OU Board of Regents Approve Massive Raise For Oklahoma Coach Patty Gasso

Baseball coach Skip Johnson got a raise and extension, several assistants were approved, and the new rowing coach was officially brought on as well.

Back to back national championships and the largest private donation to a women’s college sport has earned Patty Gasso a queen’s ransom.

The University of Oklahoma announced Thursday at the OU Board of Regents meeting in Tulsa that Gasso’s contract has been extended through 2028 and her salary has been raised to $1.625 million a year.

Gasso, whose teams won the national title in 2021 and 2022 to raise her career total to six, is the nation’s highest-paid softball coach.

Gasso’s base salary, to be paid by the university, is $300,000, up from $280,000. Her new deal also includes $825,000 a year from private funds (up $130,000 and increasing every year by $50,000), an annual stay bonus of $200,000 (paid each February 1) and a supplemental retirement fund of $300,000. She also gets a $150,000 performance bonus if the Sooners win the national championship.

“She’s the queen,” OU athletic director Joe Castiglione told Eric Bailey of the Tulsa World. “Not just for softball. She is one of the remarkable coaches of our time.”

OU baseball coach Skip Johnson, coming off a trip to the College World Series championship series, got a contract extension through 2024 and a $220,000 pay increase to $750,000 this year.

Johnson’s hiring of former Sooner Reggie Willits from volunteer assistant to full-time assistant, was approved at a base salary of $250,000 a year plus another $100,000 in private funds.

OU basketball coach Porter Moser’s hire of former Sooner Ryan Humphrey was approved at a base salary of $250,000 a year, plus another $150,000 in private funds.

OU regents also approved the hiring of new head rowing coach Sarah Trowbridge at a rate of $180,000 a year through 2026, plus $10,000 from private funds.

Oklahoma softball has won six national titles since 2000 and has 10 consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles under Gasso. She's guided the Sooners to 15 Women’s College World Series, and she's been inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame as well as the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Gasso's career record is 1,395-344-2 (.801) at OU.

Gasso's success opened the door for a $9 million donation from Love's to build Love's Field. Purported to be the new standard for collegiate softball facilities, Love's Field will break ground on Sept. 23.