Duckworth Accepts A.D. Position at Maryville-St. Louis

Montgomery, Ala.—Huntingdon College Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Associate Director of Athletics Tony Duckworth has resigned his positions and has accepted a position as Director of Athletics at Maryville University-St. Louis.

Duckworth’s resignation will be effective at the end of the business day May 31. However, Huntingdon has already established a search committee, chaired by Director of Athletics Buzz Phillips, which is working to find a successor to Duckworth.

“In his six years at Huntingdon, Coach Duckworth has produced a number of student-athletes who have excelled not only on the court, but also in their lives,” Huntingdon President J. Cameron West said. “Having watched Coach Duckworth for four years, I have appreciated his strengths as a basketball coach, but especially his work within the athletic department as the Associate Director of Athletics for Eligibility and Compliance. We never like to lose such a good head coach, but the fact that he has been given an opportunity to become a Director of Athletics speaks highly of the excellence of our athletic department at Huntingdon.”

During his six seasons at the helm of the men’s basketball program, Duckworth compiled a 65-95 overall record. He led the Hawks to a 53-28 record from 2004 to 2006, the most successful three-year stretch in 39 years at Huntingdon. Culminating the run were the 2005-06 Great South Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. During the 2005-06 campaign, the Hawks won their final 13 games, equaling the school record set during the 1961-62 season. For his achievement, Duckworth was named GSAC Coach of the Year.

Duckworth also helped Huntingdon establish the NCAA Division III single-season record for defensive field goal percentage during the 2005-06 season. The Hawks posted a mark of 35.4 percent, surpassing the previous record of 36.0 percent, established by Baruch (N.Y.) College in 2000. The percentage also ranks second all-time among all NCAA Divisions, trailing only the 2000 Stanford team, who held its opponents to only 35.2 percent.

For his 10-year collegiate coaching career, Duckworth sports an overall record of 122-164, while garnering a 171-162 mark in his 12-total years of coaching.

Duckworth is a 15-year member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and just completed his third year on the NCAA/NABC Division III Marketing and Promotion Committee. He also recently served his fourth year as the men’s basketball sport chair for the Great South Athletic Conference.

In addition to his duties as head men’s basketball coach, Duckworth is also the Associate Director of Athletics for the Huntingdon Department of Athletics, serving as the College’s NCAA Eligibility and Compliance Coordinator, a role he has held since his arrival.

“I have had six rewarding years of service at Huntingdon College which prepared me for the next phase in my career,” Duckworth said. “Huntingdon has gained tremendous momentum as an institution over the past several years, and I am excited about what the future holds for this special place.”

“Working with President West has been an enjoyable experience since he has such passion for athletics,” Duckworth continued. “It has also been my pleasure to work with Buzz Phillips over the past three years as his Associate Director of Athletics. Buzz and I have been friends for 10 years, and I look forward to that continuing for many years to come.”

“I am very proud for Coach Duckworth and his entire family for being selected as the Director of Athletics at Maryville University,” Phillips said. “However, I am also very sad to lose a person of Tony’s caliber. He has produced a winning atmosphere at Huntingdon, as well as molded young men into fine citizens. I know he will be successful and wish him the best in his endeavors.”

“This is a crucial time of the year for both returning players and potential new recruits,” Phillips added. “The search committee is already moving quickly to find qualified candidates to interview for our head coaching position.”

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Su Ofe
Assistant to the President for Communications and Community Relations
1500 East Fairview Avenue • Montgomery, Alabama 36106
Office: (334) 833-4515 • Cell: (334) 324-6591