Providence and Ed Cooley have agreed to a contract extension, according to a release from the school. The news of negotiations was first reported by Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal on Monday. No details of the agreement were reported in the release but quotes from Providence Athletic Director Bob Driscoll, President Rev. Brian Shanley and Cooley himself all speak of this contract extension keeping Cooley “at Providence College for life.”
“Providence has always been my destination,” Cooley said. “Fr. Shanley and Bob Driscoll have made a tremendous commitment to compete at the highest level and I appreciate all their support. Nurys and I wanted to acknowledge this support and appreciate Providence College by giving back. We are excited that we will be at Providence College for life.”
To show their continued commitment to Providence College, Cooley and his wife Nurys are donating $500,000 towards the academic portion of the Ruane Friar Development Center that will serve both students and student-athletes for years to come on the Smith Hill campus.
“Coach Cooley has demonstrated in many ways and on many occasions that he is the right coach for Providence College,” said Fr. Shanley. “The College has benefited greatly from his leadership, both on and off the court, and I am pleased to affirm that leadership with this extension of his contract. I look forward to him continuing as the Head Coach of Providence College Men’s Basketball for many years to come. I also want to express the College’s and my own personal gratitude to Ed and Nurys for their generous gift toward the academic portion of the Friar Development Center.”
“We feel this contract extension is an important part of the process in continuing to build our basketball program,” Driscoll said. “Ed has done so much for the College and for the athletics department. He indicated to us that he wants finish his coaching career at Providence College and he is the person we want to guide our men’s basketball program. We are thrilled that Ed will be a Friar for life.”
Cooley’s record in five seasons at Providence is 103-67, good for a 60.5% winning percentage. His career record in ten seasons as a head coach is 195-136. He has made a postseason tournament in each of the last four seasons, including this recent streak of three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Friars were ranked as high as 8th in the AP Poll in 2015-16, which is the highest a Providence team has been ranked since 1977. Cooley also led Providence to the school’s second-ever Big East Tournament Championship in 2014 and is tied with Rick Barnes and Pete Gillen for most wins in the Big East Tournament at 5.
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3 responses to “Providence, Ed Cooley Agree on Contract Extension; Cooley to be “at Providence College for life””
Congratulations Coach Cooley! This is a great moment for you and for Providence College. I wish you the best in the future. You are performing fantastically changing the Basketball program at PC and for positively supporting Providence RI in general!
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