MOREHEAD, Ky. – Following a 20-year career as Morehead State University's winningest coach in any sport,
Dr. Jaime Gordon is stepping aside from the head volleyball coach role to focus efforts on his role as Director of Athletics.
Gordon, who recently completed his 20
th season as head volleyball coach, assumed the interim Director of Athletics role in March of 2019 and was appointed full-time AD in January of 2020.
"I am so grateful for the opportunity twenty years ago afforded me by Chip Smith and Brian Hutchinson to take over such an accomplished volleyball program with a rich history and tradition of excellence. Since then, I have been blessed to spend each day with amazing people. I am indebted to the student-athletes who have allowed me to be a part of their dreams, aspirations, and most importantly, their lives. They have provided me an amazing experience filled with personal growth, life-long relationships, amazing memories, and humble gratitude to have been a part of their journey. I am also thankful to have been surrounded by so many remarkable assistant coaches, trainers, managers, administrators, and staff members who made me look way more competent than I was."
While serving as both Head Volleyball Coach and Director of Athletics, Gordon has led initiatives to improve a number of areas within the department, including vast improvements in facilities. Projects include replacing the basketball floor in Johnson Arena with FamilyLeisure.com Court, installing turf in the former indoor tennis center for a wide variety of use by all teams, as well as a facelift to modernize Allen Field for baseball.
Gordon successfully navigated athletics through the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic. During that time, he also built new partnerships throughout the department, including UK Sports Medicine - improving and expanding the athletic training and orthopedic coverage, Crossover Marketing - building a unique corporate partnership initiative resulting in significant revenue growth, and TimelyMD -designing a cutting edge program to provide student-athletes counseling, crisis management, and on-demand mental health assistance. He has also spearheaded a new approach to athletic fundraising, hospitality, development, and community philanthropy which has yielded successful results - including the largest single gift in MSU Athletics history.
He has hired five (cross country/track, baseball, softball women's basketball and soccer) head coaches and helped to ensure team's and department staffing is efficient with student-athlete wellbeing at the heart of decisions.
While serving dual roles, the volleyball program enjoyed similar success, earning an overall record of 74-40 (51-17 OVC). This included two OVC regular season championships, an OVC Tournament championship, and a first round victory in the NCAA Tournament.
"I am beholden to Russ Mast and Dr. Morgan for having the vision, willingness, and bit of craziness to take a gamble on allowing me to serve in both roles for the past four years. My ability to do them would not have been possible without their faith, the unbelievable support of my family, and the incredible talent and hard work of Kyrsten Becker,
Sarah Martin, Richard Fletcher, and Rhonda Ferguson. All of them have allowed me to pursue such a unique and rewarding experience. Both the volleyball program and athletics department deserve someone who can dedicate all of their time, passion, and commitment to support them.
Gordon concludes his MSU coaching career with a 360-266 record, which included 12 20-win campaigns, three Ohio Valley Conference Tournament titles, three NCAA Tournament berths (with a first-round win in 2021), four total postseason appearances and nine OVC regular season titles.
His program won eight OVC Team Academic Awards and 12 consecutive Team Academic Awards from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. MSU has also achieved eight straight Academic Progress Rate public recognitions from the NCAA.
From 2010 until 2012, the Eagles went 67-3 against OVC competition.
Gordon made an instant impact in his first year as head coach in 2003. He became the only Eagle mentor to lead Morehead State to an OVC crown in his first season at the helm and boasted the second-best winning percentage of any MSU volleyball first-year head coach.
Capping off the 21-11 campaign and 14-2 school-record league mark, Gordon received the OVC Coach of the Year honor, becoming just the third Morehead State mentor to secure that accolade. He went on to receive OVC Coach of the Year again in 2010, 2012 and 2020.
He also coached three players who earned OVC Offensive Player of the Year and one who earned OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Numerous players under Gordon also were named Academic All-District and Academic All-Americans.
Gordon came to Morehead State following two successful stints (6 total years) on the volleyball staff at Kentucky and was the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan from 1996-98, compiling 80 wins.
A three-time Kentucky graduate, he earned bachelor's degrees in architecture in 1994 and art history in 1996. He also received a master's in sport management in 1996 and earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from MSU in 2021.
Gordon and his wife, Ashley, have daughters Sydney and Jamison. Sydney graduated from the prestigious Craft Academy for Excellence at Morehead State.
The process to determine a new head volleyball coach is underway.
