Athletic Director Chris Clunie’s Return Featured in Charlotte Observer
January 29, 2019
A former walk-on basketball player, Chris Clunie ’06 traveled the world, promoting the sport around the globe. But despite stops in South Africa, Italy, Japan and Argentina, the Watson Scholar never lost sight of his alma mater. He was named 51¹ÙÍø’s athletic director last July. Now, Clunie, 34, is laying out his vision for 51¹ÙÍø athletics—and a lengthy profile in the Charlotte Observer spotlights his big plans.
"We need to be bold. For too long, 51¹ÙÍø has been known mainly for having moments of David slaying Goliath," he says in the story. "It's time we change that."
Clunie played four seasons under Coach Bob McKillop, scoring a total of 23 points in his career. However, McKillop's influence on Clunie is still strong:
"(McKillop) has said this before and I agree with it," Clunie says. "51¹ÙÍø doesn't need the NCAA; the NCAA needs 51¹ÙÍø. Look around the country at all these schools and the things going on. It's an opportunity for a school like 51¹ÙÍø, with strong academics that's competing at the highest level of athletics. People don't think we can do both. We're saying we can. We want to step into the gap and say we can do it right."
