Philip Hutcheson named Lipscomb's new athletics director

Former Bison All-American named Lipscomb athletic director

Philip Hutcheson

Lipscomb hires ex-player to lead athletics dept.

By MIKE ORGAN

One of Lipscomb's most recognizable former athletes will rejoin the school as head of its athletic department.

Philip Hutcheson, 40, who once was college basketball's all-time scoring leader, will be named Lipscomb's new athletics director today and officially begin work on Nov. 1.

Hutcheson scored 4,106 points from 1986-1990 and became the first Bison to have his jersey retired.

"I don't think any of today's players will remember me,'' Hutcheson said. "If they saw me shoot today, they'd never believe I scored that many points. But I hope they'll get the sense that I am someone who loves athletics, who loves coaching, who loves competition. I believe that I bring an understanding of the tradition that Lipscomb has, along with knowing the community.''

Hutcheson replaces Steve Potts, who resigned in May to become senior associate athletics director at Pepperdine.

Hutcheson, who graduated as Lipscomb's valedictorian with a 4.0 grade point average, earned his master's degree at Georgia.

He has spent the past 11 years working in management for his father's Sessions Paving Co. in Nashville.

"Philip Hutcheson brings a wealth of knowledge about the athletic process as well as experience in the business sector and the community that will help take Lipscomb athletics to the next level,'' Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry said in a statement.

Lowry and senior vice president Joe Ivey approached Hutcheson over summer.

"They came to me and, after several pretty informal conversations, I got a little bit more of an idea of what direction they were headed and where they'd like to be and I really felt like that was something I would love to be a part of,'' Hutcheson said. "My interest just kind of grew and grew."

Hutcheson was an NAIA first team All-American his junior and senior seasons and the 1990 NAIA National Player of the Year.

His scoring record was broken in 1994 by fellow Bison John Pierce, who is still the record-holder.