OVCExtra Podcast: Recent Episodes
The OVC Extra Podcast is the official podcast of the Ohio Valley Conference, the nation's eighth-oldest Division I Conference.
OVC Hall of Famer Dave Loos, former Austin Peay coach, is the winningest men's basketball coach in OVC history.Loos, a four-time OVC Coach of the Year, was the Govs head coach from 1990 through 2017 and finished his career with 421 victories, including 257 in league play. Overall he won 502 games
This is part two of the conversation with Ron English, who was inducted into the OVC Hall of Fame in 2011, is a former OVC associate commissioner who now serves as the Director of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Ron served the OVC for 15 years (1992-2007) and at one time he was the longest tenured staff member in OVC history. He held virtually every job in the office including working with tournament operations, scheduling for men's and women's team sports, finances, marketing and media relations, in addition to becoming the league's first-ever compliance officer, a brief tenure as the OVC's supervisor of men's basketball officials, and serving as interim commissioner.
To hear part one, check out Episode No. 47.
Ron English, who was inducted into the OVC Hall of Fame in 2011, is a former OVC associate commissioner who now serves as the Director of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Ron served the OVC for 15 years (1992-2007) and at one time he was the longest tenured staff member in OVC history. He held virtually every job in the office including working with tournament operations, scheduling for men's and women's team sports, finances, marketing and media relations, in addition to becoming the league's first-ever compliance officer, a brief tenure as the OVC's supervisor of men's basketball officials, and serving as interim commissioner.
Jerry Carpenter has been associated with UT Martin for nearly 60 years, first as a student, then manager of the campus bookstore, then later then head men's golf coach and now in retirement, volunteer assistant golf coach. He has also worked on the football chain gang and basketball table crew, in addition to officiating football and basketball games at both the high school and collegiate levels.
As UTM golf coach, he was named OVC Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016 and led the Skyhawks to its first OVC Golf Championship in 2016. The Skyhawks have since won two other titles, with him in the volunteer role.
Dr. Jon Steinbrecher served as the Commissioner of the OVC from 2003-09 before moving to the Mid-American Conference. At the OVC he negotiated a television deal that included putting the first basketball games on ESPNU (the first league to do so), helped the OVC secure the hosting rights to the 2014 Women's Final Four and put an emphasis on sportsmanship.
He also served nine years (1994-2003) as the commissioner of the Mid-Continent Conference (the Summit League), making him the only person to serve as commissioner in all three NCAA Division I Subdivisions (FBS, FCS, DI).
Steinbrecher was a former two sport student-athlete at Valparaiso University.
Van is in her 35th year as head volleyball coach at Little Rock and has won more than 600 career matches, which ranks 15th nationally among Division I head coaches. She also spent two years as the women's basketball coach for the Trojans.
Prior to Little Rock joining the OVC, she led the Trojans to four regular season Sun Belt Conference championships, five tournament championships, six postseason appearances and five appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including advancing to the Second Round in 2014. That 2014 team finished the year 30-5 and upset No. 16 national seed Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Those accolades earned her the title "Queen of the Sun Belt."
The 2022 season marks the first for Little Rock as members of the OVC.
This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dan Beebe; check out episode 42 to hear the first part of the podcast.
Beebe served as OVC Commissioner from 1989-2003 before moving on to the Big 12 Conference.
During his time at the OVC, Beebe served as chair for the I-AA Governance Committee and as a member on the NCAA Division I Management Council. He also helped negotiate a multi-year television deal and moved the OVC Basketball Championships to a neutral site.
Beebe began his career in intercollegiate athletics working as an enforcement representative for the NCAA. After a stint at Wichita State, he returned to the NCAA as Director of Enforcement before coming to the OVC. In February 2003 he was hired as senior associate commissioner and chief operating officer for the Big 12 Conference; in September 2007 he was promoted to the position of Big 12 Commissioner. Beebe now works as a consultant, founding the Dan Beebe Group in 2011.
Dan Beebe served as OVC Commissioner from 1989-2003 before moving on to the Big 12 Conference.
During his time at the OVC, Beebe served as chair for the I-AA Governance Committee and as a member on the NCAA Division I Management Council. He also helped negotiate a multi-year television deal and moved the OVC Basketball Championships to a neutral site.
Beebe began his career in intercollegiate athletics working as an enforcement representative for the NCAA. After a stint at Wichita State, he returned to the NCAA as Director of Enforcement before coming to the OVC. In February 2003 he was hired as senior associate commissioner and chief operating officer for the Big 12 Conference; in September 2007 he was promoted to the position of Big 12 Commissioner. Beebe now works as a consultant, founding the Dan Beebe Group in 2011.
This is Part 1 our our conversation; Part 2 will be released later this month.
Cindy Gannon, the former Southeast Missouri volleyball coach and administrator, became the 93rd member of the OVC Hall of Fame in June 2022.
She served Southeast Missouri for over 30 years, including 16 seasons as head volleyball coach (1989-2004) and additional 14 years as the department’s Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator (2005-18). As the program’s volleyball coach, she accumulated 366 victories (the most in program history) and her teams won eight OVC regular-season titles, five OVC Tournament crowns and advanced to five NCAA Tournaments.
Gannon transitioned from coaching to administration in 2005 and served two stints as the Redhawks Interim Director of Athletics. She also developed the idea of the SEMO's Walk for Women, which is now known as the Cindy Gannon Walk for Women, as well as the "Dig For Life" campaign, which continues on as "Pink Up" over 20 years later.
This is Part 2 of our conversation with Jim Delany; check out episode 39 for the first part.
Jim Delany served as OVC Commissioner from 1979-89 before taking over as Commissioner at the Big Ten, where he served 31 years until his retirement in 2020.
During his time at the OVC he saw National Championships in football, track and field and rifle, and several high-profile men's basketball NCAA Tournament victories. He helped the OVC gain national exposure with basketball games played late at night (FNL) so they could be featured on television (he also innovated with TV when he launched the ground-breaking Big Ten Network later in his career).
Jim Delany served as OVC Commissioner from 1979-89 before taking over as Commissioner at the Big Ten, where he served 31 years until his retirement in 2020.
During his time at the OVC he saw National Championships in football, track and field and rifle, and several high-profile men's basketball NCAA Tournament victories. He helped the OVC gain national exposure with basketball games played late at night (FNL) so they could be featured on television (he also innovated with TV when he launched the ground-breaking Big Ten Network later in his career).
This is Part 1 of our conversation; Part 2 will be released later in the month.
Eastern Illinois distance runners Dustin Hatfield and Lindsey Carlson were named the OVC Male and Female Athletes of the Year for 2021-22.
In the fall each was named OVC Cross Country Athlete of the Year and won their respective races at the OVC Championship. Dustin went on to be named OVC Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and won multiple events at both Championships, while Lindsey scored at the Indoor meet and once fully healthy, won a pair of events at the OVC Outdoor Championships. Both qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Preliminaries.
The duo, who have also been dating for the past several years, became only the second set of teammates to sweep the OVC Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards in the same season.
Takeem Young, a football student-athlete at UT Martin and one of six winners of the prestigious OVC Scholar Athlete Award. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes and is given annually to three men and three women student-athletes for their
Genee McRath is in her first year as head softball coach at Tennessee State. McRath played collegiate softball at Ole Miss and coached at several high schools and worked in private instruction before jumping to the collegiate level.
In Fall 2019 she joined the TSU staff as an assistant coach,
Megan Burton is a softball student-athlete at Eastern Illinois.
In November she was announced as one of six winners of the prestigious OVC Scholar Athlete Award. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes and is given annually to three men and three women
Amber Schifano is a rifle student-athlete at Morehead State.
In November she was announced as one of six winners of the prestigious OVC Scholar Athlete Award. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes and is given annually to three men and three women
Riley Baker is a track & field athlete at Eastern Illinois.
In November he was announced as one of six winners of the prestigious OVC Scholar Athlete Award. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes and is given annually to three men and three women
George Lee is the Director of Athletics at Little Rock. On December 16, it was officially announced that Little Rock would be joining the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2023.
Lee, who is an alum of the school, has served as the Trojans Director of Athletics since November 2019 and prior to that
Conley Chinn is a senior forward on the Belmont women's basketball team.
In November 2021 she was announced as one of six winners of the prestigious OVC Scholar Athlete award. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes and is given annually to three men
Samantha Quigley Smith is set to begin her first year as head women's basketball coach at SIUE.
Quigley Smith took over as the sixth head coach in program history in April. A native of Joliet, Sam was a standout at Joliet Catholic before playing at DePaul, where she tallied 484 career assists
Matt Young serves as the OVC Coordinator of Football Officiating. Young, who took over the role in March 2017, is in charge of recruiting, training and developing the OVC football officials, as well the game selection and assignment and evaluation of those officials and oversight of an officials’
Jamaal Thompson was the winner of the 2020-21 OVC Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award as a student-athlete at Tennessee Tech.
Thompson was a three-year member of the Golden Eagles football team and last season also joined the TTU basketball program when the team needed some additional players
Teresa Phillips is the former women's basketball coach and Director of Athletics at Tennessee State and one of three members of the OVC's Hall of Fame Class of 2021. She served as TSU's head women's basketball coach from 1989-2000, guiding the team to back-to-back OVC regular season and tournament