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HARROGATE, Tenn. — Brian Hutchinson has been named Director of Athletics at Lincoln Memorial University, it was announced by the LMU Board of Trustees, President Dr. Clayton Hess and Vice President for Athletics Dr. Jody Goins on Friday.

“Lincoln Memorial University is excited to welcome Brian Hutchinson as our new Director of Athletics,” Goins said. “Brian’s comprehensive commitment to excellence, student-athlete centered leadership philosophy, and record of accomplishment in student-athlete success make him the perfect fit for LMU.

“Brian’s tireless work ethic, energy, and advanced knowledge in the field will serve LMU well as we continue to pursue institutional and championship excellence, academically and athletically. We look forward to welcoming Brian and his wife Elizabeth, along with their children, Benjamin and Riley, to the LMU family.”

Hutchinson steps into his new role at Lincoln Memorial after spending the better part of the past 15 years as the Director of Athletics at Division I Morehead State University in Morehead.

“Lincoln Memorial University is blessed with visionary leadership and ambition. It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve the University as its Director of Athletics,” Hutchinson said. “I am excited to begin working with our student-athletes, coaches and administrative staff. I would also like to thank Chairman DeBusk, President Hess and Vice President Goins for providing me the chance to lead our department. We will seek collective and comprehensive excellence in all we do.”

The MSU athletics department experienced no shortage of athletic success during Hutchinson’s tenure, racking up 21 conference championships with nine teams making NCAA Tournament appearances. Highlights include the men’s basketball program earning NCAA Tournament victories in 2009 and 2011, women’s soccer advancing to the Big Dance three times (2008, 2010 and 2013), and women’s volleyball qualifying for postseason play in 2011 and 2013.

Women’s golf, which Hutchinson brought back to the MSU athletics department in 2007 after a 24-year hiatus for the program, made an appearance in the NCAA regional in 2011, while the baseball team played in the NCAA tourney in 2015 and 2018.

In addition to its two OVC Tournament titles, the volleyball program racked up six OVC regular-season championships during Hutchinson’s tenure, while the football program claimed Pioneer League South Division championships in 2004 and 2005. The Morehead State cheer program piled up 21 of its 43 national titles with Hutchinson at the helm.

Hutchinson also oversaw the growth of the athletics department and the campus at large while at MSU.

In 2012, Hutchinson’s vision helped transform the university’s former wellness center into the 7,000-square foot EAGLE Center (Eagle Athletics Guided Learning and Enhancement). That building greatly enhanced the department’s ability to serve the academic needs of its student-athletes with more than 40 computer stations, learning labs and tutoring areas.

In coordination with the EAGLE Center and its staff, the MSU athletics department received an NCAA grant of $360,000 from 2013-15 and an additional $180,000 in 2015 for accelerating academic success.

MSU student-athletes have thrived in the classroom during Hutchinson’s tenure, as 12 different student-athletes have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, while Morehead State has received the Ohio Valley Conference Institutional Academic Achievement Award seven times since Hutchinson was hired in 2004.

In addition to that, 10 programs have been publicly recognized for their multi-year NCAA Academic Progress Rates scores, while all 16 sports have met the required APR program threshold every single year.

Hutchinson was also instrumental in shaping the Morehead State campus, serving on the President’s Leadership Council while being heavily involved in the campus master plan steering team and the information technology infrastructure program steering team.

The EAGLE Center was one of many facility projects that MSU undertook under Hutchinson. He also oversaw the completion of a $2.5 million turf practice soccer field while supervising the fundraising for the Rex Chaney Golf Practice Pavilion and a new film study lab for the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

In addition to that, Hutchinson was pivotal in the building of a new facility for the women’s volleyball program, which is currently still under construction.

Hutchinson also had a hand in significant upgrades and improvements to the primary athletic training facility, the Phil Simms Weight Training facility, the lobby area of Johnson Arena and all locker rooms and coaching staff offices.

Hutchinson has also been active with the NCAA, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the OVC leadership teams. He served on the NCAA Division I Council as the inaugural OVC representative as well as the Competition Oversight Standing Committee.

Hutchinson has also served as a member of the Division I Football Championship Committee and the Football Championship Subdivision Central Regional Advisory Committee. Those are only two of several football committees in which Hutchinson has served.

On top of that, Hutchinson was the president of the NACDA FCS Athletic Directors Association in 2013-14 and was a member of the FCS Athletic Directors Association Executive Committee among other positions.

Hutchinson was well regarded by his peers in the OVC, serving as the chair of the Board of Directors of Athletics in 2006-07 and again in 2015-16.

Prior to stepping into his role as the Director of Athletics, Hutchinson served the institution in several other capacities. From 2001-04, he was the department’s associate athletic director. Before that, he was the director of athletic development and marketing from 1999-2001, the director of athletics development for the MSU office of development from 1998-99 and a regional development officer from 1996-98.

Hutchinson is a two-time graduate of Morehead State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from MSU in 1996 and later earned his master’s degree in sports administration in 2001.

A native of Louisa, Ky., Hutchinson is married to two-time MSU alum, Elizabeth. They have two sons, Benjamin and Riley.

Hutchinson will begin his duties as Athletics Director at Lincoln Memorial University on April 1.