Pittsburgh, PA -- (Sports Network) - Pittsburgh football coach Dave Wannstedt received a contract extension through the 2012 season on Saturday.

Wannstedt's current contract was set to run through the 2009 campaign, but three years were added to his pact on Saturday.

"When Dave Wannstedt became our head football coach, less than three years ago, it was our shared goal to build a football program grounded in appropriate values and structured for sustainable, long-term success," university chancellor Mark Nordenberg said. "Though everyone who cares about Pitt football wishes that this season had produced more victories on the field, clear signs of progress can be seen in this young, talented and clearly committed team."

The Panthers are just 4-7 this season heading into Saturday's annual "Backyard Brawl" game against West Virginia.

Despite compiling a 15-19 record in his tenure at his alma mater, Wannstedt has the support of newly-hired athletic director Steve Pederson, who served as the university's athletic director for just over six years before a five-year stint in the same capacity at Nebraska.

"My relationship with Dave dates back to my initial arrival at Pitt 11 years ago," Pederson said. "I know that he is passionately committed to the University of Pittsburgh and its football program. We are going to work very hard to do everything we can to help him and our program achieve at the highest levels."

Wannstedt played offensive tackle at Pittsburgh from 1970-73 and was a captain his senior year. He also began his 30-year coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Panthers in 1975.

This is Wannstedt's first stint as a head coach on the collegiate level, but he spent 14 years as an assistant. He landed his first coaching job as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh in 1975 and was on the staff when the Panthers won the national championship the following year.

The Baldwin, Pennsylvania native moved on to Oklahoma State in 1979, then spent three years at Southern California starting in 1983. He left in 1986 to take the defensive coordinator position at the University of Miami-Florida, and the Hurricanes lost just two games while winning one national championship during his three years in Coral Gables.

In 1989, Wannstedt moved on to the NFL with Jimmy Johnson and became the defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys. After capturing a Super Bowl title in 1992 with Dallas, he was named the head coach of the Bears, whom he coached from 1993-1998. He was also head coach of the Miami Dolphins for five- plus seasons before taking the Pitt job. Wannstedt has a mark of 82-87 as an NFL head coach.