Vincennes University names new athletic director
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The athletic director at a Washington state community college—who also is a former basketball coach—has been hired by Vincennes University to lead its athletic department.
John Meeks will begin his new role as the university’s athletic director on Sept. 9, the university said Wednesday. He currently serves as athletic director at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Washington.
“His vision for our Athletics Department is rooted in the holistic development of VU student-athletes,” Vincennes University President Dr. Chuck Johnson said in a news release. “His immense commitment to balancing academic excellence with athletic achievement reflects our core values as a university.”
Meeks helped spearhead a number of initiatives at Big Bend since becoming athletic director in 2022. He negotiated a five-year contract with Under Armour and increased head coach stipends across all sports. He directed a $35,000 remodel of weight and fitness facilities for all students and supervised an overhaul of baseball concessions and facilities. He also developed the Viking Village, a fundraising arm of athletics, and established a scholarship for female, minority and first-generation athletes.
Prior to Big Bend, he was a member of the faculty at Davidson-Davie Community College in North Carolina.
Meeks’ coaching career included stops at Lee University in Tennessee and Bluefield College in Virginia as an assistant men’s basketball coach and at Wallace State Community College in Alabama and Louisburg College in North Carolina as a head coach.
As head coach at Wallace State, Meeks won five championships in nine years, and the basketball team was named the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year during the 2017-2018 season.
“My athletic vision is that the foundation for success is achievement outside of athletics,” said Meeks, who holds a master’s degree in physical education and a bachelor’s in business administration management. “I am committed to ensuring that student-athletes are prepared for life beyond sports and are cultivated individuals who contribute to society.”
Meeks succeeds longtime VU athletic director and Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach Harry Meeks, who retired earlier this year. The two are not related.