Mississippi State awards Dan Mullen 4-year extension

Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen has received a four-year contract extension worth $4.5 million a year, the school announced on Monday.

Mullen is entering his ninth season at MSU and has the program's best winning percentance since Allyn McKeen had a .764 mark from 1939-49. Mullen is 61-42 as the MSU head coach.

“Dan has brought unprecedented success to Bulldog football and is one of the elite coaches in the country,” MSU athletic director John Cohen said Monday in a press release. “From a school-record seven straight bowl games to our performance in the classroom, he continues to raise the standard of excellence.”

Mullen is the second-longest tenured head coach in the SEC and has produced more bowl victories (five) and bowl appearances (seven straight) than any coach in school history.

Mullen's extension will last through the 2021 campaign.

“I am very thankful to the university and athletic administration for their belief in me,” Mullen said in a press release. “We have built a special program over the last eight years, creating a culture where winning is expected while achieving that in the toughest division in college football. I am proud of what we have accomplished, and I am truly excited about the direction we are heading as a program. This extension allows my family a long-term future here in Starkville, a place we are proud to call home.”

Mullen was named the 2014 National and SEC Coach of the Year in 2014 after leading the team to a 10-3 mark and an Orange Bowl bid.

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Mississippi State awards Dan Mullen 4-year extension."