CSN President and newly appointed Athletic Director Dexter Irvin.
CSN’s new Athletic Director Dexter Irvin comes to us from the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
We’re a pretty well-rounded place, this community college we call home.
The College of Southern Nevada has tens of thousands of students, three campuses, stellar programs, and even championship caliber sports.
So this here’s kind of a big deal: We’ve hired a new athletic director.
Dexter Irvin will take over Jan. 1 after the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents approved his appointment on Friday.
Irvin is also kind of a big deal. He’s spent the last four years as athletic director at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and he spent a decade before that at Dixie State College.
He won a whole bunch of stuff there, including four national championships in various sports.
We’re lucky to have snapped him up.
He’ll take over a program that’s steeped in winning ways. Our baseball team, the Coyotes, won the national championship in 2003, and it wins conference and regional champion so often it’s hard to keep track. Since 2000, fifty of its players have been drafted into the major leagues.
You may have heard of Bryce Harper, who has been making a splash in Major League Baseball. He is a product of CSN’s Coyotes. So are several other current and former professional players, including Sean Kazmar, Michael Dunn, and Jordan Smith. We also have an active women’s softball team.
Irvin said his goal will be to “make sure we’re functioning at the highest level we can.”
Irvin has also served in administration and coaching positions at community colleges and high schools in the western United States. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in physical education.
“I think I have a great understanding of what it takes to win,” he said.
His contract runs from January 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, which would cover two seasons of play.
Irvin has family ties to the Las Vegas area and has expressed a desire to relocate here. He has six children. One lives in the Las Vegas area, one is in St. George, and two are in Salt Lake City. Living here makes it easier for him to be near family. “The grandkids will appreciate it,” he said.
He said he will focus his initial energies on evaluating the organization and focus on maximizing the college’s resources. He’ll set goals and implement an action plan once that assessment is done.
With 40 local high schools, he said he expects recruiting local students to CSN and its athletic programs will be a top priority.
“It’s absolutely a phenomenal opportunity,” he said.