ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan and athletic director Warde Manuel have agreed on a five-year contract extension, shortly after the head of the department negotiated a new deal with football coach Jim Harbaugh.
University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel recommended the move to retain Manuel and the school’s governing body approved the agreement Thursday.
Manuel played football for the late Bo Schembechler and was a part of the Wolverines’ track and field program. He was hired by Michigan in 2016 after he was athletic director at Connecticut and Buffalo, which he helped establish as a Division I program.
Facing a big decision about Harbaugh’s future, Manuel and Harbaugh agreed last month to terms of a five-year contract that cut his former teammates guaranteed compensation and gives him an opportunity to make up for the financial loss if he can start winning championships.
Manuel brought back Juwan Howard to Michigan, where he was a member of a class known as the Fab Five, to lead the basketball program in 2019 after coach John Beilein accepted an offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Manuel is the president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and also serves as a board member for the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.
