CLEVELAND - The Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) has selected Clint Bryant (Augusta University) and Steve Poston (Wingate University) as the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to athletics directors who have exemplified superior achievement during their career at the Division II level.
"The impact that both of these individuals have had on the Division II community is second to none," stated D2 ADA President Kirby Garry, director of athletics at Cal State Monterey Bay. "Both Clint and Steve served multiple decades at their institutions, Clint at 34 years, and Steve at 50-plus years. Their service, leadership and impact within the Division II community and across their institutions is something to be admired."
Clint Bryant
Bryant's career began at a Division II institution, Belmont Abbey College where he played basketball player and earned his bachelor's degree in 1977. From there, he went on to earn his master's degree from Clemson University in 1979 and pursued a career in coaching until 1997 with stops at Clemson, University of Miami and finally at Augusta University (previously Georgia Regents University), where he also was named the director of athletics.
Augusta is where Bryant continued for the next 34 years, stepping down from the sidelines in 1997, but continuing his illustrious career through 2022.
Nationally, Bryant served on a multitude of NCAA and conference committees, including a two-year sting on NCAA Management Council where he also served as chair of the group. He is also one of the founders of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), serving as its president for 10 years. Bryant also was one of the founding members of the Black Coaches Association, trying to address the inequality in the coaching profession.
The awards he has received are plentiful, including but not limited to the following –
- 2007 – NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
- 2012 – MOAA Distinguished Service Award
- 2013 – Division II 40th Anniversary Team
- 2014 – NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion (Georgia Regents)
- 2016 – August City Classic Hall of Fame
- 2022 – court at Christenberry Fieldhouse renamed Clint L. Bryant Court
Throughout his more than 45-year career as a collegiate administrator and coach, he has been recognized for his impactful leadership at the university and throughout the community. He has served the Kiwanis Club of Augusta, the United Way of the CSRA on their board of directors, a past president of the 100 Black Men of Augusta, Inc. and a past honorary chairman of the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia.
During his tenure, Bryant saw multiple teams win Peach Belt Conference Championships. The men's golf team won back-to-back Division I NCAA National Championships (2010 and 2011), and during his final year he watched the women's volleyball team reach the NCAA elite eight for the first time in school history and the men's basketball team reaching the national championship game. His most important metric was the thousands of student-athletes that left Augusta University with a degree.
Bryant's legacy is characterized by his commitment to graduating student-athletes and his integrity of how he led his staff, NCAA committees, and led professionals in the industry. He was a leader in the profession and an inspiration to many black men and women who look up to him as a black administrator. His impact on the athletics industry will be experienced for years to come.
Steve Poston
Poston graduated from Gardner-Webb Junior College in 1966, earned his bachelor's degree at Wake Forest University in 1968 and a master's in higher education administration from Appalachian State University in 1975.
Prior to joining Wingate, Poston began his career as a high school teacher and coach. Throughout his tenure at Wingate, he served in several different positions including head baseball coach, professor of physical education, vice president for student affairs, vice president for enrollment management, vice president for administration and director of the Matthews Center. In 2001, he transitioned to the role of vice president and director of athletics until his retirement.
Under Poston's leadership, the Bulldogs led the conference in South Atlantic Conference (SAC) titles, winning the SAC Excellence Cup for 13 consecutive years, breaking the record for most wins in league history. Throughout his time at the helm, Wingate also led the conference in SAC scholar-athletes and became the fourth Division II school with over 100 Academic All-America honorees in 2017. Growing the program, Poston added several new sports and closed an exclusive deal with ESPN3 for coverage of select Wingate home games, making it the first national streaming rights deal for a Division II school (2015).
In addition to his work as a Division II athletics director, Poston also served on a wide array of conference and national committees, including but not limited to
- SAC Athletics Council Chair
- Division II Management Council member
- Walter Byers Scholarship Committee
- Division II Legislation Committee
- Division II Nominating Committee
- Convention Planning Committee and more.
Poston received the Union County Community HeART of the Arts lifetime achievement award in 2013, was inducted into the Wingate Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in 2022. He is a recipient of the D2 CCA Meritorious Service Award and as the longest-tenured administrator in the University's history, Poston received a honorary degree from Wingate in 2021.
As the longest-tenured administrator in Wingate University's history, Steve Poston has played a significant role in some of the most important decisions made in the University's history, spanning the presidential tenures of five CEOs. Poston served Wingate for 50 years with integrity, perspective and humor and has been an example of excellence.
About D2 ADA: The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the D2 ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The D2 ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 59th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
