ORONO — It might seem like a bit of a last-minute drive by the University of Maine, but the Black Bears have scored a contract extension with head coach Jack Cosgrove.

Less than 24 hours before the football program was to begin receiving written commitments from its 2013 recruiting class, UMaine announced Tuesday that it had reached a new three-year contract with its veteran coach.

“I am pleased to announce that we have signed Jack Cosgrove to lead our football program for another three seasons,” said University of Maine Director of Athletics Steve Abbott. “Jack has done a terrific job as the leader of the Black Bear football team. He thrives on the intense competition and rivalries in the Colonial Athletic Association, and is committed to continuing to build upon the team’s success.”

Cosgrove, who is making $175,000 during this, the last year of his current five-year contract, will earn an annual base salary of $186,995 per year for the duration of his new deal, which runs through June 2016.

“The Cosgrove family is grateful for this opportunity to continue to serve the state of Maine and the University of Maine and its Black Bear football program,” Cosgrove said. “We look forward to facing — and embracing — the challenge of providing a quality academic and athletic experience for the young men in our program. We are already hard at work preparing, through our recruiting and training of our current football team, for the challenge of CAA football and our 2013 schedule.”

Cosgrove is in his 20th year guiding the Black Bears, who have compiled a 111-118 overall record under his direction. His 111 victories are a program record and his 76 Colonial Athletic Association wins place him fifth in league history.

UMaine has won two conference championships and has made four NCAA playoff appearances under Cosgrove (2001, 2002, 2008, 2011). That includes three trips to the Football Championship Subdivision national quarterfinals, most recently in 2011.

“I am especially pleased that we have finalized the contract for Coach Cos,” says UMaine President Paul W. Ferguson. “We have been enjoying a productive conversation with Jack over the last several months following the season’s end, both reflecting on his successful decades of service, but also on a vision for the future of Black Bear Football. I look forward to continuing our close friendship and partnership with him.”

Cosgrove’s teams have produced 21 All-America selections and 129 all-conference picks in the CAA, regarded as the premier league in the FCS. The Black Bears received 26 All-CAA Academic honors from 2009-11.

Abbott explained that Cosgrove’s commitment to UMaine football goes well beyond the game, extending instead into all areas of the student-athletes’ lives.

“In addition to being a first-rate football coach, Jack has been a great mentor and teacher for a whole generation of Maine football players,” Abbott says. “Coach Cosgrove firmly believes in the importance of the academic and personal development of his athletes, and he has made that a priority for more than 20 years. I am delighted that he will continue to guide this program in the future.”

Cosgrove, a native of Sharon, Mass., is a 1978 UMaine graduate. He was an All-Yankee Conference quarterback for the Black Bears.

His coaching awards include being named the Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year in 1996 and 2001, the 2001 American Football Monthly I-AA National Coach of the Year and the 2011 New England Football Writers FCS Division I Coach of the Year.