Charlie Grimes named Athletic Director

When Charlie Grimes came to Malone to coach track in 1997, he was looking for a place that shared his passions: Jesus Christ and excellence in sports.

 "Malone has a great reputation as a sports program in both athletic excellence and being about the things of God," Charlie says. "That was very attractive to me. I’m a very competitive athlete, who is serious about integrating his faith, and I wanted a place that would hold me accountable to both."

Charlie was named athletic director in July, "receiving the baton" from Hal Smith, who served as Malone’s AD for the previous 21 years. Hal is currently taking a leave of absence from coaching men’s basketball as he recovers from successful liver and kidney transplants.

Charlie says he has three major goals for the University’s athletic programs.

"First," he says, "I am encouraging an aggressive faith integration model: promoting a culture that equips all coaches and athletes to actively engage in the world of sport. Coaches are to model and mentor students, and my prayer is that the athletes catch the vision as well—to be in the world of sport, but not of it."

Secondly, he hopes to produce, "Christcentered coaches and athletes who are passionate about their sport and passionate about God. I want to encourage the godly way—the Pioneer way. I think of pioneers as people who went and claimed the land for victory and for God’s Kingdom. I want Malone athletes to have that same passion—to live in the land and make it productive for the cause of Christ."

Finally, he says, he wants to encourage athletes to express themselves through sport as a way of worshipping God (by using the gifts He has given them) and encouraging others.

"I pray that we can do sport in ways that fulfill the Greatest Commandment—to love God and love others. It can be done, and I have done this in my personal life."

As the track & fi eld coach, Charlie guided the teams to a combined 13 AMC championships and nine NCCAA national titles. Charlie personally earned 13 AMC Coach of the Year honors, 10 NAIA Region Coach of the Year awards, and nine NCCAA National Coach of the Year honors.

Charlie is a 1993 graduate of Western Michigan University (B.S., exercise science/public health) and Eastern Michigan University (M.S., exercise physiology/biomechanics). He was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference decathlete at Western Michigan. He is married to Wendy, and they have three children, Shannon, Katie, and Leah.