Doug Jones Named Tusculum Director of Athletics

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College president Dr. Nancy B. Moody has appointed Doug Jones as director of athletics in an announcement made by the College Monday.  Jones has served as TC’s athletic director on an interim basis since Nov. 1, 2015.
 
Jones will continue in the dual role as Tusculum’s head baseball coach, a position he has held since 1998.

Jones is in his 19th season guiding the Tusculum baseball program and is the winningest coach in school history. Jones has guided Tusculum to 15 consecutive winning seasons, while posting 622 victories in his 19 campaigns in Greeneville, including this year’s 10-4 club.

Jones oversees the day-to-day operations of the Tusculum athletic department and the 16 sports that the College sponsors, including men's and women's lacrosse, which were added in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

“Doug Jones has proven over the years to recruit student-athletes who perform well both in the classroom and on the field,” said Dr. Moody.  “Doug has high expectations for himself and for those around him including other members of the athletic staff, students and other people who he works with.  He is a principled leader, a value that Tusculum hopes to instill in students, which will positively impact Pioneer Athletics and Tusculum College.”

In his four months leading the athletic department, Jones has directed the search team which landed former Jacksonville University associate head coach Jerry Odom as Tusculum’s new football coach.  This past weekend, Jones also named Devan Carter as women’s basketball coach following the team’s a seven-win improvement for the program.

Since late October several Tusculum sports programs have seen a marked increase in success as Pioneer teams have posted a combined 66-43-2 overall record (.604 winning percentage).

“I would like to thank Dr. Moody and our administration for the opportunity in leading our athletic department.  We have a lot of quality coaches and support staff and I consider it an honor to work alongside them,” said Jones.  “Our goal will be to provide our student-athletes with an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives.  Tusculum College has become home for me and my family and we are very appreciative for this opportunity.”

The Tusculum women’s basketball team has more than doubled its victory total from a year ago as the Pioneers finished with a 13-12 overall record for the program’s first winning campaign in three years.  The TC women, led by South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year candidate Shynese Whitener, finished tied for eighth in the league standings, an improvement from finishes of ninth and 10th place over the last two years, respectively.

The men’s basketball program has also doubled its win total from a season ago as the Pioneers are 14-14 and will be the No. 8 seed in this week’s SAC Basketball Championship Tournament.  Tusculum is riding a three-game winning streak and have won four of its last five games, including Saturday’s 96-89 double overtime win over 12th-ranked Queens University of Charlotte.  It is the second nationally-ranked opponent Tusculum has knocked off this year.

Three Tusculum spring teams are currently undefeated, including the nationally-ranked men and women’s tennis squads (both 7-0), while the women’s lacrosse team, which is in its second year of existence, has opened with a 4-0 record.

The Tusculum baseball team is 10-4 and has recorded three wins over nationally-ranked foes.  The Pioneers are currently on a four-game winning streak.

"Our main goal will be to recruit quality student-athletes who will compete at a high level both in the classroom and in their athletic arenas. I truly believe that exciting times are ahead, and I consider myself blessed to have been given this opportunity."

Over the last four years, Jones has served on the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Committee and is completing his third and final year as national chairman.

Jones has directed the baseball program into one of its most successful and exciting periods. His last 13 teams have posted 30-win campaigns, including five of the last 11 that have eclipsed the 40-win plateau.  The best year during that run was a 50-14 campaign in 2007.  In its last 10 seasons, TC is an amazing 419-174-1 (.706), including five South Atlantic Conference Championships, three SAC Tournament titles and six trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The 2012 club got the season off to a sizzling start by winning the first 15 games of the year and continued that string of wins into conference play where the Pioneers posted a 24-3 SAC record to capture the program’s fifth regular season title. The 24 SAC wins are a new school and conference record.  For his efforts, Jones was named SAC Coach of the Year for a third time in his career.  TC also won four straight games to claim the SAC Tournament title for a third time in school history, outscoring the opposition by a 51-11 margin, including 13-0 in the first inning alone as the Pioneers never trailed in the tournament.

In 2012, Jones achieved a personal milestone as he recorded his 500th career win at Tusculum in a 4-3 victory over conference rival Catawba (Apr. 6, 2012).  The Pioneers advanced to the final day of the NCAA II Southeast Regional as TC finished third in the event and ended the season ranked ninth in the country, its best end of the season ranking in school history.

The 2012 team boasted five All-American and All-Region performers, while seven garnered All-SAC recognition.  TC swept all the major conference awards in 2012, including the SAC Scholar Athlete Award for Baseball, which was captured by pitcher Taylor Rakes.  Rakes would later receive the coveted SAC Presidents Award, which is the highest honor given to a student-athlete by the league. Rakes and TC utility player Cody Coffman would also be named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Baseball First Team.

Tusculum’s 50 wins in 2007 are still a school and conference record, including an amazing 23-game winning streak, both Tusculum and SAC bests. Tusculum finished the year ranked No. 10 in the NCAA II and was one of only seven programs in the country with 50 victories. For his efforts, he was named SAC Coach of the Year.

Jones has mentored 76 All-South Atlantic Conference honorees at Tusculum, including four SAC Players of the Year (Shane Banks - 2001; Guy O’Connell - 2003; Maikol Gonzalez - 2007; Jared Richmond - 2010) and four SAC Pitchers of the Year (Brent Gabel - 2005; Kevin Hammons - 2007; C.J. Hillyer - 2009; Craig Goodman - 2012).

In 2009, Tusculum won its first 13 league contests, en route to posting an 18-4 SAC mark and winning the league crown for a fourth time in five years. The 18 league wins tied a then school record for most conference victories in a season.  For his efforts, he was named the SAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.

Jones won his 400th victory against Lenoir-Rhyne University on Apr. 17, 2009 in a 7-0 victory over Bears.
At Gardner-Webb University, Jones was a four-year letterman as a middle infielder and set a then South Atlantic Conference record with eight runs batted in a single contest (1991 vs. Wofford). He also earned SAC All-Academic honors as a player at Gardner-Webb. He holds a bachelor’s degree in administrative management as well as a master’s degree in physical education from GWU.

A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Jones grew up in a baseball-oriented atmosphere with his father, Bob Jones, who coached for more than 20 years in the Norfolk area. His older brother, Robbie Jones has logged coaching experience at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia.

Jones is married to the former Dawn Roshto of Norfolk, Virginia, and they are the proud parents of two daughters; Katlyn and Allison.