SEARCH PROFILE Director of Athletics - April 2022
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
SEARCH PROFILE
Director of Athletics
April 2022
In partnership with CarrSports Consulting
ABOUT LAMAR UNIVERSITY
Home to more than 17,000 students, Lamar University is among the fastest-growing Texas colleges and
universities. Lamar University (LU) is a member of The Texas State University System, which is the first higher
education system of Texas and maintains the lowest average tuition and fees of any university system in Texas.
With more than 100 degree options and a community that cares, Lamar students are always proud to be
Cardinals. Learn more at Lamar.edu.
The university stresses academic achievement by emphasizing hands-on learning at all levels, building
meaningful relationships between students and faculty, providing ample opportunities for undergraduate
research, and supporting an excellent Honors Program. Lamar University is accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is one of 29 public universities recognized as a
Doctoral/Research University by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Several LU colleges
and programs hold additional specialized certifications and accreditations recognizing their quality and
expertise.
With over 100 degree options, the university is broken into five undergraduate colleges, one graduate college,
and an honors college.
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Business
College of Engineering
College of Fine Arts and Communication
College of Education and Human Development
College of Graduate Studies
Reaud Honors College
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 1
Vision
Lamar University strives to be a
national leader in access to quality
educational opportunities, community
engagement, and economic impact.
Lamar Rankings:
• U.S. News and World Report rank Lamar No. 9 in their 2022 ranking of “Best Public Universities in
Texas”.
• 2021 PayScale ranks Lamar University Engineering Graduates No. 1 in Texas and No. 3 in the nation
in return on tuition investment 20 years after graduation.
• 2021 PayScale ranks Lamar No. 15 in “Best Colleges in Texas for Salary Potential”.
• Ranked No. 9 in the 2020 “Top Schools Affordable Online Bachelor’s Degrees”, by Great Value Colleges.
• U.S. News & World Report has ranked Lamar University as the fifth-highest on the diverse index
among public universities in Texas, and in the top 14% among other ranked, national institutions.
To view additional rankings, click here.
Core Values:
LU’s values are the compass by which it engages with each other and the community:
ACCESS - Lamar University is accessible to people from all backgrounds, personal orientations and physical
abilities including those who seek education in place and through distance learning.
DIVERSITY - Lamar highly values inclusion and equity in its community, celebrates differences, and strives to
ensure equal access and treatment for all.
COMMUNITY – Lamar is committed to respect for one another, and to mutual support and trust within the
university, throughout the Gulf Coast Region and beyond.
EXCELLENCE - Lamar attracts and retains a diverse group of promising students and provides them with an
intellectually demanding, relevant education.
Commitments:
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion;
• Flexible, Student-Centered Learning;
• Career and Advanced Degree Ready Students;
• Economic Engine of the Gulf Coast Region and Beyond;
• Research and Creativity; and
• A Sustainable Infrastructure to Meet the University’s
Changing Needs.
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 2
LAMAR UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Lamar University students enjoy cheering on the Cardinals in more than a dozen NCAA
Division I men’s and women’s sports. Competing in the Southland Conference,
Cardinals teams have a history of winning championships in sports including men’s
and women’s basketball, volleyball, golf, and cross country.
Lamar University (LU) has gone through several name changes from its
transition from a junior college to its current status as an NCAA Division I
institution. The history of the athletics program dates all the way back to
the 1923 football season, and it currently supports 17 men’s and women’s
varsity sports (baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s
cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis,
men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s soccer,
softball, and volleyball). The Cardinals have a rich tradition of success
across all 17 sports which has seen student-athletes and teams succeed on
a national level annually, including a football program which advanced to
the NCAA FCS Playoffs in just its ninth season after announcing its return.
Several Hall of Fame coaches helped put LU on the map with names that
include Billy Tubbs (men’s basketball), Pat Foster (men’s basketball), Jim
Gilligan (baseball), and Vernon Glass (football) just to name a few.
• The baseball program has produced multiple major leaguers.
• LU’s football program has heightened excitement on campus with
sell-out crowds and students involved in marching band,
cheerleading, the dance team, and all the fun of game-day tailgating.
Nickname: Cardinals
Colors: Red and White
Mascot: Big Red (male cardinal) and Lu (female cardinal)
Fight Song: LU Fight Song
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 3
Points of Pride:
FOOTBALL
• 2018 football advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the first time in program history
• Kade Harrington was 2015 runner-up for the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Year Award –
the first Cardinal to be considered for the award
• Brendan Langley was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos becoming
the first Cardinal drafted since the program’s rebirth, and the first Cardinal taken since the 1990 draft
• The Cardinals have had 19 NFL draft selections in program history (11 on defense and eight on offense)
and 14 All-Americans
• 117 All-Conference Selections
• 103 First-Team All-Conference selections
• 2 Conference Defensive Players of the Year
• 2 Conference Coaches of the Year
• 1 Conference Player of the Year
• 1 Conference Offensive Player of the Year
Notable Players: Kade Harrington, Brenden Langley, Reggie Begleton, Spergon Wynn, Eugene Seale, Burton
Murchison
Notable Wins: 1981 at Baylor, 18-17, on a late field goal – Baylor was defending conference champions and
was ranked 14th in 1980
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
• 17 conference team titles in men’s cross country, including 12 in the last 16 years
• LU has sent 21 runners to the Men’s NCAA Cross Country Championships
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
• 5 conference team titles in women’s cross country
• LU has sent five runners to the Women’s NCAA Cross Country Championships
MEN’S BASKETBALL
• Men’s Basketball has more than 1,000 wins
• 21 1,000-point scorers
• 98 All-Conference Players (83 All-SLC)
• 80-game home court win streak from 1978-84 (still ranks among the NCAA’s all-time top 10)
• 32 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 13 20-win seasons
• 11-time conference champion (including every conference LU has been a part of)
• 9-time Southland Conference Champion
• 9 All-District selections (Either USBWA or NABC)
• 6 NCAA Championship Appearances
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 4
• 6 Conference Players of the Year
• 6 Conference Newcomers of the Year
• 5 NIT Appearances
• 4 Conference Coaches of the Year
• 3 All-Americans
• 1 Conference Freshman of the Year
• 1 Conference Defensive Player of the Year
Notable Players: Colton Weisbrod, Kenny Dawkins, Mike James, James Gulley, Mike Olliver, B.B. Davis, Alvin
Brooks, Clarence Kea, Earl Dow, Don Bryson.
Notable Coaches: Billy Tubbs, Pat Foster
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
• Has recorded more than 700 wins in program history
• 30 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 5 Conference titles
• 8 Conference Freshmen of the Year
• 7 Conference Newcomers of the Year
• 5 Conference Coaches of the Year
• 4 Conference Defensive Players of the Year (Chastadie Barrs is the only player in Southland Conference
history to be named defensive player of the year all four seasons)
• 4 WNIT postseason appearances
• 3 Conference Players of the Year
• 2 NCAA tournament appearances (LU advanced to the 1991 Elite Eight, wins were vacated)
• 2 All-Americans
• 1 TABC Division I Player of the Year
• 1 TABC Coach of the Year
• 1 Olympian (Tamara Abalde played for Spanish Olympic Team)
Notable Players: Kalis Loyd, Jenna Plumely, Lisa McMahon, Chastadie Barrs, Moe Kinard, Tamara Abalde,
Travesa Gant, Carol Sims, Carolyn Ford
Notable Wins: Nov. 29, 2018, def. No. 17 Texas A&M, 74-68
BASEBALL
• 157 All-Conference Selections
• 98 MLB Draft Selections
• 89 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 23 All-Region Selections
• 20 All-Americans (includes 9 Freshman All-Americans)
• 15 No-Hitters
• 13-time NCAA Regional Participant
• 11-time conference champions
• 11 Cardinals have reached the MLB
• 10-time Southland Conference champion
• 5 Conference Tournament Titles
• 2 Conference Freshmen of the Year
• 1 Conference Newcomer of the Year
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 5
Notable Players: Jim Gilligan (also Hall of Fame Coach), Beau Allred, Bruce Aven, Eric Cammack, Jerald
Clark, Clay Hensley, Micah Hoffpauir, Tony Mack, Kevin Millar, Brian Sanches, David W. Smith, and Randy
Williams
Notable Wins:
2016 Def. No. 23 Arizona, 13-5
2016 Def. No. 5 LSU, 12-11 (just two days after beating Arizona)
2017 Def. Illinois (twice) and Rice
2003 Austin Regional – Def. Arkansas (twice) and No. 6 Texas (once)
2002 Austin Regional – Def. Baylor
1995 Midwest Regional – Def. Wichita State (twice)
1985 Austin Regional – Def. No. 20 LSU, Houston, No. 7 Oklahoma
Men’s Golf
• 93 All-Conference Selections
• 87 All-Southland Conference Selections
• 44 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 25 Individual Conference Champions
• 19 Individual Southland Champions
• 15 NCAA Regional Appearances (either a team or a player)
• 13 Southland Coaches of the Year
• 12 PING All-Americans
• 10 NCAA Championship Appearances (either a team or a player)
• 7 Southland Conference Players of the Year
• 7 Southland Freshmen of the Year
• 6 Top 25 Finishes 1983
• 4 Top-10 Finishes since 1983, including a 3rd place finish in 2007
• 4 PING First-Team All-Americans
• 1 Southland Newcomer of the Year
Notable Golfers: Chris Stroud, Dawie Van Der Walt, Shawn Stefani, Justin Harding
Notable Coach: Brad McMakin (former head coach)
Women’s Golf
• 61 All-Conference selections
• 39 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 12 Conference Titles
• 8 Southland Conference Titles
• 8 Individual Conference Titles
• 6 Coaches of the Year
• 5 All-Americans
• 4 Newcomers of the Year
• 4 Freshman of the Year
• 4 Individual Southland Conference Champions
• 3 Golfers of the Year
• 1 Player of the Year
• 1 National Coach of the Year (Pat Park – 1991)
Notable Players: Dawn Coe, Lori Brock, Elsabe Hefer, Louisa Bergsma, Wenny Chang
Notable Coach: Pat Park
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 6
Women’s Tennis
• 85 All-Conference Players
• 58 First Team
• 4 Conference Players of the Year
• 2 Conference Newcomers of the Year
• 2 Conference Freshmen of the Year
• 3 Conference Titles
• 1 Southland Conference Tournament Title
Notable Players: Katya Lapayeva, Andrea Martinez, Mariaryeni Gutierrez, Marlene Chumbez
Men’s Tennis
• 122 All-Conference Selections
• 59 First-Team Selection
• 7 Southland Conference Titles
• 6 NAIA National Singles Champions
• 5 Coaches of the Year
• 4 NAIA Doubles Champions
• 4 Southland Conference Players of the Year
• 2 Freshmen of the Year
• 1 Newcomer of the Year
• 1 NCAA Champion (College Division – 1967 Doubles)
Notable Players: Jakob Paulsen, Filip Kanczula, Michael Feucht
Notable Coaches: Ron Wesbrooks and Scott Shankles
Other Notable Accomplishments: From 2015 to 2018, LU sent either a doubles team (2015) or a full team
to the NCAA Championships
Volleyball
• 77 All-Conference Selections
• 38 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 5 AIAW All-Region Players
• 5 Conference Tournament Titles
• 5 Conference Coaches of the Year
• 5 Conference Newcomers of the Year
• 5 Conference Freshmen of the Year
• 5 Conference Players of the Year
• 4 Conference Regular Season Titles
• 1 All-American
Notable Players: Molli Abel, Natalie Sarver, Ruby Randolph, Liz Blue
Softball*
• 20 All-Conference Selections
• 10 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 3 Newcomers of the Year
*Numbers since the program’s rebirth in 2013
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 7
Soccer*
• 32 All-Conference Selections
• 14 First-Team All-Conference Selections
• 2 Conference Regular Season Titles
• 2 Conference Tournament Titles
• 2 Conference Coaches of the Year
• 2 Conference Players of the Year
• 2 Conference Newcomers of the Year
Notable Players: Lucy Ashworth, Kelso Peskin, Esther Okoronkwo
*Program started in 2007.
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 8
Facilities:
Lamar has some of the finest athletic facilities in the
region. Click here to view virtual tours.
• Dauphin Athletic Complex houses the Lamar
football team as well as other athletic
administration offices. The 54,000 square-foot
facility lies at the south end of the newly renovated
Provost Umphrey Stadium. The complex contains
football locker rooms, weight training and sports
medicine facilities, and academic centers.
• Montagne Center has a seating capacity of
10,080 and is one of the premier basketball arenas
in the country.
• Vincent-Beck Stadium, home of the Cardinal
baseball team, hosted the 1993 Sun Belt
Conference tournament, and 2001, 2002, and
2006 Southland Conference tournaments.
• LU Soccer Complex opened in 2009 and is one
of the top facilities in the Southland Conference.
• LU Softball Complex features a fully lighted
playing field and a programmable irrigation and
fertilization system. Amenities for the student-
athletes include spacious dugouts and locker
rooms as well as bullpens for both teams and a
covered hitting facility.
• Thompson Family Tennis Center received a
total renovation in 2009.
• Ty Terrell Track is the site of the Ty Terrell
Relays, which annually attracts some of the best
prep and collegiate track student-athletes.
• McDonald Gymnasium, following a major
renovation in 2006, is the competition venue for
Lamar University Volleyball and is housed within
the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center.
• Provost Umphrey Stadium is one of the best
Division I FCS venues in the nation which
seats 16,000 and features seven luxury suites. This
state-of-the-art venue was renovated in 2009
thanks in large part to the generosity of donors like
the late Walter Umphrey and his partners at
Provost Umphrey Law Firm, Education First
Federal Credit Union, the Morgan Charitable
Foundation, and Dan F. and Sandra A. Smith.
• Beaumont Country Club is the home of LU’s
golf student-athletes.
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 9Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 10
THE POSITION
Director of Athletics
Lamar University is seeking an outstanding and qualified
individual to serve as the Director of Athletics.
The Director of Athletics is responsible for the development, management, coordination, and supervision of the
University’s Intercollegiate Athletics program. This program has 17 teams, more than 50 coaches, and more than
350 student-athletes.
The Director of Athletics also provides visionary leadership, strategic planning, and policy development for the
athletics program; maintains an athletics program that is committed to the University’s mission and strategic
priorities; administers the overall athletic budget including revenue, recruits and manages the athletic staff and
ensures compliance with all NCAA and conference policies, rules, and regulations. It is important that the
successful candidate create a culture that improves teamwork, raises morale, increases productivity and
efficiency, and enhances the retention of the staff.
The Director of Athletics reports directly to the President of Lamar University and this position serves as a
member of the President’s Administrative Cabinet.
Qualifications:
• Support student-athlete well-being and understand the role of the student-athlete at an outstanding
institution with a strong commitment to academic achievement.
• Create a positive and inclusive culture that facilitates getting the work done (i.e., breakdown silos).
• Must demonstrate the ability to work with coaches to build consistent winning programs.
• Work with coaches on creating schedules.
• Engage the University’s constituents and be an active participant in the community.
• Ability to collaborate with campus leadership, colleges, divisions, and University Faculty and staff.
• Needs to collaborate with the Athletic Council to establish working relationships with faculty members.
• Work with the different entities involved in the upkeep of all athletic facilities.
• Demonstrate integrity, drive, vision, and comprehensive communication skills.
• It is preferred that the successful candidate has at least 5 years of experience as a director of athletics or
associate athletic director at a Division I institution.
• A Bachelor’s degree is a minimum qualification; a Master’s degree in sports management or a related
field is preferred.
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 11HOW TO APPLY
Candidates should include a cover letter describing relevant experiences and interest in this position and a
curriculum vitae/resume. Please include names, titles, and contact information for five (5) professional
references. To assure full consideration, application materials should be received by May 6, 2022, and the
applicant portal will remain open until the hiring process is completed.
Click here to apply: https://theapplicantmanager.com/jobs?pos=t9111.
Please send questions or nominations regarding this search to LamarSearch@CarrSportsConsulting.com .
Lamar University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of Lamar University
not to discriminate on the basis of non-relevant criteria including, but not limited to race, color, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status in its
educational programs, activities, admissions or employment practices.
Lamar University, Director of Athletics Profile - Page 12ABOUT BEAUMONT, TEXAS
Along the coastal plain of Texas, roughly thirty miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, lies the city of Beaumont.
It is home to the fourth-largest seaport in the country in terms of tonnage, the Port of Beaumont, which plays a
major role in the local economy. Beaumont has an estimated population of 116,825, and over 15,000 students
reside in the area to attend Lamar University. According to Niche.com, the region boasts a lower cost of living
than the national average and is the city with the “Third-Lowest Cost of Living in America”.
The area’s destiny changed course dramatically in 1901 when the first oil well blew in the nearby Spindletop field
and turned the area from a quiet lumber and port town into a thriving oil and gas economy, with one of the
largest concentrations of oil refineries, oil, and petrochemical-related businesses in the state. This has given way
to countless job opportunities in the area - for science, research, engineering, and higher education.
The city offers a number of cultural attractions for the community to enjoy, such as the Art Museum of Southeast
Texas, the Beaumont Civic Ballet, the Beaumont Botanical Gardens, and the Boomtown Film and Music Festival.
It also hosts the annual South Texas State Fair.
Living in Beaumont has a cosmopolitan and small-town feel wrapped in one - it can be fast-paced, as people
typically live and work closely together, but also has strong small-town community roots and friendly neighbors
ready to lend a hand. There is always a new restaurant to try and good nightlife in the area. The gulf coastline
offers sweeping, gorgeous sunsets and beach strolls, with exciting places like Houston or Lake Charles, LA for
getaways only an hour away.
To learn more about Beaumont, TX:
City of Beaumont: https://beaumonttexas.gov/
Beaumont Chamber of Commerce: http://www.bmtcoc.org/You can also read
