John Hirte (2022-present)
John Hirte was promoted to the Director of Athletics position in July 2022. The longest-tenured tennis coach in both men's and women's program history, Hirte was an assistant AD for five years (2017-22) before being elevated to AD in 2022.
"I'm thrilled to step into this role as the next Director of Athletics at Covenant," said Hirte. "I want to thank Dr. J. Derek Halvorson, Dr. Brad Voyles, and the search committee for offering me this opportunity. I also want to thank Dr. Tim Sceggel for providing me constant opportunities for growth as an athletic administrator over the past 10 years. I look forward to leading the life-changing work that's going on within our department of using intercollegiate athletics as a means of growing our student-athletes in their love and knowledge of Jesus."
Holding administrative responsibilities since 2012, Hirte excelled and was promoted to assistant director in 2017. His oversight included compliance and facilities along with serving on the senior leadership team under previous director Dr. Tim Sceggel.
"Throughout my time working in the athletic department, I've been grateful to work for and alongside a group of coaches and ADs who have modeled well what it looks like to maintain an excellent knowledge of sport and intercollegiate athletics with a passion for discipleship," added Hirte.
The 2023-24 season is Hirte's 12th as head coach of the men's and women's tennis teams at Covenant College.
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Dr. Tim Sceggel (2016-22)
Dr. Tim Sceggel was promoted to Director of Athletics in July of 2016 and spent six years as the AD. Under his guidance, the priorities in the athletic department focused on discipleship, academic success, recruiting, and the pursuit of excellence. The mission statement for the department was implemented to reflect this in 2018. Also in 2018, the department recorded its highest-ever finish in the USA South President's Cup standings.Â
During his tenure, Covenant won 17 USA South championships, produced four All-Americans, five USA South Coach of the Year awards, and five USA South Players of the Year.Â
Further, Covenant's sportsmanship continued to be recognized by the USA South as the Scots were the institutional winner of the sportsmanship trophy in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Sceggel also developed and launched the Scots Athletic Club in 2017, which is the first structured fundraising effort of the athletic department in the college's history.
Previously, he was the Associate AD at Covenant where he was responsible for a host of various responsibilities within the department including compliance. Through his compliance duties, he successfully directed the completion of the college's transition from the NAIA to full membership in NCAA Division III in 2013.
In addition to his role in athletics, Sceggel held faculty status in the Sport Management program teaching various courses each semester. He was part of the two-person team that developed and launched the Sport Administration major in 2015.Â
Kyle Taylor (2013-16)
Kyle Taylor stepped into the role of director of athletics in the spring of 2013 and helped lead the department into full membership in NCAA Division III and the USA South Athletic Conference. In each of the first three years in Division III, Covenant won two USA South titles and competed in at least one NCAA Tournament.
Covenant finished fourth in the USA South Presidents Cup in 2015-16, its highest-ever finish, after claiming two conference tournament titles and one regular season championship. Covenant claimed the USA South Sportsmanship Trophy for three consecutive seasons as it led the conference in team sportsmanship awards, voted on by student-athletes, in each season. Covenant also had an institution record 108 student-athletes earn USA South All-Academic honors in 2015-16.
In all, during Taylor's time as the director of athletics, Covenant won six USA South championships, three USA South Sportsmanship Trophies and had 311 USA South All-Academic honorees.
Tami Smialek (2009-13)
Tami Smialek took over as director of athletics in 2009. A longtime administrator and coach at Covenant, Smialek spent a total of 29 years at the institution.
As the head women's basketball coach, Smialek had three separate coaching stints with the Lady Scots, covering a span of 20 seasons, and finished with a 291-321 coaching record. She took Covenant to three national tournaments, including the program's first NAIA Division II National Tournament appearance in 1997. Smialek is the program's winningest coach.
As the AD, Smialek helped guide the department in its transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division III. It was under Smialek's guidance that the transition started in 2009. She led the department into the Great South Athletic Conference, Covenant's first conference membership in Division III.
In addition to her time as a coach and AD, Smialek also served the department as the sports information director for a time. For the campus, she also served in roles in teaching, administration, admissions, records, and financial aid.
Roy Heintz (2004-09)
Roy Heintz was named Covenant's director of athletics in February of 2004. Heintz was the head women's basketball coach for seven years (2002-09) at Covenant, guiding the program to an AAC Tournament title and NAIA Division II Tournament berth in the 2008-09 season. In his seven years at the helm of the women's basketball program, Heintz compiled a 118-93 overall record.
Under his leadership as director of athletics, the Covenant College athletic program grew from seven varsity teams to thirteen, with the addition of spring sport offerings in baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's golf. Covenant also added seven junior varsity teams over that time as well, as the number of student-athletes more than doubled.
Dr. Brian Crossman (1989-2004)
Longtime head men's soccer coach Dr. Brian Crossman also served as Covenant's director of athletics for 15 years from 1989-2004.Â
As a head coach, Crossman assembled some of the best Covenant men's soccer teams in program history. Crossman coached the Scots for 21 seasons and totaled 286 career wins, while eclipsing over 300 wins for his entire college coaching career. Crossman guided the Scots to NAIA national tournaments in 1986 and 2002. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2011.
As the director of athletics, Crossman oversaw a department that saw success in the NAIA. During Crossman's tenure, Covenant made NAIA national tournaments in men's soccer and women's basketball, while also having cross country individuals compete at the national meet.
Gene Fitzgerald (1984-89)
Gene Fitzgerald is the longest tenured head coach in Covenant men's basketball history and also spent five years as the director of athletics. Fitzgerald had two stints as head coach of the Scots from 1973-80 and then again from 1981-92 where he accumulated a program-record 214 career wins.
Fitzgerald guided the Scots to two national tournaments as Covenant qualified for the 1985 NCCAA Tournament and the 1987 NCCAA Tournament. It was in the 1987 tournament that Fitzgerald's Scots knocked off top-seeded George Fox in the first round.
In his role as the director of athletics, Fitzgerald aided the department in continued success in the NAIA and the NCCAA. Along with his team's berths in national tournaments, the men's soccer, volleyball, and cross country programs also competed in NAIA or NCCAA national tournaments.
Dave Fortosis (1980-84)
Dave Fortosis was brought on as the head men's soccer coach in 1980 and became the director of athletics in the same year.
Fortosis spent four seasons as the head men's soccer coach and recorded a 47-26-9 overall record. His 1981 team went 14-7-1, the most wins in the Fortosis era, and earned a berth in the NCCAA Tournament. He coached Covenant's first NAIA All-American as Mike Lochstampfor earned second team honors in 1982.Â
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Walter Bowman (1968-80)
When Walter Bowman arrived on the campus of Covenant College in 1967, the Scots had little to no success in men's soccer and operated a small, but growing, athletic department. Bowman continued to build on the developments made by his predecessor, Charles Anderson, as director of athletics and as a head coach.
Bowman served as the head coach for the men's soccer program from the final match of the 1967 season, taking over for John Guest, through the 1979 season and amassed a career record of 119-46-27. His teams produced the first winning season in program history and the Scots' 12-1 season in 1970 still holds the program record winning percentage (.923). Bowman also coached the first two All-Americans in Covenant history in Don Harding (1976) and Tom Lochstampfor (1979).
Bowman offered much more to Covenant than just a successful soccer coach. He spent six seasons as the head men's basketball coach, while also serving as the head baseball coach. Bowman stepped in as the AD in 1968 and saw the department begin to flourish in many sports. It was under Bowman's guidance that Covenant hosted the NCCAA Men's Soccer National Championship tournament in 1974 and 1977.
It was also under Bowman's leadership that Covenant added more intercollegiate athletic programs for women. The women's basketball and volleyball programs each had their inaugural seasons of varsity competition in 1975.Â
Charles Anderson (1964-68)
Charles "Chuck" Anderson was the first Athletic Director in Covenant athletics history. Shortly after the college relocated to Lookout Mountain from St. Louis, Mo., Anderson was deemed the head of the athletic department. Under his guidance as AD, Covenant's athletic department saw more structure as intercollegiate athletic programs began to flourish. Anderson coached teams in basketball, baseball, cross country, and soccer during part of his tenure as well.
In addition to his role in athletics, Anderson was a key figure for the campus as a whole in the early part of Covenant's existence. He taught biblical studies and other subjects at the college until his retirement in 1993. Anderson was known as a true mentor to students, and is remembered in particular for bringing the conceptualizations of the "Christ & Culture" course to Covenant.Â
In the fall of 2017, Covenant College's Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution naming the auditorium in the Kirk in honor of Chuck Anderson. A dedication ceremony for the Charles W. Anderson Auditorium was held at the opening of the fall 2017 board meeting.Â
Information gathered on this page reflects research from the Covenant Sports Information Department. If you have a correction, please contact Will Thornhill (william.thornhill@covenant.edu)
