Indiana University extends athletic director Scott Dolson's contract, gives raise
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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson signed an amended contract that extends his deal through 2031.
According to documents obtained by The Herald-Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, the amendment was finalized on Nov. 25, 2025, five days before the school announced a long-term extension for football coach Curt Cignetti.
Dolson, a former student manager for Bob Knight who helped transform his alma mater’s fortunes on the gridiron, will make a base salary of $1.15 million a year, up $200,000 from his previous extension. He signed an additional contract amendment in June 2026 that impacted his deferred-compensation plan.
The university will now contribute $500,000 each July — up from $125,000 — through the length of the extended deal. Dolson will become fully vested in the deferred compensation account if he remains as the school's athletic director through December 2031 or is fired without cause before that date.
The other financial incentives and buyout language remained untouched from the previous contract extension Dolson signed in 2024.
While Dolson is one of the longest-tenured athletic directors in the Big Ten, his overall annual compensation ranks in the middle of the conference. The Big Ten has a several athletic directors making $2 million or more on a yearly basis, including Penn State’s Pat Kraft, Michigan’s Warde Manuel, Ohio State’s Ross Bjork, Illinois’ Josh Whitman and Minnesota’s Mark Coyle.
Dolson landed his latest extension during IU football's perfect season.
In a two-year span, the Hoosiers went from the losingest program in college football history to national champions. Dolson’s decision to hire Cignetti as Tom Allen's replacement following the 2023 season helped pave the way for that success.
Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances with a 27-2 overall record. At every turn, he's credited Dolson and IU President Pam Whitten for giving the football program the support and resources it needs.
In the months following IU's win over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium, Dolson was named the NACDA Athletics Director of the Year Award, and a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year.
Those accolades came as Dolson gained broader national recognition, as one of four athletic directors selected to participate in a roundtable at the White House to discuss potential reforms in college athletics. Coming out of that meeting, Dolson was named to one of the committees President Donald Trump organized to make recommendations around those reforms.
“I think everybody will tell you in the Big Ten all the people that get to work with Scott, he's tremendous to work with,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said at the conference’s football media days. “He's collaborative. He cares deeply about the entire league. He fights hard for Indiana.”
Dolson brought plenty of perspective to the table having guided his alma mater through an era of tremendous turmoil and change.
He took over for former IU athletic director Fred Glass at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. After helping the athletic department rebound from a $25 million shortfall, Dolson’s fundraising efforts positioned the school to succeed in the NIL and revenue-sharing era.
Who are the longest serving Big Ten athletic directors?
- Oregon: Rob Mullens, 17th year (Hired: July 15, 2010)
- Michigan: Warde Manuel, 11th year (Jan. 29, 2016)*
- Illinois: Josh Whitman, 11th year (Hired: February 17, 2016)
- Minnesota: Mark Coyle, 11th year (Hired: May 11, 2016)
- Indiana: Scott Dolson, 7th year (Hired: March 17, 2020)
- UCLA: Martin Jarmond, 7th year (Hired: May 19, 2020)
- Penn State: Pat Kraft, 5th year (Hired: April 29, 2022)
- USC: Jennifer Cohen, 3rd year (Hired: Aug 21, 2023)
- Ohio State: Ross Bjork, 3rd year (Hired: Jan. 16, 2024)
- Iowa: Beth Goetz, 3rd year (Hired: Jan. 18, 2024)
- Nebraska: Troy Dannen, 3rd year (Hired: March 20, 2024)
- Washington: Pat Chun, 3rd year (Hired: March 26, 2024)
- Northwestern: Mark Jackson, 3rd year (Hired: Aug. 29, 2024)
- Maryland: James E. Smith, 2nd year (Hired: May 15, 2025)
- Rutgers: Keli Zinn, 2nd Year (Hired: July 30, 2025)
- Wisconsin: Shawn Eichorst, 1st year (Hired: July 1, 2026)
- Michigan State: Jon Palumbo, 1st year (Hired: July 10, 2026)^
- Purdue: Tommy McClelland, 1st year (Hired: Aug. 6, 2026)
* Manuel will step down on Dec. 31, 2026
^ Palumbo was named the school’s interim athletic director
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana University extends athletic director Scott Dolson's contract, gives raise
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