Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

Clarence Stasavich followed an outstanding career as a student-athlete at Lenoir-Rhyne College with a superlative career as a coach and athletic director.  "Stas" was one of the top football coaches and athletic directors in the nation until his death in 1975.  A native of Illinois, Stasavich first came to North Carolina as a student at Lenoir-Rhyne.  He distinguished himself as both a student and athlete until his graduation in 1935.  Stasavich immediately entered the coaching ranks at Campbell College but returned to his alma mater in 1938 as football line coach, assistant basketball coach and head tennis coach.  World War II interrupted Stasavich's coaching career in 1942. He entered the United States Navy and served with distinction as an LST commander.  After discharge for the service in 1946, Stasavich returned to Lenoir-Rhyne to build the only national championship football team that North Carolina has ever produced - the 1960 Bruin squad which captured the NAIA Title. In addition, Stasavich's teams won nine Carolina Conference titles during the period from 1946 to 1961, and they compiled a record of 120-37-7.  In 1962, Stasavich went to East Carolina University, where he was serving as athletic director at the time of his death.  He was also a highly-successful football coach at ECU for eight years.  A member of both the Helms Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, Stasavich was twice named small college coach of the year and five times won district honors.