Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham greets fans after defeating BYU at an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, in Provo, Utah. Utah defeated BYU 30-12. (AP Photo/George Frey)
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham looks on in the second half during an NCAA college football game against UCLA Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham looks to the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter as the University of Utah faces Northwestern in the Holiday Bowl, NCAA football in San Diego, Calif., on Monday Dec. 31, 2018.
(Photo courtesy of Mark Philbrick/BYU) BYU linebacker Kyle Whittingham and coach LaVell Edwards celebrate the Cougars' 1980 Holiday Bowl victory.
(Photo courtesy of Mark Philbrick/BYU) Kyle Whittingham (59) and BYU defensive teammates including Tom Holmoe (46) align for a goal-line stand vs. Washington State.
FTB 411 1981 Holiday Bowl
December 17, 2018
Photography by Mark Philbrick/BYU
FTB 411 08
FTB 411
December 17, 2018
Photography by Mark Philbrick/BYU
(Photo courtesy of Mark Philbrick/BYU) BYU linebacker Kyle Whittingham accepts his defensive MVP award in the 1981 Holiday Bowl.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham leaves the field with his wife Jamie, after Utah defeated BYU for the 8th straight time, in football action between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Utah Utes, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, November 24, 2018.
Photo courtesy Alex Whittingham: Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said other than family and football, skiing is one of his life's passions.
Kyle Whittingham, a Jr. in High school, from the 1977 Provo High Yearbook
Photo courtesy Whittingham family: Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and his family at their annual summertime vacation to Maui this summer.
(Scott Sommerdorf | Tribune File Photo) University of Utah athletic director Chris Hill (left) and Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham walk to the podium together to announce the new contract extinction for Whittingham on Monday December 29, 2008. The terms of the deal were announced as 6 million over 5 years.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham high-fives fans after the win as BYU hosts Utah, NCAA football in Provo, Saturday September 9, 2017.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham holds up wide receiver Brent Casteel (5) after Casteel's touchdown in the final minutes of the game. At the time, it looked like victory for Utah was inevitable. Salt Lake City - Utah vs. BYU college football at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Photo by Trent Nelson; 11.25.2006
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah Utes defensive tackle Filipo Mokofisi (45) and Utah Utes tight end Siale Fakailoatonga (87) dump a cooler of ice water on Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham after the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday December 20, 2014. Utah defeated Colorado State 45-10.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and Utah quarterback Brian Johnson (3) hold their trophy aloft after the Utes defeated Alabama in the 75th annual Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Friday, January 2, 2009.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham shows off his "U" jacket lining as Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, left laughs in response. BYU head coach Kelani Sitake and Whittingham visited the House and caused quite a stir on the floor as Rep. Carol Spackman-Moss was trying to present her bill, HB221 - Immunization of Students Amendments - in the Utah House of Representatives, Thursday, March 3, 2016.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham watches his team as the Utes face Alabama during the 4th quarter in the 75th annual Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Friday, January 2, 2009.
Scott Sommerdorf/The Salt Lake Tribune
Fred and Kyle Whittingham on the sidelines of the Usu WSU football game. photo/egan
09/04/1999
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and defensive coordinator Gary Andersen celebrate after the Utes defeated Alabama in the 75th annual Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Friday, January 2, 2009.
Defensive coach Kyle Whittingham coaches the Utes defense on a snowy day in Provo against BYU at Lavell Edwards Stadium.
11/22/2003
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. The University of Utah's unforgettable 2008 football season officially ends Friday afternoon, with a 3 p.m. parade through downtown Salt Lake City for a team that won 13 straight games.The parade included the football team, band, cheerleaders, Swoop and the MUSS marching from the Eagle Gate entrance at the corner of South Temple and State Street to the City County Building at Washington Square. The marchers will tossed red Sugar Bowl beads into the crowd and 10,000 commemorative buttons were distributed.
Players, coach Kyle Whittingham and others will speak at a rally at Washington Square.
Photo by Leah Hogsten/ The Salt Lake Tribune
SLC 12/9/08
Scott Sommerdorf | Salt Lake Tribune
UTAH at OREGON
Even after a tough loss to Oregon, Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham was able to give an optimistic thumbs-up to the Utah student section that had come to Eugene to cheer for the Utes. Utah lost to Oregon 31-24, Saturday 9/19/09
Kyle Whittingham at the awards ceremony after the Utes won the Fiesta Bowl, University of Utah vs Pittsburgh, at SunDevil Stadium, in Tempe, Arizona. 1/1/2005 photo by Rick Egan
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham gets congratulated by his wife Jamie after Utah defeated BYU 24-21, Saturday, September 15, 2012.
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah Utes defensive tackle Filipo Mokofisi (45) and Utah Utes tight end Siale Fakailoatonga (87) dump a cooler of ice water on Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham after the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday December 20, 2014. Utah defeated Colorado State 45-10.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham chats with the officials, in PAC-12 action, Utah vs. Oregon game, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, November 8, 2014
Kyle Whittingham is not a guy concerned with what kind of legacy he might be leaving whenever he decides to retire from coaching.
The 16th-year University of Utah head coach told The Salt Lake Tribune as much last month during an interview for a story on the Utes beginning their 10th season as a member of the Pac-12.
“I’m constantly looking forward, thinking forward,” Whittingham told The Tribune. “I don’t reminisce, it’s not my personality, I’m too focused on the next task. This job is too demanding, too consuming, so you better enjoy it and thrive in the competitive arena you’re in. If you’re not excited to get up and do it, it’s time to call it.”
Whittingham, who will turn 61 on Nov. 21, is not ready to call it, and his athletic department is not ready to let him go. Utah on Wednesday afternoon announced a four-year contract extension for Whittingham, locking him until at least 2027.
Between “base salary,” “radio and television revenue,” and “appearance fees, public speaking, engagements and fundraising,” the value of the contract through its Dec. 31, 2027 termination date is estimated to be north of $40 million.
In addition to new salary escalators, the contract amendment, obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune, still includes a previously-agreed-upon role as “special assistant to the athletics director” whenever Whititngham retires.
If Whittingham coaches all the way through the end of the contract on Dec. 31, 2027, his role as special assistant to the AD would last for six years and pay him one-sixth of his total compensation. Retirement between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 30, 2027 triggers seven years and one-seventh of total compensation, while retiring on or after Dec. 31, 2027 means six years and one-sixth of total compensation.
“Kyle Whittingham has established a culture in the Utah football program that not only achieves success on the field, but also in the classroom, the community and in the development of student-athletes for their future beyond their time on campus,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “This has been especially evident throughout the pandemic, as he has steadily demonstrated leadership, patience and flexibility, putting the priority of health and well-being for student-athletes above all else.”
Whittingham’s willingness to potentially coach until he is 68 does come as a bit of a surprise. In an Oct. 2019 interview with ESPN700, Whittingham was quoted as saying “I can just about guarantee I won’t be coaching at 65.”
However the timeline shakes out, whenever Whittingham decides to leave the profession, Wednesday again made clear that he will retire as Utah’s head coach. Furthermore, Whittingham is in line to retire as the most-successful coach in the history of the program, which dates back to 1894.
Utah will open its truncated seven-game season on Saturday afternoon vs. Arizona (1:30 p.m., ESPN2) with Whittingham sitting 10 wins shy of Ike Armstrong’s school record for head coaching wins of 141.
Armstrong coached from 1925-1949, a much different time with many different things at stake. With or without the wins record, Whittingham already has a stiff argument as Utah’s most-successful coach.
Whittingham has won a Fiesta Bowl, he has won a Sugar Bowl, the latter acting as the capper to Utah’s vaunted 2008 team going 13-0. The Utes finished their tenure in the Mountain West by winning at least 10 games from 2008-10, including going 21-3 vs. the conference.
Whittingham has compared the football program’s move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 to spanning the Grand Canyon, but it hasn’t taken very long for the Utes to be contenders.
The Utes have won at least eight games six times in nine seasons. They shared the Pac-12 South title in 2015, then won it outright in 2018 and 2019. Utah enters 2020, not as the South favorite, but certainly as a threat. That is a testament to what Whittingham has built, because the Utes are replacing their quarterback, running back and nine defensive starters from the 2019 team, which went 11-3 and got to the doorstep of the College Football Playoff.
KYLE WHITTINGHAM AT UTAH
2004: 1-0 (Co-head coach of Fiesta Bowl with Urban Meyer)