Emily Parker Myers, Chair of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority announced the appointment of Derek Waugh as President and CEO of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. At the announcement, Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert welcomed Waugh and his family to the city and spoke to the importance of GSHF to Macon and Georgia. Waugh will bring more than 18 years of experience in coaching and administering collegiate athletics when he assumes the executive role on July 1.

Waugh was selected by a search committee comprised of Authority Chair Myers, Foundation Chairman Mack Reese, State Senator John Kennedy, State Representatives Bubber Epps and Ron Stephens, former Mercer Athletic Director Bobby Pope, President of Georgia Crown Don Leeburn, III, Authority Board Member Earl Wright, and Hall of Famers Jeff Van Note, Lucious Sanford, Coach Ray Goff, and Bill Ploeger.

 “We conducted a national search for this important leadership position for the Sports Hall of Fame,” said Myers. “We had an outstanding pool of candidates. What we saw in Derek was a leader who has not only a passion for sports in our state and also a great enthusiasm for taking the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame to new heights.”

Hall of Fame and search committee member Jeff Van Note added, “We look forward to having Derek lead the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame into a new and exciting phase as we continue to focus on our state’s youth, expand our education program, and update our facilities to ensure the best representation of our athletes and their accomplishments.”

The new GSHF leader’s history in sports dates back to his days as a Little League baseball player at Murphy Candler in Atlanta. The Atlanta native was a multi sport standout at Marist High School leading the War Eagles to a state basketball title in 1989. The two-time All-State performer was selected to play in the prestigious Boston Shootout following his senior season before going on to Furman University on a basketball scholarship.  While playing for the Paladins, he became Furman’s first ever GTE Academic All-American in 1993. 

After graduating from Furman he attended law school at Wake Forest University. With his law degree, he practiced at the Atlanta firm of Schreeder, Wheeler and Flint. A year later, he traded law books for playbooks.

Waugh accepted the position of Assistant Coach for Men’s Basketball at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida in 1997. He was named the program’s Head Coach in 2000 at the age of 29, becoming the youngest NCAA Division I head coach in the country. He later became an Assistant Athletic Director. He finished his career at Stetson as the second winningest coach in the university’s history, only behind 2016 GSHF inductee Glenn Wilkes.

In 2012 he joined Dalton State University in northwest Georgia, after being hired as the institution’s first full-time Athletics Director. Under his leadership the Roadrunners won the 2015 NAIA National Basketball championship. The athletic program also won 8 conference championships and had 7 different teams ranked in the NAIA national top 10.

“Sports have always played an important role in my life,” said Waugh. “I can think of no greater honor for a kid from Georgia who grew up consumed by sports to be entrusted with this amazing facility, great organization, and outstanding group of individuals,” said Waugh.