Philip Gaffney named Highlands' athletics director

Media release: Georgia Highlands College has appointed Philip Gaffney to serve as its new athletics director. Gaffney comes to the college from Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina, where he has held the position of athletics director since 2005. He has also coached men's basketball at GTCC, as well as Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New York, Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, New York and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland.

During Gaffney's tenure at Guilford, three of his four teams earned national rankings and won three regional championships. Two of his athletes became All-Americans. In all, his coaching amassed more than 20 wins a season over a 17-year span, including a top-five national ranking for the three colleges with which he was affiliated. In that time, he has coached six junior college All-Americans and eight Region Players of the Year.

GHC announced in March that the college would begin a competitive athletics program in the 2011-2012 academic year. The program commences with basketball at the Floyd campus. Later, the college has plans to extend competitive athletics to Cartersville. That campus is currently adding a student center that will house a basketball court, suspended running tracks and weight and cardio rooms. The institution is also looking at the possibility of adding baseball to the offerings at Cartersville.

Gaffney holds a Bachelor of Science in physical education from the State University of New York College at Brockport. He will begin his duties on Monday, Aug. 15.