VU welcomes new Director of Athletics John Meeks

VINCENNES, Ind. - John Meeks, an experienced athletics administrator with an academic ethos, is the new Vincennes University Director of Athletics.

VU President Dr. Chuck Johnson proudly announced the appointment of Meeks on Wednesday, August 21, during a VU Board of Trustees meeting. 

Meeks is a former college basketball coach currently serving as the Director of Athletics at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Washington. He will begin his role leading VU Athletics on Monday, Sept. 9.

Johnson said, "Vincennes University proudly welcomes our new Director of Athletics, John Meeks. His vision for our Athletics Department is rooted in the holistic development of VU student-athletes. His immense commitment to balancing academic excellence with athletic achievement reflects our core values as a university. With the support of VU coaches, faculty and staff, he will foster an environment where our student-athletes excel both in the athletic arena and the classroom, preparing them for all facets of life."

Meeks succeeds former longtime Director of Athletics and Hall of Fame Women's Basketball Coach Harry Meeks (no relation). Harry Meeks served VU for 33 outstanding years before retiring in June from both positions.

John Meeks is an inspiring leader who empowers student-athletes to achieve academic success. He boasts a 93% graduation rate amongst all student-athletes he has coached.

The peak of that achievement occurred after the 2017-2018 season when the Wallace State men's basketball team was named the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year. The team earned an extraordinary 3.48 grade point average, tops among the more than 400 NJCAA men's basketball teams in the nation. The 2018-2019 team upped the ante and followed up with a staggering 3.6 grade point average, claiming the top spot for a second straight year.

Meeks said, "My athletic vision is that the foundation for success is achievement outside of athletics. I am committed to ensuring that student-athletes are prepared for life beyond sports and are cultivated individuals who contribute to society. Our goal is to ensure that the student-athletes under our guidance emerge as better-educated individuals, ready to succeed in all aspects of life."

Even as a college coach, he focused on blending success in the classroom with success on the court.

Meeks served as the head coach at Wallace State Community College in Alabama and Louisburg College in North Carolina during a coaching career spanning 2002 and 2019. Before those posts, he served as an assistant men's basketball coach at Lee University in Tennessee and Bluefield College in Virginia.

In 2019, Meeks made the leap from coaching and became a Health and Physical Education Lead Faculty at Davidson-Davie Community College in North Carolina. He took over at Big Bend as Director of Athletics in 2022 and has transformed the athletics department.

While at Big Bend in his first year, Meeks crafted a fresh vision for Vikings athletics, negotiated a lucrative five-year contract with Under Armour and increased head coach stipends across all sports. He also directed a $35,000 remodel of weight and fitness facilities for all students and supervised an overhaul of baseball concessions and facilities dedicated to the fan experience. Additionally, he developed the Viking Village, a fundraising arm of athletics, led a complete revamp of the Big Bend Athletics website, and established a scholarship for female, minority and first-generation athletes.

In addition to his progressive vision and admirable promotion of academic success, his coaching resume is equally impressive. As head coach at Wallace State, Meeks won five championships in nine years. His peers recognized his achievements by voting him to the NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Board. He was a board member for three seasons while leading the Davidson-Davie Community College Physical Education Department.

While serving as head coach of the Louisburg College men's basketball team, he compiled a 51-15 overall record. He also spent six seasons as an assistant men's basketball coach at Bluefield College and Lee University. As an assistant coach, Meeks helped amass an impressive 150 victories against only 61 losses while appearing in five National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournaments spanning six years.

Meeks holds a Master of Education in Physical Education from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Management from Bluefield College.

His biggest fans and No. 1 team will always be his wife, Michelle Meeks, and the couple's children, Mila and Grayson. All are looking forward to joining the Trailblazer family.