March 12, 2025; Indianapolis, I, USA; Minnesota Golden Gopher’s head coach Ben Johnson during the first half against northwestern Wildcats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Immagn images Minnesota fired Ben Johnson on Thursday morning after four years as head coach at Hans Alma Mater.
Golden Gophers finished with a record of 15-17 (7-13 Big Ten) after losing a setback of 72-64 to Northwestern on Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. The loss was Minnesota fifth in six matches.
Johnson, 44, went 56-71 (22-57 Big Ten) during his four seasons with Golden Gophers.
“These decisions are difficult and are made after careful consideration and evaluation,” said Minnesota Athletic Director Mark Coyle. “The expectation of our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately we have not done so over the past four years.”
Johnson, who had two years left on his contract, received an annual salary of $ 1.95 million – which made him the lowest paid head coach in Big Ten this season. Thursday’s decision will cost the university a purchase of $ 2.93 million of its contract.
A degree in 2005, Johnson returned to the university to serve as assistant coach from 2013-18. He adopted the same role at Xavier from 2018-21 before returning to Minnesota.
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