Back in the fold: Overton joins Pirates' administration
By Nathan Summers, The Daily Reflector
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The bulldozers covering the football practice fields form a backdrop to a brand new baseball stadium, both evidence of all that is new with East Carolina University athletics.
The athletic director, the football coach and the men's basketball coach are also new, relatively speaking. Of all the changes, one recent hire in the athletic realm is not new, doesn't need much orientation and most certainly knows his way around the grounds.
Gary Overton has been an ECU baseball coach, professor and even a radio color commentator already, but nonetheless has a new office and a new purpose on campus. Overton, who said he started pondering his next move in athletics a couple of years ago, has found his next niche by replacing Director of Operations J.J. McLamb in ECU's athletic front office.
While he doesn't deny missing his days in the dugout, Overton said he sees plenty of similarities between his new role and that of a baseball skipper.
"What people miss most after coaching is the camaraderie among coaches and between players, being a day-to-day part of athletics," said Overton, a 2005 ECU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who oversaw the Pirates from 1985 through 1997. "Coming into a role like this fulfills that. Being a part of the department again brings back that feeling of camaraderie that you miss so much after coaching. I had 20 years as a coach and I loved every minute of it."
Overton said AD Terry Holland approached him regarding the vacancy left by McLamb shortly after the end of the baseball season. After what he called a quick transition, Overton was thrown into a similar, yet completely different facet of college sports.
So far, Overton said there is no typical day, only that he's outside the office a great deal more than inside. Even though he referred to himself as one of the "new guys" in the department, Overton said coaching and teaching have given him a great deal of experience in university affairs. Many of Overton's day-to-day contacts will be people he already knows.
"I think it will have a lot of similarities to coaching – long hours and many never-ending tasks," Overton said. "There will always be projects to be done in addition to the day-to-day operations. And when one project is completed, another one starts. When one day is fulfilled, the next day brings something new."
A strong emphasis is being placed on the present, according to Overton – the football practice fields and a major renovation inside the Ward Sports Medicine Building that will include facelifts for the football and basketball offices, and changing the old Ward weight room into football meeting rooms.
"It's clear to see what's been accomplished just in the last nine months alone, and in the last couple of years, in facility development," Overton said. "You go across the country, you hear people everywhere talk about the good facilities here. Many of the state schools, and I'm referring to North Carolina and North Carolina State, have even made comments to me about how good our athletic facilities are."
Overton said he will continue his role as a professor, albeit an abbreviated one compared with past years. And while he said he isn't sure he'll be able to return to the broadcast booth, he has his fingers crossed.
Undoubtedly, Overton will lean on ECU operations mainstays like Mike Cherry and Joey Perry, who help oversee event management and grounds, respectively. But the former coach insists his time spent with the ECU baseball team is the most valuable he brings into his new endeavor.
"The procedure is what I already know, because I've been a part of it," Overton said. "The learning process is endless, but it deals primarily with projects that are going on now, how far along we are on certain projects and just getting involved with the routine. That means limited time in the office and very full days. I love it. It's just like coaching."
Nathan Summers can be reached at (252)329-9595 or at nsummers@coxnc.com
