April 16, 2002

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Furman University Director of Athletics Gary Clark announced the hiring of Dr. Sam Dixon as head coach of the Furman women's basketball team in an 11:00 a.m. press conference today at Timmons Arena.

Dixon, who has spent the last three years as associate head coach under Jim Davis at Clemson, succeeds Sherry Carter, who resigned following 20 years at the helm of the Lady Paladin program. Dixon is the eighth head coach in the 32-year tenure of the Furman women's basketball program.

"Sam was extremely articulate in presenting his vision for the Furman Lady Paladins," said Clark. "He made it clear that he understood the team's past and present, while setting out concrete plans for the steps he would take to move this program forward. He was very impressive in his understanding of this university and, in particular, our overall athletic program."

A 1979 physical education graduate of the College of Wooster, Dixon played four years for the Fighting Scots and in 1978 helped the team reach the NCAA Division III South Regional finals. As a student-athlete he earned first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference accolades in 1979, and was the team Most Valuable Player. A 1989 inductee into the Wooster College Hall of Fame, Dixon was also named All-Great Lakes Region and earned third team All-America status.

Immediately after his graduation from Wooster, Dixon spent a season at Eastern Michigan University, where he earned a master's degree in physical education while serving as a graduate assistant with the men's basketball program. He completed his formal education from 1995-97, when he earned a doctoral degree in physical education while working as a teaching assistant at the University of New Mexico.

It was Dixon's academic background that fueled his interest in Furman's coaching position. "I think Furman is an ideal fit for me because of my background," said Dixon. " I not only have my Ph.D., but I earned my undergraduate degree from a liberal arts school, have coached at two liberal arts universities, and I think it is an outstanding way to become educated. In addition, Furman is in an area where I am familiar with recruiting, so the combination seems ideal."

In the years between his bachelor's degree in '79 and his doctoral degree in '97, Dixon was never far from the sport of basketball. He spent four years (1980-84) as the assistant men's coach at Northern Kentucky, one year (1984-85) as a men's assistant at Kent State, two years as assistant men's coach at Davidson (1985-87), and four years (1987-91) as head men's basketball and golf coach at Denison University. Following his tenure at Denison, Dixon was an assistant with the men's program at Northern Illinois for four seasons (1991-95), and in 1997-98, immediately following his doctoral work, was the boys' basketball coach at Harrison High in Kennesaw, Ga. His first experience coaching women came in 1998-99, when he was an assistant in the University of Arizona's program. From there he was hired by Davis at Clemson, and in three years helped the Lady Tigers to a 57-34 overall record, 28-20 conference mark, and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Dixon's success at Clemson mirrored much of his career. During his time at Davidson, the Wildcats of 1985-86 posted a 20-11 overall mark and won the Southern Conference crown and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, while Kent State received an NIT berth during his time there. In fact during his career, Dixon's men's teams have advanced to an NCAA Tournament and made an NIT appearance. In his four years coaching women's teams, all four teams have earned berths in the NCAA Tournament, including the 1998-99 Arizona Wildcats, who posted an 18-11 record with a 12-6 mark in the PAC-10.

Dixon's first official day on the job at Furman will be Monday, April 22. "My number one priority is to get to know the players and to let the players get to know me," Dixon said. "All the players need to feel comfortable with me before we can move forward, and that includes the players who have signed or made verbal commitments to the Furman program."

(More)

The Sam Dixon File

Playing Experience

High School: Bishop Watterson High School

College: College of Wooster

Education

Bachelor's of Arts in Physical Education, Wooster, 1979

Master's in Physical Education, Eastern Michigan, 1980

Doctoral in Physical Education, New Mexico, 1997

Coaching Experience

1979-80 Graduate Assistant Men's Coach at Eastern Michigan

1980-84 Assistant Men's Coach at Northern Kentucky

1974-85 Assistant Men's Coach at Kent State

1985-87 Assistant Men's Coach at Davidson

1987-91 Head Men's Basketball and Golf Coach at Denison College

1991-95 Assistant Men's Coach at Northern Illinois

1995-97 Teaching Assistant and Volunteer Assistant Men's Coach at New Mexico

1997-98 Assistant Boys' Basketball Coach at Harrison High (Kennesaw, Ga.)

1998-99 Assistant Women's Coach at Arizona

1999-02 Associate Head Coach at Clemson

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