Terry Bowden set to remain Akron football coach through 2018

Akron head coach Terry Bowden received a two-year contract extension, the school announced Thursday. The deal extends Bowden's contract through the 2018 season.

"We are excited about what Coach Bowden has done with the program over the last two years," athletic director Tom Wistrcill said in a statement. "This extension is a reward for that performance and the belief that we have in him and his staff. There has been a great attitude change within the team and I also know the Zips community is pleased with the progress being made."

Bowden and the Zips are just 4-7 this season, which means the team will miss out on a bowl game for an eighth straight year. Still, it qualifies as progress for a program coming off three consecutive 1-11 seasons. The Zips won just a single MAC game over those three years; in 2013, they've already won three. In September, Akron nearly pulled off an upset of Michigan in the Big House.

Bowden is 5-18 at Akron and has a 145-80-2 lifetime head coaching record.

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