Sidelines – Fall 2013
Football
Alumna Named New Director of Football Operations
Kassi Lee (‘11, ‘13), a former team captain and four-year letterwinner for the Georgia Southern Cross Country and Track program was named the new Director of Football Operations. Lee earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Georgia Southern. Before assuming her new role, Lee spent two years working with the Eagle Football office as a graduate assistant responsible for the recruiting database and handling itineraries and logistics for visits by prospects.
Join the Journey
The excitement is building as the Eagle Nation continues with construction at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in preparation for the 2014-15 Sun Belt Conference season. Improvements include the addition of 6,300 seats and the construction of an upper deck, with an expected completion date of May 2014. Construction is also moving ahead on the new $10 million, privately funded Football Operations Center in the east end zone of Paulson Stadium. The 50,000-square-foot facility will house coaches’ offices, locker rooms, workout facilities, meeting rooms, a video production suite and a football Hall of Fame.
Shaw Returns as Assistant Coach
Former quarterback Jaybo Shaw (‘12) has returned to Georgia Southern as a graduate assistant working with running backs. As quarterback, Shaw led the Eagles to a 10-5 record season and a semifinal appearance in the FCS playoffs in 2010. Shaw was at the helm when Georgia Southern won the Southern Conference and advanced to the semifinals in the playoffs, finishing the 2011 season with an 11-3 record. He is pursuing a master’s degree in sport management.
Eubanks Makes NFL Roster
Rookie NFL linebacker Darius Eubanks (‘13) was promoted from the Cleveland Browns practice squad to the active roster. The four-year Georgia Southern starter signed on as a non-drafted free agent with Minnesota in May. The club waived him on August 31, and three days later the 6-2, 222-pound linebacker was picked up by the Browns.
Volleyball
The Eagles defeated Samford University 3-1 in the Southern Conference championship match.
This is the team’s fourth SoCon Tourney title.
Van Dyke Signs Pro Contract
Alumna Kate Van Dyke (‘13) signed a contract to play professional volleyball in Laon, France. The four-year starting setter for the Eagles called it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Van Dyke is the only player in Southern Conference (SoCon) history to earn first-team all-league honors all four years, and she was named the league’s Player of the Year in 2012. Van Dyke earned tourney MVP honors after leading the Eagles to the 2010 SoCon Tournament title and helped Georgia Southern win the SoCon South Division regular-season title in 2012.
Wood Named Head Volleyball Coach
Dustin Wood, former assistant coach at George Mason University, has been named the Eagles new head volleyball coach. Wood has nearly 10 years of experience coaching volleyball. For six seasons, he served as a coach at East Stroudsburg University and also as the head coach of the Division I men’s program from 2006-09. In announcing his selection, Athletics Director Tom Kleinlein said Wood “brings head coaching experience — experience as a player and the understanding of the CEO concept of running a program.”
Baseball
Eagle Signs with Astros
Former Eagle pitcher Justin Hess (‘13) signed a free agent contract with the Houston Astros in July after earning his degree. The pitcher finished his University career with a 14-12 record and a 4.34 ERA. This past season, Hess went 5-6 with four saves and a 3.69 ERA in 13 starts and 23 games.
Swimming and Diving
Graduate Assistant Promoted to Diving Coach
David Giambra, Georgia Southern’s assistant diving coach for the last two seasons, was promoted to full-time diving coach. Giambra holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University and is pursuing a master’s at Georgia Southern. He was a four-year letterwinner at Clemson and holds school records in the one-meter, three-meter and platform diving events.
Golf
University to Add Women’s Golf
Beginning in the 2015-16 season, the University will add women’s golf as its 17th intercollegiate program and will compete as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The program will offer six full scholarships, the full complement allowed by the NCAA. Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein also announced the promotion of men’s golf coach Larry Mays to Director of Golf/Head Men’s Golf Coach. In this role, Mays will oversee both programs. Men’s Assistant Coach Carter Collins was promoted to Associate Head Coach of the men’s team.
Basketball
Chester Webb Named to Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
Chester Webb, a star basketball player for Georgia Teachers College, has been named to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014. The native of Elberton, Ga., played between 1952 and 1956 and is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,542 career points. In 1956, Webb scored 883 points at an average of 30.5 points per game for the best season in school history. He holds school career records for field goals made (883), free throws made (776) and rebounds (1,685). After his senior season in 1956, the Syracuse Nationals chose him in the NBA Draft, however, Chester chose to serve in the U.S. Army. Webb was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame in 1959, and he was on hand to see his number 22 retired on January 30, 2010. The 2014 Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the Macon City Auditorium in Downtown Macon on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014.
Softball
Georgia Southern Softball earned 12 slots on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s All-America Scholar-Athlete list. The squad posted a 3.33 team GPA, ranking second in the Southern Conference.