Goshen College men’s basketball coach resigns

GOSHEN, Ind. —Stan Daugherty has resigned as men’s basketball coach, associate athletic director and professor of physical education at Goshen College, the school announced Wednesday.

Daugherty, the program’s 12^th head coach in its 53-year history, completes his tenure at Goshen with a record of 87-104 (.455), surpassing legendary coach Roman Gingerich’s former record of 85 wins.

Daugherty cited personal and family reasons for his decision; the 31-year high school and college coach will move into an administrative role next year as the athletic director for Delta High School (Muncie, Ind.).

“I was not looking to leave Goshen College and was very excited about the upcoming year,” Daugherty said. “I was asked to call Delta High School on behalf of a former college player, and in speaking with (Delta) I learned that they had already begun interviewing for their athletic director position and would not be talking with him. As the conversation progressed, I was asked if I had an interest in the position. Because Delta is only 20 minutes from our hometown I decided to talk with them. Within a few days I had two interviews and was offered the job.

“I have always told my players that faith in God and love for your family is much more important than basketball,” he continued. “As I looked at this situation, it seemed like a door had been opened for me and my family to get back close to home and work in a great situation. In the end, this was just too good of a situation to pass up for my family.”

Goshen College Athletic Director Ken Pletcher said that a national search for a new head coach would begin immediately.

“For the well-being of our current players as well as the new recruits, we hope to move as quickly as absolutely possible in the search process,” Pletcher said. “The program deserves our very best efforts during this time. Coach Daugherty has done an exceptional job with our men’s basketball program, and he has coached and taught with great integrity during his six years here. He is highly respected by the Goshen College faculty as well as his coaching peers. He is a good friend and colleague and our department will miss his leadership, professionalism and character.”

In addition to his coaching duties, Daugherty reinstated the Goshen College Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and served on the institution’s Spiritual Life Committee, as well as being a five-year member of the college’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Planning Committee.

“Stan's involvement in campus life beyond athletics and the men's basketball program was much appreciated,” said Bill Born, Goshen College vice president for student life. “His leadership of FCA and participation this last year on the Spiritual Life Committee added a great deal to the overall experience our students have on campus. As a member of the Goshen College community, he was a mentor to many individuals, as well as a coach.”

Daugherty led the Goshen basketball program to unmatched levels of success, charting two 21-win seasons (2003-04, 2004-05), the program’s only 20-win seasons in its history.

Daugherty recruited and coached the school’s only NAIA All-American to date (2006 graduate Eric Walsh) as well as brought the 2006-07 Mid-Central Conference (MCC) Newcomer of the Year — sophomore Errick McCollum II — the first player in program history to garner that award.

Collecting 2004-05 MCC Coach of the Year honors, Daugherty guided his team to a program-best third-place finish in the MCC that season, hosting the school’s first MCC Tournament game as a result. Daugherty also guided his teams to the longest winning streak in program history (16 in 2003-04), the best start to a season in program history (18-1 in 2003-04) and a 90-64 win over then sixth-ranked Cardinal Stritch University in 2003-04, the highest-ranked opponent a Goshen team has ever defeated.

Daugherty coached six all-conference selections and seven honorable mention players during his tenure at the Leafs’ helm while also maintaining focus on academics. In addition to coaching 13 Daktronics NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete selections, Daugherty’s players had a collective GPA of at least 3.0 in each of his seasons, highlighted by a team GPA of 3.45 in 2004-05.

“I will miss coaching this team the next few years,” Daugherty said. “We have brought in some good players and I think they have a chance to be one of the best teams in recent memory. I will certainly follow them closely.”

Daugherty concludes a 31-year coaching career that began in 1976, spanning 17 years at the high school level and 14 in the college ranks. As a head coach at five high schools — including Delta from 1983 to 1989 — Daugherty posted an overall record of 182-146, winning two sectional championships, three county championships and two conference titles. Before arriving to Goshen, Daugherty spent eight years as the associate head coach at Anderson University (NCAA Div. III; Anderson, Ind.), helping the Ravens to three consecutive winning seasons in his last three years including a 20-6 finish in 1998-99.

For the latest scores, game recaps and recruiting news, visit the official site of Goshen College Athletics at: www.GoLeafs.net

– by Cory Furman

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or to request a photo, contact Cory Furman, Goshen College sports information director, at (574) 535-7497 or coryf@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.