Carson-Newman’s Dale Clayton Named President Of NABC

DETROIT - Carson-Newman head coach Dale Clayton has been named president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The Eagles' head coach took the position Sunday night during the NABC's Guardians of the Game annual awards dinner held at the Final Four in Detroit.

Clayton, who is in his eighth season on the NABC's Board of Directors and in his 32nd year as a member of the NABC, succeeds University of Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith.

The NABC is one of college basketball's governing bodies, which works with the NCAA on issues that affect basketball and intercollegiate athletics. It also sponsors and promotes a number of annual college-basketball events, fundraisers, and institutions including; The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the NABC College Basketball Polls, The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, and The Guardians of the Game program.

Past presidents of the NABC include; Forrest "Phog" Allen (1927-'29), University of Kansas, Dean Smith (1981-'82), University of North Carolina, Roy Williams (2001-'02), University of Kansas and the University of North Carolina, and Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University (2007-'08).

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo will serve as this year's first vice president, and will succeed Clayton at next year's Final Four in Indianapolis.

Clayton becomes the second head coach as Carson-Newman to hold such a position. Carson-Newman Head Football Coach Ken Sparks served as president of the American Football Coaches' Association in 2007.

The Eagles' head coach enters his 22nd season at the helm of the Carson-Newman Eagles basketball program in November. The 2002 South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year and NABC Regional Coach of the Year is the winningest coach Carson-Newman basketball history (303 career wins).

Coach Clayton led the Eagles to one of the best seasons in school history in 2001-'02. The Eagles went 26-5, winning the SAC regular season and tournament championships, while advancing to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16. Clayton notched his 200th career victory with a win over Presbyterian during the 2001-'02 season and his 250th career win in 2004-'05. He won his 300th career game against Lincoln Memorial last November.

In 1993-'94, Clayton took an Eagle squad picked to finish last in the league and guided it to a South Atlantic Conference postseason tourney title. C-N would earn a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament in their first season of eligibility.

Clayton's knowledge of the game comes from 16 seasons (12 on the Division I level) as an assistant basketball coach. Before answering the call from Jefferson City prior to the 1988-89 season, he had made coaching stops at Milligan, Delta State, Vanderbilt, Samford and University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

A native of Mt. Dora, Fla., Clayton starred at Mt. Dora High School before moving to a collegiate career at C-N rival Milligan College in Johnson City, Tenn. A two-year starter at wing for the Buffaloes, Clayton earned eight athletic letters, four in basketball and four in track before graduating in 1973.

Clayton remained at Milligan after graduation where, among other duties, he was an assistant basketball coach for four years. In his eight seasons as a player and coach at Milligan, the Buffaloes averaged 23 wins per year.

After a one-year stop at Delta State University as an assistant coach, Clayton began a six-year stint with the Vanderbilt Commodores of the Southeastern Conference. He served three years under coach C.M. Newton. From 1978-84 the Commodores had only one losing season and participated in the National Invitational Tournament in 1984. Clayton was in charge of developing the Commodore big men, including All-SEC performers Willie "Hutch" Jones and Jeff Turner. Turner, a member of the United States Olympic team in 1984, was a first-round draft choice of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. Jones was selected in the second round of the 1982 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Clayton was also primarily responsible for Vanderbilt's recruitment of center Will Perdue, who became an All-SEC player and a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls.

In 1984, Clayton left Vanderbilt to become the associate head coach at Samford University in Birmingham. During his first year there, the Bulldogs went 18-12 and put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since they began competing on the NCAA Division I level. The following season, Samford fashioned a 16-13 mark and a second-place finish in the Trans America Athletic Conference.

After his third year in Birmingham, Ala., Clayton moved to Lafayette, La., for a one-year stop as an assistant coach at the University of Louisiana @ Lafayette. The next year, he accepted the position at Carson-Newman.

Clayton has been a guest on ABC's Nightline and was featured in a 1998 issue of the Sharing the Victory, the FCAs national magazine. An often sought after speaker, he has been a keynote speaker at the Final Four FCA luncheon, Central Florida Midnight Basketball Banquet, churches, and both college and high school graduations.

As an administrator, coach Clayton has been very active in the NCAA governance structure. He has served on the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, the Division II Amateurism Project Team, the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, and the Division II Men's Basketball Selection Committee, serving as chair his final year. The former-president of the Black Coaches Association has also served on both the Ethics Committee and Special Committee on Recruiting Access.

Quotes from NABC President Dale Clayton:

Clayton on being named NBCA President:
Without question, to be president of the NABC is quite an honor and a privilege. Anytime you're selected to lead an organization that means so much to college basketball, as well as following so many great names in the sport, it is quite an honor.

Clayton on challenges and issue facing the NABC in the coming year:
One of the pressing issues continues to be the Academic Progress Rate and how it affects coaches and players. We'll look at it and see if any changes need to be made...Another issue would be staying on top of the recruiting and recruiting guidelines...(The board) has just looked at some legislation that deals with at what point does a student become a prospect. The feeling is that coaches are becoming involved with prospects at too young of an age, and we're evaluating how to try and restrict that.

Clayton on both he and Coach Sparks holding similar positions as president of their respective coaches' associations:
To be the head of any national association is rare, but to have two people from the same school hold the same honor, much less a Division II institution, I think speaks volumes for Carson-Newman.