Murray State University Athletics
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Billy Kennedy Signs Contract Extension
3/30/2010 4:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Murray State University director of athletics Allen Ward announced the school has extended the contract of men's basketball coach Billy Kennedy through 2014.
Kennedy's efforts came to their fullness last season when the Racers won a program record 31 games and defeated Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament for the school's first win since 1988.
Kennedy's contract extension is deserving and comes after the Racers won their 21st Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and 14th OVC Tournament title which led to a 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"Extending Coach Kennedy's contract has been a priority and I'm pleased we were able to get things worked out to keep him at Murray State," Ward said. "After the remarkable, record-breaking year we all just enjoyed, he is certainly deserving of the commitment the university has made."
"I'm very thankful for Dr. Dunn's and Allen Ward's commitment to me and my staff," Kennedy said. "The MSU community is a special place and I'm excited about the future and I'm thankful to be the coach at Murray State."
Kennedy also had praise for the student-athletes that have come through the MSU program.
"I love my players," Kennedy said. "And I look forward to another special season next year."
The future looks promising for MSU as they have most of the squad coming back for the 2010-11 season.
"We have a really good team coming back and a great opportunity to defend our championships," Ward added. "Keeping the coaching staff together gives us the best chance to capitalize on last year's success and ensure nothing disrupts the momentum the program is experiencing."
Kennedy's contract extension is also an important statement for the Murray State program that has won more games and championships than any team in the OVC.
Ward noted the leadership of Murray State President Dr. Randy J. Dunn was instrumental in the extension of Kennedy's contract.
"Being able to negotiate and put together a package attractive enough to retain a highly sought after coach is a first I would imagine," Ward said. "I understand the parameters of a mid-major program, and ultimately where that can lead for coaches at Murray State, but this is an important step for us."
"Racer fans should appreciate Dr. Dunn's vision, his leadership, and his support of Racer basketball," Ward added. "I know I do as it was very important throughout this process."
The 2009-10 season will go down in history as perhaps the greatest season in the 85 seasons of Murray State Basketball.
MSU ran through the OVC schedule with a 17-1 record, for only the third one-loss season in school history. They were the first team in the nation to reach the 30-win mark when MSU won the OVC Tournament with a victory over Morehead State to advance to the NCAA Tournament where they were named a 13-seed and faced 4-seed Vanderbilt in the west region in San Jose, Calif.
Danero Thomas' buzzer-beating jumper won the game for MSU 66-65 over the Commodores and sent the Racers into a second round game with 5-seed Butler. The Racers lost a heartbreaking 54-52 game to the Bulldogs.
