After a record setting season in which Indiana's football team went 6-2 and did historic things, Indiana Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson reaffirmed his commitment to the football program and head coach Tom Allen recently.
A week ago, Indiana officials announced that Allen's contract had been restructured to pay him an annual compensation of $4.9 million per year through 2027. The move comes on the heels of Allen earning Big Ten Coach of the Year and national coach of the year honors and after Allen signed a new seven-year contract worth $27.3 million last December.
In a release, Dolson said Allen has proven his worth.
"Tom Allen has proven himself to be not only the right person for our student-athletes and our program, but one of the best football coaches in the country," said Dolson. "The enthusiasm and outlook for our program is at an all-time high, and the future of Indiana Football is in great hands. I look forward to Tom leading our program for many years to come. "I thank President McRobbie and the Board of Trustees for their support throughout this process, and I thank Tom for his commitment to building something very special in Bloomington. I could not be more excited about the future of Indiana Football."
Dolson broke down what exactly his commitment to Allen and the football program means and why it is so important to compensate Allen and his assistant coaches fairly with Don Fischer, voice of the Hoosiers, recently.
"Just so excited to keep investing in football....One of the things that both Tom Allen and I talk about a lot is a continued investment in football. That's what Bill Mallory always talked to me about. Obviously, Tom is the catalyst, he's the driver," Dolson said.
Dolson acknowledged Allen has built a program and it is something everyone can see.
"Tom is got a special feel about him, a special presence and you can feel it when he connects with players. One of the things we talk about a lot is consistency and to have a consistent plan and work that plan. Tom has the intangibles and really builds leaders, he is genuine and what you see is what you get. He is so important to the department and university. We can't be more happy with where football is headed right now and we want to continue to be consistent with our investing, our approach and continue to build and grow every day," Dolson continued.
Dolson said he has heard from many how excited they are for the 2021 season and the job Allen and the Hoosiers did in 2020.
"I said to Tom it feels like we haven't played football in a couple years, and I have had more people than ever talk about how excited they are about football and looking forward to it. The excitement that Tom has created, obviously, winning is a huge part of that, but it is also the way he does things. You can see it in the players. I know our fans enjoyed seeing after the Wisconsin game on the field and the players just the emotion they showed towards Tom. That is a small example of the feel around the program. It is more than just on the field. We are doing things the right way, we are doing things academically, personally for our student-athletes. It is huge because we want to continue to be competitive on the field, but the way Tom leads, it is much more than that," Dolson said.
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