Wednesday, March 10, 2004
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004 |
| McCullers steps down at CCSU A coaching legend and fixture for women’s basketball for 30 years in Clayton County, head Clayton College & State University coach A.C. McCullers announced his resignation as the CCSU women’s head coach Monday. McCullers is coming off his fifth season at Clayton State after coaching 25 years at Morrow High School. He captured his 700th combined victory in January of this year with an 84-77 victory over nationally-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University. Clayton State’s season came to an end last week with a 10-18 record, falling in the Peach Belt Conference tournament to Francis Marion University. “Clayton State and this community has been great to me over the years, and I will never be able thank them enough for their support,” said McCullers. “It was a tough decision, one that I agonized over, but I feel like its time for me to move on. It will allow me much more family time with my teenage daughter and wife. I will be able to watch her grow up and won’t miss out on the most enjoyable years of her life. I missed her hitting two free throws in the last minute of her last game this year, and it almost killed me.” McCullers took over the Clayton State program in 1999 and provided stability to Laker women’s basketball after the program had three coaches in three years. In five years at Clayton State, he compiled a 53-82 record with his best season coming in 2002-03 with a 16-11 mark, the second best record in school history. “Clayton State was in need of someone like A.C. five years ago to put our program on solid footing, and he accomplished that,” said CCSU athletic director Mason Barfield. “He came in and provided stability to our women’s basketball program and developed it into a respected one in the Peach Belt Conference.” In addition to compiling the program’s second best overall record in 2002-03, he led the Lakers to the school’s best finish in Peach Belt Conference play, finishing fifth in the league with a 10-9 mark. The program had its first victory over a nationally-ranked team in 2002-03, defeating USC Aiken, and followed that up this year with wins over 11th-ranked Bellarmine University and 17th-ranked Armstrong State. The 2002-03 squad also defeated Kennesaw State for the first time in 18 tries, sweeping the Owls in two games and was ranked for the first time in the South Atlantic Region. The program produced its first All-America in 2003 and finished the season ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage defense. The most successful high school coach in Clayton County history, McCullers compiled a career record of 648-157, a winning percentage of .803, and won 535 games at Morrow before announcing his retirement in the spring of 1999. He led the Lady Mustangs to Class AAAA state championships in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993 and had nine players sign with NCAA Division I programs since 1990. In 25 years, McCullers guided Morrow to 19 state tournament appearances, 12 regional championships and nine trips to the Final Four, including his last season when Morrow capped its 12th consecutive 20-win season with a 26-5 record. A native of Jasper, Ala., McCullers was inducted into the Etowah County (Ala.) Hall of Fame in 1997. He was an all-state football player and four-sport letterwinner at Hokes Bluff (Ala.) High School before continuing his football career at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physical education in 1968. In 1980, McCullers received a master’s degree from West Georgia. He and his wife, Renee, have a 15-year old daughter, Andrea Michelle, and reside in McDonough. Back to the Top of the Page
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