Former APSU baseball Head Coach Gary McClure resigned Saturday, Aug. 8, following his arrest Friday, Aug. 7 for patronizing prostitution when he allegedly responded to an ad on Backpage.com.
McClure was one of several arrested in a sting operation by the Clarksville Police Department. Police said he agreed upon a meeting place and a price of $80. This sting was a part of a bigger, ongoing investigation by the Clarksville Police Department that started in early 2014 to help crackdown prostitution in Clarksville.
“This is a sad situation for all involved,” APSU President White said. “It conflicts with the core values of our university and does not represent the values of our outstanding faculty and staff; therefore, we have accepted Mr. McClure’s resignation.”
White announced Derrick Dunbar as interim head coach days later.
“Mr. Dunbar is well respected among the APSU community and is known for his outstanding leadership, discipline and drive that will help him lead the program with excellence during this transition,” White said.
During the two-day period of suspension and resignation, Ryan Ivey explained even though he was in Commerce, Tex., he was still involved with the situation through conference calls with White, Vice President Derek Van der Merwe and interim Athletic Director Cheryl Holt.
White decided to suspend McClure on administrative leave without pay, but the next day day APSU officials accepted his resignation. After the resignation, Holt named Assistant Coach Derrick Dunbar as interim head coach.
The position was posted for a minimum of ten days, according to Ivey.
Ivey said Dunbar will be a serious candidate for the 2015-2016 head coach position.
“Coach Dunbar’s service to APSU has certainly been noticed,” Ivey said. “I think he has a lot of respect from our student athletes and baseball alumni. [This] will play into factor when evaluating the best candidate for this job.”
The hiring process will begin Monday, Aug. 24 when Ivey is in Clarksville to go through paperwork and narrow down candidates.
Ivey said he plans to construct phone interviews along with campus interviews, and hopes to offer the position by September 11; but he said he wants to take his time when hiring a new coach and “get it right first the first time.”
Ivey hopes to repair the damage and mend the relationships with baseball recruits and APSU.
“This type of behavior is not common for APSU,” Ivey said.
Ivey said he plans to make clear the core values of APSU to students, student athletes and potential students.
McClure,an alumnus of APSU, was the head coach for 28 years. APSU baseball has won seven Ohio Valley Conference titles, five OVC baseball tournament championships and appeared in five NCAA regional tournaments while he was head coach.
