Jimmy Bass
Director of Athletics
Veteran collegiate administrator Jimmy Bass begins his final year as the leader of the UNCW athletics department in 2022-23.
Bass, the second longest tenured athletic director in the history of the program behind founder William J. Brooks, took over the helm of the program in October of 2010 and has helped the Seahawks achieve tremendous success in the playing arena and in the classroom during his tenure in the Port City. Bass announced his pending retirement on June 13, 2022, and will step down on April 1, 2023.
Bass is UNCW's sixth full-time athletics director, following in the footsteps of Brooks, Paul Miller, Peg Bradley-Doppes, Mike Capaccio and Kelly Mehrtens.
The native North Carolinian introduced a comprehensive strategic plan during his inaugural year and unveiled another five-year plan in late July of 2018. Under Bass' energetic leadership, the Seahawks have captured 32 Colonial Athletic Association championships during his tenure.
From 2012-14, he served as president of the CAA, assisting the league with its expansion and other key initiatives. On Sept. 2, 2019, he was appointed to the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee, a seven-member committee responsible for the selection and seeding of the competing teams in the NCAA Regional Championships. He attends annual meetings with the Golf Coaches Association of America regarding NCAA Championship format, scoring, media, and factors influencing NCAA men's golf. Bass serves as chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee for the 2022-23 year.
On June 28, 2022, Bass received the Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year Award in the NCAA Division I-AAA division by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) at the group's annual convention in Las Vegas.
With a recognized expertise in marketing and fund raising, the North Carolina native immediately restructured the department's fundraising arm and orchestrated a $2 million renovation to venerable Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks also reached a sponsorship consulting partnership with IMG Worldwide.
Bass came to UNCW after spending three years as Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations at East Carolina. He had held previous positions at Mississippi State, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, UNCW and Davidson.
Bass, 65, served as UNCW's first full-time athletics fundraiser in 1986. As Executive Director of the UNCW Student Aid Association (Seahawk Club) and Associate Director of Athletics, he bolstered the school's athletic scholarship efforts and pushed membership in the Seahawk Club from 250 to 1,100 during his three-year stay.
Bass has had a wide variety of experience that includes development, ticketing, marketing and fundraising. He joined the ECU staff for the second time in February 2006 and has coordinated all fundraising, marketing, promotional, ticketing and media relations efforts for East Carolina's 19 intercollegiate athletic programs and acted as the department's top liaison with marketing firm ISP Sports.
Bass began his professional career in 1979 as Assistant Director of the Wildcat Club and Athletic Ticket Manager at Davidson before accepting an assistant director's position on the Wolfpack Club staff at N.C. State in 1981. He then came to Wilmington, where he helped energize the Seahawk Nation.
He then moved on to work with former ECU Athletics Director Dave Hart Jr. at ECU. In Greenville, he developed, coordinated and implemented marketing and promotional goals for Pirate and Lady Pirate programs. He initiated a comprehensive and revenue-producing corporate sponsorship program that remains a model of success today.
Following an 11-month assignment at Pitt, where he instituted a new point priority system and revamped the annual giving levels and member benefits program, Bass returned to Raleigh as N.C. State's Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the Alumni Association from November 1994 to April 2000.
Bass returned to athletics at N.C. State as Associate Executive Director of the Wolfpack Club from April 2000 to July 2005. He directed the strategic planning and execution of the Goal Line Drive, a five-year campaign that raised more than $60 million for expansion and improvements at Carter-Finley Stadium. During the same time, he also spearheaded the Batter Up Campaign for the renovation of Doak Baseball Field and the Advantage Wolfpack Campaign for the construction of the Isenhour Indoor Tennis Center.
Bass then served as Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Mississippi State for six months, where he headed all development and fundraising activities for the Bulldogs. In addition to directing all annual giving, major gift and capital campaigns, Bass provided oversight to MSU's athletic ticketing, marketing and promotions efforts.
Bass earned a Bachelor's Degree in speech communication from N.C. State in 1978 before completing his Master's Degree in sports administration from Ohio University in 1980. He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Bass is married to the former Sarah Ruark, and the couple has a son, Corey, daughter-in-law, Marianne, and two grandsons, Easton and Preston.
The Jimmy Bass Timeline
Oct. 19, 2010: Named sixth athletic director in UNCW history during press conference in Golden Hawk Room of Nixon Annex.
Feb. 7, 2011: Appoints Melissa Lewis as Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Support Services.
Feb. 10, 2011: Restructures department's fundraising arm to be led by Senior Associate A.D. Patrick Ransdell.
Feb. 18, 2011: Announces gift of $250,000 by longtime benefactors Sylvia H. and George Rountree III to provide a foundation for improvements to Trask Coliseum.
May 23, 2011: Unveils a new strategic plan that encompasses 35 pages and maps out the department's goals through 2015 and beyond.
July 7, 2011: Oversees $2 million renovation to Trask Coliseum, the 34-year-old cornerstone of the program
May 1, 2012: The men's tennis team earns its first at-large entry into the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships.
May 3, 2012: Introduces Tusculum College coach Adell Harris as UNCW's new women's basketball coach in a press conference in the Golden Hawk Room.
June 13, 2012: Selected president of the Colonial Athletic Association during the league's summer meetings in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
June 19, 2012: Signs agreement with IMG College on a multi-year athletics sponsorship consulting partnership.
July 1, 2012: Plans renovations for women's basketball locker room facility.
July 6, 2012: Names James Madison assistant coach and Fayetteville native Kristy Norton to direct softball program.
May 23, 2013: Working with CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager and the league's CEO's, announces that Elon will join the CAA in 2014-15.
April 1, 2014: Introduces University of Louisville Associate Head Coach Kevin Keatts as UNCW's new men's basketball coach during a press conference in Trask Coliseum.
April 20, 2014: The Seahawks capture the school's first CAA women's tennis title with a 4-3 victory over Charleston in Williamsburg, Va.
July 28, 2014: Tabs South Carolina assistant coach Jason Memont as UNCW's second swimming and diving coach.
Nov. 20, 2014: UNCW hosts its first-ever NCAA championship event on campus when the men's soccer team entertains Patriot League champion Bucknell in a first-round pairing of the NCAA Tournament.
Feb. 28, 2015: The men's basketball team ties for the regular season championship in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Mar. 15, 2015: The men's basketball team collects its first postseason berth in 10 seasons with an invitation to play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
April 1, 2015: Elevates Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman's Administrator Adrianne Swinney to Deputy Athletic Director.
April 15, 2015: Unveils completed renovation to volleyball lockerroom facility in Hanover Hall.
May 23, 2015: The baseball team captures its fourth CAA title with its second straight one-run decision over tournament favorite College of Charleston at Patriot's Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
July 1, 2015: Beach Volleyball officially becomes the 19th sport in the department's portfolio.
July 8, 2015: Names former N.C. State and N.C. Central head coach Hans Olsen as the 13th women's tennis coach in the program's history.
July 21, 2015: Announces contract extensions for men's basketball head coach Kevin Keatts (one year) and women's basketball head coach Adell Harris (two years).
July 27, 2015: Names Layne Schwier interim head coach for cross country and track and field.
Nov. 9, 2015: The women's soccer team receives its first at-large invitation to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
Nov. 9, 2015: The women's soccer team blanks South Carolina, 2-0, in Columbia, S.C., for the program's first NCAA Tournament win in school history.
Nov. 22, 2015: The indoor volleyball team captures its first CAA championship with a 3-0 victory over the College of Charleston in Harrisonburg, Va.
March 7, 2016: The men's basketball team claims the school's fifth CAA title with an 80-73 overtime victory over Hofstra in Baltimore, Md.
March 7, 2017: UNCW captures its sixth CAA men's basketball title by defeating the College of Charleston, 78-69, at the North Charleston Coliseum.
April 3, 2017: Names North Carolina assistant coach C.B. McGrath as UNCW's 11th head men's basketball coach.
April 23, 2017: The men's tennis team wins its fifth CAA championship with a 4-2 victory over William & Mary in Greensboro, N.C.
May 3, 2017: Names Old Dominion head coach Karen Barefoot to take over the women's basketball program.
April 22, 2018: The Seahawks win two CAA championships (men's tennis and men's golf) in one day in the Triad area
May 26, 2018: The baseball team wins its fifth CAA title by defeating Northeastern, 7-4, at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va.
May 31, 2018: Names Daniel Bowden head men's golf coach.
July 19, 2018: Unveils new strategic plan to UNCW's Board of Trustees.
Aug. 16, 2018: Names former All-American triple jumper Austin Davis head cross country/track and field coach.
April 14, 2019: Led by CAA Rookie of the Year Phu Khine, the women's golf team wins its fifth conference title with a convincing 17-stroke victory over second-place Delaware at St. James Plantation in Southport, N.C.
April 21, 2019: The men's golf team captures its seventh championship with a six-stroke victory over the College of Charleston at the Pinehurst #8 course.
April 29, 2019: Names associate head coach Randy Hood as UNCW's new head baseball coach, succeeding longtime skipper Mark Scalf.
May 26, 2019: Retiring head baseball coach Mark Scalf goes out with his sixth CAA title when the Seahawks edge top-seeded Elon, 6-5, for the 2019 CAA Baseball Championship in Harrisonburg, Va.