KU announces contract extension for Director of Athletics Travis Goff

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff has signed a seven-year contract extension that will keep him at KU through 2031.

The agreement extends Goff’s contract — originally a five-year deal worth $700,000 annually — through May 31, 2031, and increases his base salary to $1.3 million. Goff’s title will also be elevated to Director of Athletics/Vice Chancellor for Athletics.

See the contract extension (pdf).

“Travis has proven to be among the most respected athletic directors in the country and terrific fit for KU at this moment in our history,” said Douglas A. Girod, chancellor of the University of Kansas. “He has established a culture of excellence and integrity within Kansas Athletics — and done so while navigating unprecedented changes to the collegiate athletics landscape and positioning KU for long-term success. We are thrilled he’s a Jayhawk, and we look forward to his leadership for years to come.”

Since returning to his alma mater, Goff has hired Football Head Coach Lance Leipold, signed Basketball Head Coach Bill Self to an amended contract and helped raised nearly $300 million in combined donor and state support for the university’s Gateway District, which will include a transformed David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and a conference center to generate revenue for academic programming. Additionally, Allen Fieldhouse is currently in the final phase of a $50 million renovation that began in 2023 under Goff’s leadership.

More broadly, Goff has guided KU through an extraordinary shift in the collegiate athletics landscape that has included conference realignment; new long-term TV contracts; the implementation of name, image and likeness (NIL) policies; an overhaul of student-athlete transfer rules and congressional legislation that has greatly affected the future of collegiate athletics. Also under his leadership, KU student-athletes have thrived academically, setting or tying a department record for NCAA Graduation Success Rate for three straight years.

Prior to joining KU in April 2021, Goff served as Northwestern University’s deputy director of athletics and assistant vice president. Before joining Northwestern, he served as associate athletics director for external affairs at Tulane University and worked in athletics development at KU, where he earned his undergraduate degree.

“The University of Kansas is responsible for so many of the blessings in my life: an exceptional student experience and degree, my passion for college athletics and the opportunity for my wife, Nancy, and I to raise our family in this community, amongst many others,” Goff said. “I have the privilege to work with the best coaches and staff in the country, and together, we serve a remarkable university, passionate fanbase and, most importantly, 500 of the most inspiring young people in society – Jayhawk student-athletes.”

Goff continued: “I am thankful to Chancellor Girod for his continued trust in our team, and I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to continue leading Kansas Athletics through a pivotal time. Rest assured, our best days are ahead.”