Roy Williams, UNC Agree to 8-Year Contract Extension Through 2027-28 Season
The University of North Carolina and head basketball coach Roy Williams reached an agreement Wednesday on an eight-year contract extension through the Tar Heels’ 2027-28 season.
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham announced the new deal, and Williams made a statement about his contracts with the school and apparel company Nike.
“I’m grateful and humbled in the University’s continued faith in my leadership of the basketball program. When I coached at Kansas my contracts with Nike and our media partner were private, and UNC respected and honored that for 15 years. However, times have changed and understanding the environment that college basketball faces now, Chancellor [Carol] Folt, Bubba and I agreed the correct and proper thing would be to disclose those terms.”
Williams has led North Carolina to three NCAA Division I championships (2005, 2009 and 2017) since taking over the program in 2003. He owns a 432-128 record across 15-plus seasons at the helm.
The 68-year-old North Carolina native, who played for UNC’s freshman squad, started his collegiate coaching career with the Tar Heels as an assistant to the legendary Dean Smith for a decade, starting in 1978.
He left Chapel Hill in 1988 to become head coach at the University of Kansas. He guided the Jayhawks to a 418-101 record and four Final Four appearances in 15 years before returning to UNC.
Williams, a two-time Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year, is a member of both the College Basketball and the Basketball Halls of Fame.
In August, North Carolina dedicated the floor inside the Dean Smith Center as the Roy Williams Court.
“It was emotional for me,” Williams told the NCAA.com March Madness 365 podcast about the honor. “It’s hard to talk about. It was very flattering…to have my name on the court inside the building named for coach Smith is pretty special.”
It’s shaping up to become another title-contending season for the Tar Heels following an 8-2 start, including a victory over the No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday.
Williams continues to find consistent high-end success, and UNC rewarded him with a long-term deal.
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