Men's Golf Coach Wins Spot in Hall of Fame
Tuesday, December 18, 2001 | Men's Golf
University of Florida men's golf coach Buddy Alexander, has been named a Sun Mountain Sports National Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches' Association of America (GCAA) for the second time in his career. The GCAA will also induct the two-time national champion coach into the Hall of Fame next month.
Alexander is in his 15th season with the Gators after winning his second national title for the program in nine years. Alexander came to Florida after spending time at the helm of the Georgia Southern (1977-80) and Louisiana State (1983-87) men's golf programs. Over the course of his coaching career, Alexander's squads have earned 58 tournament wins, including eight SEC championships and two national championships. He was named GCAA National Coach of the Year in 1993 and 2001. An outstanding player and graduate of Georgia Southern (1975), Alexander won the U.S. Amateur championship in 1986, and represented the United States in the 1987 Walker Cup.
Alexander is one of three coaches being inducted. Skidmore College golf coach and athletic director Tim Brown and retired Murray State golf coach Raymond T. "Buddy" Hewitt will also carry the honor.
The coaches were selected by a committee of their peers, after being nominated by current members of the Hall of Fame. The three honorees will be inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame at the association's national awards dinner on Wednesday, January 23 as part of the GCAA National Convention in
Orlando, Fla. at the Sheraton World Resort. District and National Coaches of the Year, sponsored by Sun Mountain Sports, will be recognized at the dinner. For information on ticket availability, contact the GCAA National Office at (405) 329-4222.
A GCAA appointed committee, chaired by University of Louisville head coach Mark Crabtree, reviewed each district in Divisions I, II and III. The committee selected a district coach of the year in each district of the three divisions. The committee selected the national coaches of the year from the three pools of district coaches of the year.
Sun Mountain Sports 2001 Division I District Coaches of the Year
Name School District
Tom Drennan Rhode Island 1
Greg Nye Penn State 2
Jay Seawell Augusta State 3-N
Buddy Alexander Florida 3-S
Herb Page Kent State 4
Jim Ragan Oklahoma 5
Ted Gleason SMU 6
J.T. Higgins* New Mexico 7
Ted Ballmer Pacific 8
*Now coaching at Texas A&M University
