Wednesday, Aug. 06, 2008

Carroll’s Tipps to Step Down as Athletic Director

Breaking News

By Zach Warner

Staff Writer

The Carroll school district will begin the process of searching for a new athletic director, as Ronnie Tipps has turned in his resignation.

Tipps, hired as Carroll’s third athletic director in April 2003, oversaw a Dragons athletics program that had just one year of competition at the Class 5A level under its belt. During his five years at the helm, Carroll won nine team state championships and various individual state titles.

Julie Thannum, Carroll director of communications and marketing, confirmed by e-mail Tuesday that Tipps had resigned. However, the effective date of his resignation is officially Nov. 24, according to the e-mail.

The athletic director position has been posted and Carroll is already accepting applications, Thannum said.

Chauncey Willingham, a longtime staff and administrative employee of the Carroll school district, was named the interim athletic director until Tipps’ full-time successor is hired.

Willingham, a former Carroll principal and coach, was most recently serving as the district’s director of maintenance and operations. He last served the athletic department as Carroll’s interim boys basketball coach during the 2006-2007 school year. Tipps came to Carroll with 33 years coaching experience, including the previous 15 years as a football coach and athletic director.

Tipps’ last stop before taking over the Carroll program was as coach and athletic director at Sherman. Tipps left Sherman as the school’s all-time winningest football coach.

Before that, Tipps led Ardmore, Okla., to an Oklahoma 4A state championship in 1990.

Tipps oversaw Carroll sports while the Dragons football team won three consecutive 5A state championships from 2004 to 2006. Over that span, the Carroll football program was ranked No. 1 in the nation by at least one major poll each year. With nationally ranked cross country teams and other state titles won during his tenure, including three this past school year, he was in charge of the school’s athletics during its most successful period in history to date.

Todd Dodge, Carroll’s former head football coach during the team’s three-year championship run and currently the coach at the University of North Texas, played a part in bringing Tipps to CISD. Dodge served on the search committee in 2003 that named the new athletic director.

"[Tipps] is a great leader and very motivating as a coach," Dodge said at the time of Tipps’ hiring. "That helps not just for the players on Carroll’s teams, but for the coaches he comes in contact with. In that way, he’ll be like a coach’s coach."

Steve Trachier, Executive Director of Administration for the Grapevine-Colleyville school district and former GCISD athletic director, considers Tipps a friend, and described him as "top notch."

"He is a person of integrity and honor who always put the kids first," Trachier said.

Charles D. Young contributed to this article.