CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Johnson C. Smith University athletic director Stephen Joyner Sr. will step down after 18 years on the job, the university announced Wednesday.
Joyner will serve as athletic director until a successor is hired. He will remain in his position as head coach of the men's basketball program.
"The timing is right," Joyner said in a news release from JCSU. "It will be good for the new president to hire new athletics department leadership as the university's transformation initiatives accelerate with the new president's vision for JCSU."
Joyner, a 1973 graduate from JCSU, has been the head coach of the men's basketball team since 1987. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the women's team at JCSU. He was appointed athletic director by former university president Dorothy Cowser Yancy in April 2005.
The Golden Bulls have won three CIAA basketball championships under his watch and Joyner was named CIAA Athletic Director of the Year in 2008-09. His son, Stephen Joyner Jr., was named the athletic director at West Charlotte High School after spending a decade as JCSU's women's basketball coach.
Johnson C. Smith officials said a national search is underway to find the next athletic director.
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