MOREHEAD, Ky. — After serving in an interim role since April 2019, Jaime Gordon will now assume the full-time position of director of athletics at Morehead State. Gordon’s appointment is effective on Feb. 1, 2020.
Gordon, who recently concluded his 17th season as the head coach of the Morehead State Volleyball program, is the winningest coach in the school’s history in any sport. He has guided the Eagles to 309 victories since 2003.
“I am grateful for the faith and confidence that President Dr. Jay Morgan and Vice President for student Affairs Russ Mast have placed in me. Morehead State has shaped the lives of my family and me for the past 17 years,” Gordon said. “I have been blessed to build a life working with young women during some of their most transformative years. Intercollegiate athletics is a tremendous vehicle to help young people develop into the best versions of themselves. I will remain committed to that charge and do all I can to support the exceptional work that our faculty does in educating all of our students.”
President Morgan believes Gordon’s leadership qualities will continue to enhance and improve all aspects of the department.
“Coach Gordon has provided a tremendous amount of leadership to our athletic program during the past eight months as interim athletic director and we are very pleased that he will be continuing on as our permanent athletic director,” he said. “His reputation as a leader, an experienced and quality coach, and an advocate of student-athlete success both in competition and in the classroom made him a natural to fill this position.”
Gordon has always strived to ensure students have the most positive experience while competing and making progress toward their degrees at Morehead State and wants that to continue to be at the heart of the department’s goals.
“In athletics, we will echo the institutional commitment to place the student at the heart of every decision,” he said. “We have an exceptional collection of coaches and staff who are dedicated to excellence both in the classroom and on competition venues. Much of this can be credited to (former director of athletics) Brian Hutchinson and his commitment to MSU.”
While leading the department as director of athletics, Gordon will continue to be the head coach of the volleyball program.
“I am indebted to the trust that Dr. Morgan has placed in me. I am honored for the opportunity to guide a department that I have so much respect and gratefulness for,” he said.
Gordon has led volleyball to seven Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) regular-season titles and 10 campaigns with 20 wins in the past 14 seasons. The Eagles also won Ohio Valley Conference Tournament titles in 2011 and 2013, earning berths to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.
His program has 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 recognition from the NCAA.
Gordon also oversaw the implementation of the Beach Volleyball program in 2017, one of just five full OVC member institutions with a Beach program.
Gordon has guided three players to earn All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and six who have earned AVCA All-Region accolades. During his leadership, four student-athletes have won OVC Player of the Year awards, while five have been named OVC Freshman of the Year. He has been selected OVC Coach of the Year three times.
Numerous players under Gordon have also been named CoSIDA Academic All-District and Academic All-Americans. The Eagles have been leaders in earning nods on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and being awarded OVC Academic Medals of Honor.
He started his coaching career at Henry Clay High School in Lexington. He had successful stints at both West Virginia Wesleyan College and the University of Kentucky before coming to Morehead State.
A three-time graduate of the University of Kentucky, Gordon earned bachelor’s degrees in architecture in 1994 and art history in 1996. He also received a master’s degree in sport management in 1996 and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Morehead State. He is also an active member of the AVCA.
As a player, he spent six years as a member of the nationally ranked Kentucky men’s club team. He served as a three-year team captain and was selected to the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival Team as an alternate.
Gordon and his wife, Ashley, are parents of two daughters, Sydney and Jamison. Sydney graduated from the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics at Morehead State.
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