Dale Clayton Position: Head Coach Experience: 20th Year

Dale Clayton, the 2005 recipient of the FCA's John Lotz Barnabas Award, will enter his 21st season at the helm of the Carson-Newman Eagles basketball program for the 2008-2009 team.

The 2002 South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year and NABC Regional Coach of the Year, Clayton is the winningest coach in the history of Carson-Newman basketball. He is one of the most respected men in his profession and to look at his accomplishments both on an off the court, it is easy to see why. A dedicated coach and administrator, Clayton has given the C-N program renewed respect both on the floor and in the classroom. Under his leadership, the Eagles have made a commitment to excelling in academics, while at the same time continuing a successful tradition at "Mossy Creek".

Many of coach Clayton's former players have gone on to contribute in a positive way to society. Doctors, lawyers, educators and coaches have all been influenced by coach Clayton's positive leadership.

Coach Clayton led the Eagles to one of the best seasons in school history in 2001-02. The Eagles went 26-5, won the SAC regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16. The Eagles led the SAC in most offense categories throughout the entire season. Clayton notched his 200th career victory with a win over Presbyterian during the 2001-02 season and his 250th career win in 2004-05.

The Eagles followed up on the success of the 2001-02 campaign by repeating as regular season SAC champions in 2002-03. The Eagles compiled a 20-9 overall record. C- N was 15th among all NCAA Division II teams in three-point field goal percentage and 42nd in three-pointers per game. Kyle Gribble became the first All-American at Carson-Newman since the Eagles moved to the NCAA level. The Eagles finished the 2003-04 season with an 18-10 overall record and a third-place finish in the SAC standings. The Eagles won nine games in a row at one point during the season.

Coach Clayton's Eagle squads have earned a reputation for playing with toughness and intensity in spite of whatever obstacles come their way. This was certainly the case when the 1997-98 team lost three returning starters to season-ending injuries and still wound up 14-14, and again in 1998-99 when despite playing all but five games with ten players or less, completed the season with a 20-9 record. The Eagles lost in the finals of the SAC Tournament by two points.

Clayton's coaching savvy was also evident in 1993-94, when he brought along a team picked to finish last in the league and guided it to a South Atlantic Conference postseason tourney title. In addition, the Eagles also qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament in their first season of eligibility.

Clayton's knowledge of the game comes from 16 seasons (12 on the Division I level) as an assistant basketball coach. Before answering the call from Jefferson City prior to the 1988-89 season, he had made coaching stops at Milligan, Delta State, Vanderbilt, Samford and University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

A native of Mt. Dora, Fla., Clayton starred at Mt. Dora High School before moving to a collegiate career at C-N rival Milligan College in Johnson City, Tenn. A two-year starter at wing for the Buffaloes, Clayton earned eight athletic letters, four in basketball and four in track before graduating in 1973.

Clayton remained at Milligan after graduation where, among other duties, he was an assistant basketball coach for four years. In his eight seasons as a player and coach at Milligan, the Buffaloes averaged 23 wins per year.

After a one-year stop at Delta State University as an assistant coach, Clayton began a six-year stint with the Vanderbilt Commodores of the Southeastern Conference. He served three years under coach C.M. Newton. From 1978-84 the Commodores had only one losing season and participated in the National Invitational Tournament in 1984. Clayton was in charge of developing the Commodore big men, including All-SEC performers Willie "Hutch" Jones and Jeff Turner. Turner, a member of the United States Olympic team in 1984, was a first-round draft choice of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. Jones was selected in the second round of the 1982 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Clayton was also primarily responsible for Vanderbilt's recruitment of center Will Perdue, who became an All-SEC player and a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls.

In 1984, Clayton left Vanderbilt to become the associate head coach at Samford University in Birmingham. During his first year there, the Bulldogs went 18-12 and put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since they began competing on the NCAA Division I level. The following season, Samford fashioned a 16-13 mark and a second-place finish in the Trans America Athletic Conference.

After his third year in Birmingham, Ala., Clayton moved to Lafayette, La., for a one-year stop as an assistant coach at the University of Louisiana @ Lafayette. The next year, he accepted the position at Carson-Newman.

In his first season as head coach, Clayton led the Eagles quickly out of the gate to a 2-0 record. After the long and grueling season was over, Carson-Newman owned a record of 12-19. It was not a success in terms of wins and losses, but those close to the program knew that the seeds of Clayton's intensity and dedication had been planted and that there were certainly good things in store for the Eagles.

The squad posted a 14-16 record in 1989-90 and improved to 18-9 the following year, earning a share of the South Atlantic Conference championship in 1990-91. Clayton was named SAC Coach of the Year for leading C-N to its first winning season since the 1986-87 campaign.

Even with that early success on the court, Clayton did not veer from his promise to maintain a team which also succeeded in the classroom. Almost all of the seniors that have played for Clayton at Carson-Newman have graduated. In fact, 90% of all the players to play for coach Clayton have earned their degrees. Also, they are commonly seen on the Dean's List and the SAC Academic Honor Roll. On five different occasions, an Eagle player has been named the SAC Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year.

He has been an instructor for the Virgin Island Olympic Basketball Committee, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the United States Air Force in Europe and at professional enhancement seminars for head coaches. Clayton has been a guest on ABC's Nightline and was featured in a 1998 issue of the Sharing the Victory, the FCAs national magazine.

An often sought after speaker, Clayton has been a keynote speaker at the Final Four FCA luncheon, Central Florida Midnight Basketball Banquet, churches, and both college and high school graduations.

As an administrator, coach Clayton has been very active in the NCAA governance structure. He has served on the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, the Division II Amateurism Project Team, the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, and the Division II Mens Basketball Committee, serving as chair his final year. The former president of the Black Coaches Association was honored by his election to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors where he is currently serving as the third Vice President while also serving on both the Ethics Committee and Special Committee on Recruiting Access. In 2004, he became a member of the Milligan College Athletics Hall of Fame. He served as a delegate on the Josephson Institute of Ethics Basketball Summit.

Clayton and his wife, Pamela, have one daughter, Monica, who is a C-N graduate. They are members of Manley Baptist Church in Morristown where he teaches a Sunday School class for college students.