CORVALLIS, Ore. -- After making a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Wayne Tinkle has extended his stay with Oregon State.
Tinkle, a former University of Montana player and coach, received a four-year contract extension that keeps him Oregon State's head coach through the 2026-27 season, OSU vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Scott Barnes announced Monday.
Tinkle was awarded a three-year extension and received an additional year for making the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
“We’ve spent a lot of time working on this extension to keep Coach Tinkle at the helm of the Oregon State men’s basketball program,” Barnes said in a media release. “We are very proud of the work he has done to rebuild this program. He has done it the right way both on and off the court, and we are excited for continued success.”
Tinkle became the Beavers' coach in 2014 after eight largely successful seasons as the Grizzlies' head coach. Since arriving at Oregon State, Tinkle has recorded five winning seasons and one 16-16 season and twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon State had two winning seasons in the previous 24 years and hadn't been to the Big Dance since 1990.
The 2020-21 season proved to be one for the history books for Tinkle and the Beavers. He led the team to its first-ever Pac-12 Conference Tournament championship and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers won three games in the NCAA Tournament -- defeating Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Loyola Chicago -- to advance to the Elite Eight, tying the Beavers' 1963 Final Four team for the most victories in a season by an Oregon State team. Oregon State ended its season with a 67-61 loss to Kelvin Sampson and Houston in the Elite Eight.
It was the first time Oregon State won an NCAA Tournament game and advanced to the Elite Eight since 1982.
“We truly appreciate the belief and support from the administration,” Tinkle said. “Scott has put a lot of time and effort into making this happen. My family and I are so thankful for our opportunity with Oregon State. We want to thank Beaver Nation for all of their love and support as well. We’re looking forward to continuing with the success that’s been built here at OSU.”
Tinkle was an assistant coach at Montana from 2002-06 before becoming the program's head coach in 2006, a position he held until leaving for Oregon State in 2014.
As the head coach of the Griz, Tinkle had a winning record in seven of his eight seasons. The Griz won Big Sky Conference regular-season titles in 2010, 2012 and 2013, and Big Sky Conference tournament championships in 2012 and 2013.
