Published: March 24, 2008 12:18 pm            

Tinsley hired to lead Golden Bears

MONTGOMERY — West Virginia University Institute of Technology has hired Scott Tinsley as its next head football coach, Provost Charles Bayless announced Thursday.

Scott Tinsley comes to WVU Tech after several successful seasons as head coach at Nitro High School. In six seasons at the helm of the Wildcats, Tinsley brought numerous individual and team accolades to the program, including five straight trips to the West Virginia Class AAA state playoffs. He was offensive coordinator when the Wildcats won the triple-A state title in 1997.

During his tenure at Nitro, Tinsley also coached the girls basketball and softball teams, enjoying success at the local and state levels in both.

A coach from 1992 to 1994 at West Virginia State University, Tinsley is expected to add considerably to WVU Tech’s recruiting efforts in the Kanawha Valley and southern West Virginia.

“Coach Tinsley is well respected throughout the state of West Virginia and that will certainly be an asset as we seek to increase our in-state recruiting of football players to WVU Tech. He brings the characteristics the search committee identified as necessary for our head football coach, and I could not be more pleased to have him join our staff,” said Bayless. “I believe coach Tinsley is looking forward to moving back to the collegiate coaching ranks and is the person who can put our program back on the right track.”

In other news, Bayless announced that athletics director Lou Talerico has accepted another position within the athletic department. The current assistant athletics director, Pete Kelley, will now serve as the interim athletics director. Kelley is a WVU Tech alumnus and former member of the basketball and baseball teams.

        

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