Following the departures of Hank Harrawood and Kelley Kish, Chuck Rey is now serving as Winthrop University’s third interim athletic director since August.
Rey, who has been the head women’s volleyball coach at Winthrop since 2018, was approved by the Board of Trustees in late November.
“The whole time as we’ve gone through AD transitions, I’ve always told everybody in the senior leadership role here in athletics that I’m willing to do whatever I can do to help out athletics,” Rey said.
Before Rey, Kelley Kish began serving as interim athletic director in mid-October. Days after accepting the position, she was offered the director of athletics position at Wingate University (which she had applied for months prior). She stayed at Winthrop until Dec. 1 to give the university time to find a new interim AD.
Rey said he received a call from interim university president George Hynd around the time Kish was leaving, and they discussed his background in business.
“I spent 10 years in international marketing,” Rey said. I’ve owned my own company, I’ve had 80 employees. We did very, very well at one time before I got into coaching.
“We spoke a lot about those things and had a chance to meet with some people of the board of directors for Winthrop,” Rey said. “After those conversations, the president and the board were gracious enough to offer me this opportunity, and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity.”
Rey has had no shortage of work to do in his new position. During his first month and a half, he’s already been a part of a search for a new women’s lacrosse coach (which he said is being finalized and the new hire will be announced soon).
“I’ve been very fortunate, and I’m very appreciative from the top down. And I think it’s because of my relationships that I’ve had with people across campus for a long time, ever since 2008, and the trust that they have in me in this position to allow me to make decisions,” Rey said.
Another process Rey has had his hands on lately is helping guide the Winthrop basketball teams through their respective COVID-19 pauses. The women’s team had to postpone five games, while the men’s team was forced to reschedule two games.
“First and foremost, an unbelievable person,” said head men’s basketball coach Mark Prosser in regard to Rey. “It’s also refreshing, and there’s a sense of security that comes with a coach or a former coach in that position.
“He was unbelievably supportive (while the team dealt with COVID-19 issues). He’s been awesome. We’ve loved working with him,” Prosser said.
Something Rey wants to see Winthrop Athletics continue to do and be better about is relationship building. He said the department has started a new initiative called “WE CARE” (an acronym for Winthrop Eagles – Community and Relationships) with the goal of building relationships, particularly on campus.
“I told the staff this and the coaches this: however long I’m in this position, the most important thing we can do is continue to build community and relationships,” Rey said.
“Whether I’m here or not, if we continue to help each other out and help the community out and the relationships out within athletics and also with the other side of campus, we’re going to be better off for whoever comes into this particular position.”
One thing is for sure, Rey loves Winthrop.
“I love Winthrop. I love being here,” he said. “I love being part of the university. I’ve been fortunate to be part of Winthrop starting in 2008, kind of at the end of the DiGiorgio era, and seeing what Winthrop is and was.”
At that time, Rey was an assistant coach for the volleyball team. During his first tenure at Winthrop, he got to know Mary Hock Leventis, a former All-American for Winthrop who also served as an assistant coach for a few years with Rey.
Rey attributes a lot of his knowledge about Winthrop’s history to Mary Leventis and her husband Gabe Leventis, who played basketball at Winthrop from 2000-2004. He also said people like Cid Carvalho, Joe Hudak, Mark Cook, and several current long-time coaches at Winthrop have “built this university in a lot of ways” and have his respect for all they’ve done for Winthrop during their careers.
“We love Winthrop; we want to be here. They’ve got me for 12 or 13 years. If I could write a contract for 12 or 13 years, let’s sign on the dotted line because I want to be here,” Rey said.
“I’ve found some good success — and I don’t mean to boast — with the volleyball program and have had opportunities to move up and move on, but that’s not what we want. We can win a national championship here at Winthrop, and I want to be a part of whatever sport that is that’s going to win a national championship,” he said.
Rey hasn’t let this new role keep him from getting work done for the volleyball team. Earlier this month, the team announced an incoming transfer from Florida SouthWestern State College.
“I’ve got a good mentor friend of mine, Jaime Gordon; he’s at Morehead State. He’s the volleyball coach and athletic director there. It can be done,” Rey said.
“In a way, if this is the direction the university wants to go, I hope to continue both roles. I believe I can do that, and it’ll save the university some money too.”
