John Markell, who guided Ohio State to its first NCAA tournament berth and then into the Final Four last April, has been granted a four-year contract extension through the 2002 season, the school announced Thursday.
“John is one of the rising stars in coaching today,” said OSU athletic director Andy Geiger. “We’re proud he’s a Buckeye and we want to keep him a Buckeye.”
Markell, 41, was named CCHA Coach of the Year last season. His Buckeyes, picked to languish in the CCHA’s second division, instead finished 27-13-2, ousting conference champion Michigan State 4-3 in overtime at the NCAA West Regional to reach the Final Four.
“I’m very proud of what my staff and I have accomplished at Ohio State,” Markell said. “The athletic department has made a commitment to making hockey a success here, and we will do everything possible to make that happen. We have the potential at an institution like Ohio State to be one of college hockey’s national powers year in and year out.”
The native of Cornwall, Ont., was a Buckeye assistant until he succeeded Jerry Welsh during the 1995 season, first on an interim basis and then as the seventh head coach in OSU’s 35-year hockey history. He played four years in the National Hockey League after graduating from Bowling Green in 1979.
