Duke football coach Cutcliffe gets extension

Dec 21, 2008 - 5:28 PM DURHAM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Duke football coach David Cutcliffe signed a two-year contract extension Sunday.

Financial terms of the deal, which will keep Cutcliffe under contract through 2015, were not disclosed.

Hired just over a year ago, Cutcliffe coached the Blue Devils to a 4-8 record this season, including a 1-7 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The four wins matched Duke's victory total from the previous four seasons combined.

"Coach Cutcliffe has clearly established himself as an elite player within the entire college football coaching community," Duke athletic director Kevin White said. "Without question, David is one of the premier coaches in the country.

"Not surprisingly, in a relatively short period of time, David has implanted his strong and determined leadership all over the Duke football program."

Cutcliffe, a former assistant at Tennessee, had been linked to the job opening in Knoxville when long-time Volunteers coach Phillip Fulmer was forced to resign last month.

But Cutcliffe formally announced his desire to remain at Duke in early November, and he echoed those sentiments Sunday.

"I am grateful to (the administration) for their confidence in our staff as we build on something really special here at Duke," Cutcliffe said. "As I have said many times over the past year, Duke is a fantastic place with outstanding people, and we are thrilled to be a part of this institution."