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Texas Tech track and field coach Wes Kittley gets 7-year, $3.8 million contract
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- Texas Tech track and field coach Wes Kittley gets 7-year, $3.8 million contract
Texas Tech track and field coach Wes Kittley has a new seven-year contract, an agreement approved Thursday by the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents and announced Friday.
The contract is worth a little more than $3.8 million, Tech said, not counting potential bonuses.
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Kittley is part of a six-member class announced Tuesday for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches Hall of Fame . The induction ceremonies are scheduled for Dec. 12 in Aurora, Colorado.
Kittley is 64 years old and said this week he wants to coach past age 70 because he enjoys the job. He's led Tech men's teams to eight Big 12 titles in track and field, sweeping the team titles indoor and outdoor earlier this year. He also led the Red Raiders to the only men's team NCAA championship in school history in 2019.
The cross country programs, which Kittley oversees as director with Jon Murray as head coach, has won three Big 12 women's titles.
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Texas Tech's head track and field and cross country coach Wes Kittley attends football practice, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the Sports Performance Center.
"We have the best track and field coach in the country in Coach Kittley," athletics director Kirby Hocutt Hocutt said in Tech's announcement. "Our track and field program is a shining example of the consistency we hope all our teams strive for with their multiple Big 12 titles and our 2019 national championship. Coach Kittley will be the first to tell you they plan to only get better. We couldn't be more excited he will continue to lead our program for years to come."
The 2024 seasons will be Kittley's 25th as Tech head coach. That will move him past Marsha Sharp for the longest tenure by a Texas Tech coach in any sport.
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Kittley grew up in the small town of Rule and ran for Abilene Christian University. He subsequently coached his alma mater ACU track and field programs to an NCAA-record 29 national championships — 20 women's and nine men's.
Kittley called Tech his "dream school."
"I want to be here," he said. "I'm going to live here. I'm going to die in Lubbock, Texas, and I just want people to be proud of what product we put out and we do it the right way. We try to honor everybody, and then kids leave here feeling like they had a great experience while they were here at Texas Tech."
The Tech men finished fifth at this year's NCAA indoor championships and sixth at the NCAA outdoor.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech track and field coach Wes Kittley gets 7-year, $3.8 million contract
