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Q&A: Meet new William Penn AD Ron Coursey


Just after 8 p.m. Thursday, William Penn ushered in a new era of athletics when it approved the hire of Ron Coursey as the new athletic director. Stuart Krise was approved as the interim director until Coursey takes over full time in February. In the meantime, let's get to know Coursey – a Baltimore native who spent the last seven years serving as a dean of students and athletic director at two schools in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

Question: How old are you? Where are you from? And where did you go to school?

Answer: I am 34 years old. I attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. I also attended the University of Pittsburgh and I attended Frostburg State University.

Q: What do you know about William Penn athletics?

A: I know that there is a lot of tradition and pride within the community and a very rich sports history here. And it's something that I'm very excited to be a part of.

Q: What made you want to apply?

A: A couple of things: One, a passion for athletics definitely. I was fortunate enough to be a collegiate athlete and I played three sports in high school. The proximity to home being a Baltimore guy so I get a chance to go home and see my parents. Also just the overwhelming potential of this high school and this district. With the community involvement and the passion that is here, we can accomplish anything if we put our mind to it.

Q: When do you start and what's at the top of your to-do list?

A: It hasn't been determined yet. The goal is to start in mid- to late-February. First on the to-do list is a 1A and a 1B: 1A is meeting all of the coaches and assistant coaches and stakeholders in athletics to start building relationships with them because without them, I can't do my job. They're more important than I am combined. So that's 1A. 1B is engaging our community and letting them know who I am, what my plans are and how they can be involved. There are some fundraiser ideas I'd like to be a part of and I'd like to start some technology integration such as updating our website and social media presence. Maybe start a #BearcatPride. I want to have a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and have all that integrated into an athletic website.

Q: How big of a priority is hiring a new football coach?

A: That's on the very top of the list. With the pride and tradition of York High football and some of the names that have come out of here like Bruce Arians and Chris Doleman, this is a place that has a lot of pride and history in football. My job is to find a coach who is going to respect and honor that and bring back the winning ways.

Q: What do you want the people of York City to know about you before you get started?

A: I am all about our students and all about our student-athletes. The reason I do this is because I truly believe athletics is a vehicle to promote our kids to whatever their imagination can conceive.