EXTRAORDINARY TURNOVER IN YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT CONTINUES WITH RESIGNATION OF ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BRAD CLIFFORD, WHICH WAS ANNOUNCED JUNE 15; IS RECRUITING “MANDATE” AFFECTING THE PROGRAMS?

Mr. Clifford’s resignation follows the hiring of new head coaches in volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball over the past two year, the apparent resignation  of Academic Administrator Scott Farnsworth months ago, and the firing of long-time tennis coach Chris Howard this spring

Yavapai Community College Athletics Department’s Hall of Fame Director of Athletics, Brad Clifford, has announced his resignation after dedicating over 35 years to the institution. The news was revealed in a press release issued on June 15. (You may read the entire press release by clicking here.) Clifford’s departure comes in the wake of significant changes within the athletic department, including the hiring of new head coaches for volleyball, baseball, softball, and basketball, as well as the resignation of Academic Administrator Scott Farnsworth several months ago and the firing of long-time tennis coach Chris Howard this spring. 

Yavapai Community College boasts an array of head coaches overseeing various sports, including women’s softball, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, baseball, and E-sports. Notably, on August 29, 2022, Chelsey Lucas was appointed as the 11th head volleyball coach, followed by Kali Pugh on September 20, 2022, as the 11th head softball coach, and Patrick Woods on September 21, 2022, as the seventh head baseball coach. Jay Joiner assumed the position of head men’s basketball coach in November 2022 but announced his departure on March 30, 2023. Ken Davis was subsequently hired in May 2023 as his replacement.

Alongside these new coaching hires, Academic Administrator Scott Farnsworth left the college a few months ago under undisclosed circumstances. Furthermore, earlier this year, the Community College decided to part ways with long-time tennis icon Chris Howard, terminating his employment.

In a commentary in the Verde Independent newspaper dated September 7, 2022,  Yavapai Community College District Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland explained that the athletic coaches were asked five years ago “to focus more attention on recruiting local student athletes (county/state).” A “mandate” was  instituted “that required 25% of all student athletes recruited had to be from local high schools,” she said.  Furthermore, the coaches were told “that the support for out-of-state and international students will decrease as we increased the scholarship support for local student-athletes.” (Click here to read the full Blog story.) 

“Those three coaches who decided to leave the college ignored those mandates,” wrote McCasland. The Blog believes the three coaches Ms. McCasland is referring to but not identified by name in her commentary are Ryan Cougill, Miles Kizer, and Doug Eastman.

During the October 2022 Yavapai Community College Governing Board meeting, Rodney Jenkins, Vice President of Community Relations at the Community College, made a statement that appeared to insinuate that the previous coaches had actively worked to undermine the mandate. Jenkins said that the previous coaches “did everything they could to sabotage our program.” Jenkins’ remarks seemed to reference the mandate mentioned by Chair McCasland in her commentary published in the Verde Independent.        program.” Jenkins was apparently alluding to the mandate Chair McCasland wrote about a month earlier in the Verde Independent.