Randy Dunn to Retire After 28 Years at North Georgia
DAHLONEGA, GA – North Georgia College
& State University president Dr. David Potter announced Monday
morning that Randy Dunn has stepped down as Director of Athletics
and is set to retire after 28 years with the university, he will
become director of the growing athletics program at Young Harris
College.
“Randy has brought our athletics program to new heights,
providing positive leadership that has helped our teams and
athletes grow, and he successfully led our transition to the NCAA
Peach Belt Conference,” said Dr. David Potter.
Dunn served as the head men’s basketball coach for 14 years
before transitioning into the role as full-time Athletic Director
in 2003. Dunn is an alumnus of North Georgia, having played
basketball for the Saints for three years, before graduating in
1980 with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical
Education.
“We are grateful for Randy’s many contributions,
including recruitment of talented coaches to our staff, growth of
our Saints Club, increased community support of athletics, and
expansion our athletic facilities,” Potter said.
After completing his undergraduate degree at North Georgia, Dunn
was an assistant coach at Georgia Southwestern State University,
where he received his M.Ed. in Physical Education. He became the
assistant coach at the University of West Georgia in 1981 before
returning to North Georgia College in 1982.
In 1996, Dunn’s men’s basketball team won the
Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference regular season championship and
advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. That same year, Dunn was
named GACC men’s basketball “Coach of the
Year”.
During his 14-year tenure as Athletic Director, Dunn oversaw the
addition of five new sports as women’s soccer, baseball and
softball, women’s golf, and men’s golf were all added
to the department. Most recently, he oversaw North Georgia’s
transition from the NAIA ranks to the NCAA and the Peach Belt
Conference.
Since entering the NCAA in 2005, North Georgia has captured six
team championships in the Peach Belt Conference, while four
different squads have advanced to NCAA National Tournaments,
including softball’s World Series appearances in 2009 and
2010.
In the past five years, the athletic department’s facilities
have grown with the addition of the NGCSU Baseball, Softball, and
Soccer Complex, including the construction of softball’s
Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium, and baseball’s Bob Stein
Stadium.
Lindsay Reeves, associate director of athletics and senior
women’s administrator for the past three years, will serve as
acting athletics director while the university conducts a national
search to fill the position on a permanent basis. Reeves, who also
serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Health and
Physical Education and director of the Human Performance Lab, is in
her tenth year at North Georgia College & State University.
“Lindsay has been a valuable member of athletics leadership
team, and her experience and qualifications make her well-suited to
assume this role,” Potter said.