Pope announces Needs as Director of Eagle Club and Athletic Development

VIDEO: David Needs Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – David Needs is adding to the long list of things he's done for Carson-Newman.

After 27 years as head track & field coach, Needs is retiring from coaching. 

Fortunately for the university and the athletics department, he isn't going anywhere.

Carson-Newman Vice President for Athletics Matt Pope has announced now former Director of Track & Field David Needs will take over as the Director of Eagle Club and Athletic Development. 

"After a great deal of prayer and deliberation during a three-month national search, David Needs has risen as the right man to lead the Carson-Newman Eagle Club," Pope said. "As a former quarterback on the C-N Football team to a head coach and now administrator, David's whole professional life has been in service to C-N.  He bleeds orange and blue and with a growth mindset, he has a great vision for the Eagle Club and athletics development. He is intelligent, articulate and will actively engage our stakeholders to advance both Carson-Newman's and the athletic department mission.  No one is more uniquely qualified for this role than David Needs."

The longtime Eagle had been the leader of the track and field program since the 1998 season. In his time with the university, he has also served as assistant football coach, historian, fencing instructor, color commentator and adjunct professor. 

Needs' accomplishments as director of track & field are impressive.  A three-time USTFCCCAA Region Coach of the Year, over the last decade under Needs' direction, Carson-Newman can tout three national champions, three national runners-up, 63 All-Americans, 72 national qualifiers, 225 all-region selections and 49 South Atlantic Conference Champions. 

Additionally, he has coached five SAC Track Athletes of the Year, one SAC Male Athlete of the Year and helped in the development of seven USTFCCCAA Southeast Region Assistant Coaches of the Year (Tyler Stepp five times and Kieran Showler-Davis twice). 

Carson-Newman participated in every national championship meet since the outdoor event in 2014, with eight top 25 finishes.  The men's team had the highest finish of any track team in school history with a seventh-place finish in 2023.   

"I started coaching 32 years ago," Needs said. "I believe God calls you into certain things and into others throughout your lifetime. I believe that God at this point in my life is calling me to make an impact for our entire athletic department connecting alums back to the university through the Eagle Club. We want to connect former students who know that Carson-Newman is always a place for them." 

A long-time assistant football coach under legendary C-N mentor Ken Sparks, Needs coached quarterbacks and wide receivers for 17 years.  

As a football coach, Needs had articles published in national football magazines including; "Using The Passing Game To Make Your Option Offense Explosive" published in Gridiron Strategy and "Teaching Wide Receivers the Critical Skills" published in American Football Monthly.

The Wilmington, Del., native was also published in the AFCA Summer manual in `07. His article "Increasing Your Options" broached the subject of incorporating the pass into an option offense, which turned out to be fitting, as the Eagles led the nation in pass efficiency in the season that followed.

After assisting with the quarterbacks in his first year, he assumed the role of receiver's coach in 1997. Since then, Needs has coached a number of All-Conference players including All-American Ques Rumph in 1999 as an offensive assistant. He tutored two Carson-Newman Hall of Famers in Rumph and quarterback Leonard Guyton.  He tutored Guyton (2002), Shane Kelley (2004), Alex Good (2009) and Brandon Haywood (2012) to SAC Offensive Player of the Year honors.  

In 2009, he claimed AFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year.  

Needs is a 1992 graduate of C-N with a degree in Political Science. The former quarterback was a member of Eagle national championship teams in 1988 and 1989. Before coming to C-N, he was the offensive coordinator at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Del.

Needs earned a Master's degree in Education at Carson-Newman in 1998.

He also is an instructor at C-N, teaching in several departments and has been a leading researcher of the historic Mossy Creek area. 

He will remain as the color commentator for road C-N football games on the Eagle Sports Network. 

Needs and his wife, Melissa reside in Morristown. The couple has three children - D.J., Tyler and Keely.

A press conference to announce Needs' successor as head track and field coach is set for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning in MSAC room 2000.