Markell Has Contract Extended through 2002 Season – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/2/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
July 2, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University Director of Athletics Andy Geiger announced today that head hockey coach John Markell has been granted a four-year contract extension. Markell’s contract now runs through the 2002 season.
“John is one of the rising stars in coaching today,” Geiger said.
“We’re proud he’s a Buckeye and we want to keep him a Buckeye.” Markell, 41, was the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year last season. After being projected to finish seventh in the conference, he guided Ohio State to its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth, and then on to an appearance in the NCAA Final Four. He was the runner-up in the National Coach of the Year balloting. “I’m very proud of what my staff and I have accomplished at Ohio State,” Markell said. “The athletic department has made a commitment to making hockey a success here, and we will do everything possible to make that happen. We have the potential at an institution like Ohio State to be one of college hockey’s national powers year-in and year-out.”
Markell, a native of Cornwall, Ont., took over as interim coach at Ohio State on Feb. 14, 1995 when former head coach Jerry Welsh stepped down with seven regular season games remaining. Markell was an assistant coach under Welsh at that point. He was officially named the seventh coach in the program’s 35-year history on May 22, 1995. Markell spent four seasons in the National Hockey League after graduating from Bowling Green in 1979. While at Ohio State, his recruiting classes have produced an All-American, a first-team all-CCHA pick, and five CCHA all-Rookie team honorees.
