Navy sweetens contract deal for Niumatalolo

Ken Niumatalolo readily admitted he had big shoes to fill when he replaced Paul Johnson as head coach of the Naval Academy football program last December.

Johnson had become known as the savior of Navy football, taking over a program that had reached rock bottom and leading it to five straight winning seasons that were all capped by bowl berths. The Midshipmen also captured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy five consecutive years by compiling a 10-0 record against Army and Air Force during that stretch.

After serving 10 seasons as an assistant at Navy, Niumatalolo was elevated to head coach and became the most successful...