Campbell wins NJCAA AD of the Year

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast's Steven Campbell, who has overseen an outstanding year of success on and off the field, has won the inaugural NJCAA Athletic Director of the Year.

"I'm very fortunate to work at a place that loves athletics and works daily to see it succeed," Campbell said. "This really speaks more to my administration, coaches, and Athletic Department. We have been given all the resources needed to be successful, and it is awesome to be around individuals who use these resources to the fullest and take pride in what they do. I couldn't be more proud of everyone involved in Athletics here at Gulf Coast, and I can't wait to see the next chapter."

Campbell, who has been at Perkinston since August 2017, oversees the Bulldogs' 10 NJCAA intercollegiate programs, as well as the cheer team. He has 37 people working in the athletic department who produced an outstanding 2019 calendar year.

"Steven is very deserving of this award and the entire MGCCC family is proud of him!" said Dr. Ladd Taylor, Gulf Coast Vice President of the Perkinston Campus and George County Center. "Steven, who has exceptional leadership skills, oversees an athletic department that is nationally recognized for excelling in the classroom and in competition. Over the last two and a half years, Steven has demonstrated a commitment to excellence on a daily basis and consistently sets the tone of an expectation for excellence in athletics at MGCCC."

The Gulf Coast football team won its fifth national championship by sweeping through the season undefeated and winning the NJCAA Football Championship, televised nationally by the CBS Sports Network from Pittsburg, Kansas. The Bulldogs won the MACJC and MACJC South Division titles along the way.

Gulf Coast's golf team won the District D title for the 11th time in 12 seasons, also claiming the MACJC title. The Bulldogs went on to finish third at the NJCAA Championship.

The men's soccer team advanced to the MACJC title game before falling in penalty kicks, winning eight more games by finishing 13-6-1. The softball team won nine more games than the previous year, advancing to the MACJC Tournament, and the baseball team won 29 games led by future MLB 10th-round draft pick Brandon Parker.

The women's basketball team put together a dream season that saw them go from winless in the MACJC South to the Region 23 championship game, while the men's basketball team won 20 games for the second straight season. The men's tennis team finished 18th in the ITA national rankings.

Off the field, the student-athletes carried a 3.37 GPA for the 2019 year. Last spring, Gulf Coast had 45 individuals earn NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Awards, including 13 with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages. That ranked 12th nationally in total awardees. The Bulldogs had 90 student-athletes named MACJC All-Academic.

Gulf Coast also had its first CoSIDA Academic All-American when Margarita Lopareva earned the prestigious honor after a distinguished playing career completed with a 4.0 GPA.

Campbell is an active member of the MACJC Athletic Council. A Gulf Coast alum, he earned NJCAA All-Academic honors while on the football team. He went on to get a bachelor's in economics from Ole Miss and a master's in business administration from Central Arkansas.

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.