Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the University of Tennessee at Martin through June 30, 2025.
UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver made the announcement Sept. 4, which is an extension of the first contract that McGuffin received when he was introduced as the 15th athletic director in Skyhawk history on May 22, 2017.
“Kurt has been a phenomenal leader for the UT Martin intercollegiate athletics program since 2017,” Carver said. “I’m continually impressed with his vision, work ethic and passion for our coaches and student-athletes. Kurt has served as the primary advocate for Skyhawk Athletics, but he’s seen as an invaluable part of the campus leadership team as well.”
During his UT Martin tenure, McGuffin has overseen multiple Ohio Valley Conference championship programs while implementing significant facility upgrades across the board. During the 2019-20 season, the Skyhawks were on pace for their best finish in the OVC Commissioner’s Cup standings in school history before the league’s cancellation of spring championships.
Academically, UT Martin Athletics shattered a school record with 191 OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipients in 2019-20 and set a new departmental record with a 3.26 Grade Point Average in the spring semester.
“This extension wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of our Skyhawk student-athletes, coaches and staff,” McGuffin said. “The West Tennessee community has embraced my family and I since we arrived at UT Martin three years ago and we are so grateful for the confidence that Dr. Carver has shown in me throughout my time here.”
McGuffin, who boasts almost 25 years of experience in the collegiate athletics forum, is a proud member of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the National Association of Development Directors (NADD). He was selected as one of just 10 members to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee this season and is also serving on the NACDA Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association Executive Committee while chairing the OVC’s Council of Athletic Directors during the 2020-21 academic year.
“Under Kurt’s leadership, UT Martin has achieved a record number of student-athletes on campus, seen a marked increase in private giving and has expanded our communication and marketing efforts outside our region,” Carver said. “Additionally, our student-athletes have seen tremendous progress in the classroom as demonstrated by a record number of OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipients.”
An Iola, Kansas native, McGuffin graduated from Kansas State with a degree in education in 1996 and obtained his masters degree in education from Wichita State in 1999. He is married to the former Jessica Whisler of Goodland, Kansas, and the couple has three children – Bryce, Brett and Brea.
