game and recorded winning seasons. He is the first head coach in school history to lead his team to a bowl game in each of his first three seasons, and one of just two leaders of the program — along with Sonny Lubick — to coach the Rams in multiple bowl games.
Colorado State will face Marshall Saturday, Dec. 16, in Albuquerque, N.M., in the 12th annual Gildan New Mexico Bowl. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time, and the game is televised on ESPN.
This three-year extension includes a base salary increase for 2018, to $1.8 million, with increases of $100,000 for each successive season through 2022. Bobo’s original contract was to pay $1.65 million for 2018. As in his original five-year contract, Bobo may receive bonus compensation for specific team performance achievements.
Strong foundation
“Mike Bobo has developed a strong foundation for our football program,” Parker said. “His leadership and focus on creating an environment where young people can grow in their academic and athletic pursuits is the essence of intercollegiate athletics. We have shared championship aspirations for our program and continuity is an extremely important element to chartering the path toward achieving those aspirations.”
The Rams have featured one of the most potent offenses in all of the FBS ranks under Bobo’s laeadership. In 2017 Colorado State boasts the No. 10 offense in the nation, averaging a school-record 501.0 yards per game, and ranks second in the nation in third-down conversions at a school-record pace of 50.6 percent. This year’s Rams team also is on pace to set a school record for first downs per game (25.4).
High-powered offense
Including this year’s school-record pace of 501.0 yards per game, Bobo’s offenses have produced two of the top four all-time marks in school history (2016, 462.5; 4th). The Rams are on pace to produce a third top-seven scoring offense in 2017, entering the New Mexico Bowl averaging 33.8 points per game, which would rank fifth in school history. Bobo’s 2016 team ranked third (35.3) and his first Rams team in 2015 averaged 32.1, which would rank seventh if this year’s figure remains above it. No coach in school history has led his teams to three top-seven scoring seasons in a three-year span.
“I am very grateful for the confidence shown in me by both Joe Parker and (CSU President) Tony Frank,” Bobo said. “It is humbling and gratifying to be able to show my commitment to Colorado State University with the signing of this extension. I’m thankful for the terrific support of our fans and alumni, and the Fort Collins community that has welcomed my family and me, and has made us feel at home here. I would also like to thank the outstanding student-athletes and coaches in our program, as well as the university community for all of their hard work, support and investment in our football program. To see our new on-campus stadium become a reality is something we all are very proud of.”
Memorable stadium opener
Consistent with the growth of the university and the athletics department, Bobo has continued to elevate all aspects of the Colorado State football program. Ushering in a new era of Rams football with the opening of the new on-campus stadium, Coach Bobo and his Rams christened the new facility on Aug. 26 with a 58-27 victory over Oregon State before a sellout crowd of 37,583.
Bobo was hired Dec. 23, 2014, and is the 22nd head football coach in school history. He came to Colorado State from his alma mater, the University of Georgia, where he had spent the previous 14 seasons, including the last eight as offensive coordinator. Bobo played quarterback for the Bulldogs from 1994-97 and still ranks among the top six in school history in nearly every career passing statistic.
He and his wife, Lainie, have five children: A son, Drew; triplets Olivia, Jake and Ava Grace; and daughter, Kate.
