Evangel athletic director to retire

The longtime athletic director of Evangel University will retire this summer.

David Stair, who has worked as athletic director since 1982 and for the university since 1976, plans to retire in mid-July, according to a news release.

During his time with Evangel, Stair coached women's basketball for five seasons 1979-84, women's tennis for six years 1977-82 and served as department chairman of the physical education department 1999-2007.

“I have worked very closely with Stair for 35 years, and I have found him to be a man who’s always led with the highest level of integrity,” said Evangel President Robert Spence, who is scheduled to retire in May after 40 years at the helm, in the release. “He has given great emphasis to strong academic performance by our athletes.”

During his tenure, Stair expanded Evangel athletics to include men's and women's indoor track and field and cross country, men's golf, men's and women's softball.

Stair led Evangel to its first conference affiliation when the school joined the Heart of America Athletic Conference in 1987. Since then, the university has won 36 conference championships in 10 different sports.

A committee led by Glenn Bernet, Evangel's vice president for academic affairs, has already begun a search process for the next athletic director. Stair's successor would be the fourth athletic department leader in the school's 59-year history.

"Stair has established an athletics program that is well defined and integral to the mission of the university,” Bernet said in the release. “He brought Evangel sports from an independent non-affiliated collection of teams to a well-respected and highly competitive member of the (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and the Heart of America conference."

Stair's longtime assistant, Faye Liddle, also will retire this summer. Liddle has worked in the athletics department since 1986 and for Evangel since 1982, according to the release.