Big loss for GC as Tuggle heads to Morehead

Jason Tuggle has resigned as Greensboro College’s head women’s basketball and men’s and women’s cross country coach. Tuggle accepted the director of athletics position at Eden’s Morehead High School, his alma mater.

Tuggle leaves GC as the winningest coach in program history (138-58, .704 win percentage). His teams won the USA South regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA championships in three seasons: 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08.

Yet his 2008-09 team completed the best season statistically of any previous Greensboro College hoops team. The Pride went 27-3 and produced a .900 winning percentage. Greensboro finished an unprecedented 18-0 in conference play and captured the USA South regular season crown for the fourth time in five seasons. The team advanced to the NCAA tournament–its first ever as an at large selection. GC reached #18 in the national rankings and won a program-record 21 straight games.

Greensboro defeated Mississippi College in the first round of the NCAA tournament–the program’s second-ever postseason win before falling to host Oglethorpe.

Tuggle has earned USA South Coach of the Year honors five times (2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2007-08 and 2008-09). Since his first season (2002-03), Tuggle’s program earned 50 postseason honors. Highlighting the awards were two All America distinctions.

Coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams since 2003 Tuggle mentored GC’s only all region runner. Both of his 2004 teams place runnerup at the USA South cross country championships. In 2005, his men’s team repeated the feat. Pride cross country runners earned 30 postseason honors under Tuggle’s tutelage.

“As good as Jason is as a coach, he is an even better person and a real difference maker with people,” Pride Athletics Director Kim Strable said. “His tremendous influence with the student-athletes and colleagues at Greensboro College will be sorely missed and we wish him and his family nothing but the very best.”

He arrived at GC after serving as an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro for three seasons. Under Head Coach Lynne Agee at UNCG, Tuggle handled in-state recruiting of underclassmen for the Spartans. He also ran the team’s strength and conditioning program, helped coordinate camps, and assisted with scouting.

Tuggle previously served as the head girls basketball coach at Western Guilford High School from 1997-99. He earned Coach of the Year honors in the Piedmont Triad Conference in 1998-99 after his team won the conference and advanced to the North Carolina state playoffs. Tuggle led Western Guilford to the state playoffs both years.

From 1994-97, Tuggle was an assistant coach at Western Guilford while a student at UNCG. He taught marketing at the school during the 1998-99 academic year, after spending one year teaching the same subject at Northwest Guilford High School.

A 1997 graduate of UNCG, Tuggle earned a bachelor of science in marketing and management. He also earned his master’s degree in business education at the University in 2000.

“Coach Tuggle is not one-dimensional and has a real knack for communicating effectively with all types of people,” said Strable. “He will be a significant asset to Morehead High School and I have no doubt that he will serve the Eden community well in this important role.”

Tuggle and his wife Heather reside in Eden. They have three young daughters: Blair, Reece and Paige.

“Jason Tuggle will be an asset to our Morehead High School community,” said Betty Harrington, principal at Morehead. “His organizational skills, his work ethic, and his ability to work with young people and coaches make him a great choice to lead our athletic program. We know that Jason will continue the tradition of excellence here that he has demonstrated at Greensboro College.”

2 thoughts on “Big loss for GC as Tuggle heads to Morehead

  1. He replaces John Harder who was an outstanding individual. I am sure Coach Harder was pleased to have someone from Morehead and I believe a former player of his take over for him. Good luck to Morehead. They have some 1st class people in their athletic program. They compete well with good sportsmanship. My teams have been in the same conference as them for the past 8 years.

  2. Jason and his cousin Randy have done a great job at Greensboro. He has been able to recruit a lot of the local talent that others missed. It is going to be hard to replace those two. The success they had at the Division III level is hard to keep consistent. Good luck to both of them. Greensboro should consider promoting Randy Tuggle and keep the success going!

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