Gators extend track and field coach Mike Holloway through 2032 season

Florida track and field coach Mike Holloway has agreed to a contract extension, keeping the 12-time national championship winner in his native Gainesville through the 2032 season.

The school announced the new deal Thursday, a little less than two months after his program became just the third — and first since Oregon in 2015 — to win the men’s and women’s national titles.

Holloway is a 10-time national coach of the year and in 2016 was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

“It is truly an honor and a blessing to be able to lead these programs here at my alma mater, and my family and I are eternally grateful for the opportunity to finish my career here in Gainesville,” Holloway said in a statement.

Holloway, nicknamed “Mouse,” has turned the Gators into a track and field dynasty. He became head coach of the men’s program in 2003. UF named him women’s coach in 2008.

The Gators’ women beat Texas 74-64 June 11 in Eugene, Ore., to capture the program’s first outdoor title. A day earlier, the Florida men staged a furious final-day comeback to beat Tennessee 54-38 for their fifth national outdoor title.

The women’s program won the indoor title in March.

“Mouse’s leadership has pushed both Gators men’s and women’s track and field programs to unprecedented heights,” UF athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “His unique talents — such as his focus, attention to detail, work ethic and ability to relate — make him a special coach. We are excited that he will continue to be a part of the University of Florida for many years.”

Holloway, who signed a 10-year extension 2018, will be one the nation’s highest-paid track and field coaches. By 2024, he will earn $599,000 annually with bonuses of up to 40% per program for on-track success, according to a UF spokesperson.

In 2022, Holloway earned a total of $734,040. This included his base salary of $321,200, an $80,000 longevity bonus, $100,000 for the school’s equipment deal and an $8,000 academic incentive. He earned a 40% bonus for the women’s championships and 30% for the men’s title.

Holloway’s base salary will remain the same, but his longevity bonus will increase to $100,000 in 2023 and $125,000 in 2024 through the end of the new contract. Holloway will receive $120,000 next season through the school’s equipment deal and $145,000 beginning in 2024.

Holloway, 62, followed a long path to achieve historic success at UF. He became an assistant coach at the school in 1995 after coaching at Gainesville’s Buchholz High School.

Besides 12 national championships, the Gators have won 16 SEC championships under Holloway. In addition, the Gators have captured 84 individual national titles.

Holloway also has enjoyed success coaching internationally.

He served as head coach of the 2020 U.S. men’s Olympic team. In Tokyo in 2021, former Gators national champion hurdler Grant Holloway (no relation) won silver in 110-meter event and UF senior Taylor Manson won bronze with the 4x400 relay team.

At the 2012 Olympics, Holloway coached Team USA’s sprinters and relay teams. The 4x400 relay squad won sliver while Justin Gatlin won a bronze medal in the 100.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.