College Sports Information Directors of America

Graphic and release courtesy of UNC Asheville Athletics

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone announced today that after nearly 30 years of service to UNC Asheville, Mike Gore is set to retire on April 1.

Gore, the Bulldogs’ Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs, has been a fixture in the Asheville athletic department since 1986, serving as the liaison with the media and handling all media-related activities concerning the athletic department for 29 years.
“On behalf of the entire Bulldog Family, I want to thank Mike for his many years of unselfish, loyal, and dedicated service to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff,” stated Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone. “His remarkable tenure at UNC Asheville has been filled with many Bulldog achievements, and his contributions to our community, University, and athletics department cannot be measured. We wish him and Lisa the best on his retirement and are grateful for their life-long commitment and friendship to the Bulldogs.”

“In my first few weeks here at UNC Asheville it is clear that Mike is an important, dedicated and hard-working member of the athletics team. We value deeply his service to all our student-athletes and to this university. He has touched many lives and I will miss him and wish him well in his retirement,” UNC Asheville Chancellor Mary Grant stated.

Student-athletes, coaches and others in the athletic department and university have come and gone, but the one constant at UNC Asheville has been Mike Gore.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to spend most of my professional career at a wonderful school like UNC Asheville, a school that does athletics the way it should be across the board. I have worked with great coaches, great administrators and amazing student-athletes for 29 years,” Gore said.

“The decision to retire is at this time a difficult one but at this time in my life, it's time to spend more time with my amazing wife Lisa and enjoy life at a little slower pace,” he continued. “I've been to every home men's basketball game for the past 29 years. That won't change next year. I'll just be sitting in a different seat. I plan to be stay active with UNC Asheville and Bulldog athletics but in a different role.”

“There are so many people to thank for my career at UNC Asheville. The school has allowed me to grow and learn and taught me so much about life. I have made lifelong friends and been to places that I could only dream about when I was in college. I want to thank all the coaches and administrators that I have been so lucky to work with, especially our current Athletics Director Janet Cone who has been tremendous to me and Lisa during her time here. I also want to thank Terri Brne who has been an incredible colleague to work with and been the backbone of our athletics department,” Gore stated.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BULLDOG ATHLETICS

In his 29 years, Gore has seen countless games and contests at home and on the road and interacted with every student-athlete to come across the Asheville campus. Throughout all of it, Gore is able to tell you about any game or memorable performance like it was yesterday – whether it was midseason contest from the Justice Center or Greenwood Fields in the 1990’s or the Bulldogs’ near miss in the NCAA Tournament against top-seeded Syracuse from 2012 – right down to the exact plays and time remaining.

“He has this innate ability to remember every play and every game,” former men’s basketball coach Eddie Biedenbach stated. Biedenbach was the Bulldogs’ head man for 17 seasons from 1996-2013.

“Mike has always been so friendly with every coach, player and staff member that has ever come through UNC Asheville,” Biedenbach added. “Players and coaches can come and go, but Mike Gore is what makes UNC Asheville athletics special. Mike is UNC Asheville athletics. He has been the rock that has held the department together for so many years. He will be missed greatly.”
In 29 years, Gore has seen student-athletes and coaches come and go, but one has never left. Nick McDevitt, now in his second season as the head coach of the men’s basketball team, has been a Bulldog for 18 years as a player and coach, and Gore has been there every step of the way.

“The legacy that he leaves is that he has been our biggest fan and supporter for his entire career.  Mike has been a great friend to me for the past 18 years and I know I speak for everyone when I say he will be missed by all,” McDevitt said.

MR. BULLDOG

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Gore moved with his family to Western North Carolina in 1977, where he went on to become a 1984 graduate of Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

But there is no doubt to anyone who has been around Asheville athletics that Gore has bled Bulldog Blue since he joined the department on July 1, 1986 as the schools’ Sports Information and Promotions Director.

“I’ve had a lot of good people work with me but Mike was just unbelievable,” Tom Hunnicutt, Asheville athletic director from 1993-2000, said. “He was always a tireless worker, putting in 60-70 hours of work each week with little to no help. He is the reason UNC Asheville has such a reputable athletic department; we didn’t do anything without consulting Mike.”

In addition to his media responsibilities over the past 29 years, Gore also stepped in as the interim softball coach for the 1992 season in the program’s final season of existence. He led the Bulldogs to a 17-21 record and was named Co-Big South Coach of the Year as his team led the nation in stolen bases.

He was named an Assistant Athletic Director in the summer of 1993 before seeing his title moved to Associate Athletic Director in 1996. Gore served as the school’s Interim Athletics Director for six months in 2003-2004 prior to the hiring of current Athletic Director Janet Cone. He was elevated to his current title of Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs in 2007.

Cone created the Mike Gore Bulldog Service Award in 2005, and he was honored at that year’s UNC Asheville Athletics Banquet as the award’s first recipient.

He also serves as the chairman of the school’s Athletic Department Hall of Fame and the Big South Conference Hall of Fame committee.

Outside of Bulldog athletics, he has been a longtime contributor to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Hendersonville Times-News and has written for Blue Ribbon Basketball Magazine. He was also the official scorer for the Asheville Tourists for 20 years.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT MIKE GORE

“First, I want to congratulate Mike on his retirement.  It is well deserved!  Mike is the consummate professional.  Regardless of the success of his Bulldog teams, he was always fair and businesslike – quick to congratulate the opponent in defeat, and gracious in victory.  Mike’s wealth of knowledge also seemed inexhaustible.  Mike has been the go-to guy on anything Big South.  The Big South Conference will sorely miss Mike Gore.  We are all privileged to have worked with him and to count him amongst our friends.”
– Kyle B. Kallander, Commissioner, Big South Conference

“On behalf of the Big South’s current and former Sports Information Directors, I offer a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to Mike for his 29 years of service to UNC Asheville and the Big South Conference.  He has been the consummate professional since arriving on campus, has served as a mentor to many in our profession, and his dedication and enthusiasm have been nothing short of exemplary.  He will always be synonymous with UNC Asheville and the many wonderful moments in the school’s athletics history.  We will miss working with him and offer our best wishes as he begins this next phase of his life.”
– Mark Simpson, Assistant Commissioner - Public Relations, Big South Conference

“On behalf of the entire Bulldog Family, I want to thank Mike for his many years of unselfish, loyal, and dedicated service to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. His remarkable tenure at UNC Asheville has been filled with many Bulldog achievements, and his contributions to our community, University, and athletics department cannot be measured. We wish him and Lisa the best on his retirement and are grateful for their life-long commitment and friendship to the Bulldogs.”
– Janet Cone, Director of Athletics, UNC Asheville

“In my first few weeks here at UNC Asheville it is clear that Mike is an important, dedicated and hard-working member of the athletics team. We value deeply his service to all our student-athletes and to this university. He has touched many lives and I will miss him and wish him well in his retirement.”
– Mary Grant, Chancellor, UNC Asheville

“Mike has always been so friendly with every coach, player and staff member that has ever come through UNC Asheville. Players and coaches can come and go, but Mike Gore is what makes UNC Asheville athletics special. Mike is UNC Asheville athletics. He has been the rock that has held the department together for so many years. He will be missed greatly.”
– Eddie Biedenbach, UNC Asheville men’s basketball coach, 1996-201

“The legacy that he leaves is that he has been our biggest fan and supporter for his entire career.  Mike has been a great friend to me for the past 18 years and I know I speak for everyone when I say he will be missed by all.”
– Nick McDevitt, head men’s basketball coach, UNC Asheville

“I’ve had a lot of good people work with me but Mike was just unbelievable. He was always a timeless worker, putting in 60-70 hours of work each week with little to no help. He is the reason UNC Asheville has such a reputable athletic department; we didn’t do anything without consulting Mike.”
– Tom Hunnicutt, former UNC Asheville athletic director (1993-2000)

“Words cannot describe what Mike Gore has done for these teams, our university and the community. Because of his 29 years of diligent work, commitment and respect, UNC Asheville athletics is in the best state that it has ever been in. The SAAC is the voice of the UNC Asheville student-athletes, but ‘Magic Mike’ is the voice of the entire Bulldog athletic family.”
– Joey Cutting, UNC Asheville student-athlete; President of UNC Asheville Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)

“Mike Gore is one of the most dedicated, loyal and caring human beings I've had the pleasure to work for. The only things he loves more than UNC Asheville are his wife Lisa, his family and maybe the Buffalo Bills. Throughout my time there I always saw Mike giving 110 percent in everything he did. He's done the job of a whole department almost single-handedly while bringing enthusiastic support for any player, coach or staff member that wore the Blue & White. He is a true Bulldog, and I am honored that for the rest of my career I will have his name and UNC Asheville on my resume.”
– Matt Pellegrin, Director of Digital Media, East Mississippi Community College

 “For nearly 30 years, I have known Mike. His skills, talent and dedication to our profession of athletic communication, media relations and sports information will be impossible to replace. He has worn many hats during his years at UNC Asheville and the university has been fortunate to have had him, but I have been more fortunate that I can call Mike my friend.  I wish Mike the best in the next chapter of his life.”
– Jack Frost, Assistant AD for Media Relations, Winthrop Athletics

“Mike Gore is one of those SIDs you look forward to going to see. He is one of the kindest people I know and I cannot imagine anyone who has given as much of themselves to UNC Asheville or the Big South Conference. He has been a wonderful ambassador for UNC Asheville and I know all the SIDs in the league wish him well in his retirement.”
– Everett Hutto, Director of New Media, Winthrop University

“I have been blessed to know Mike Gore for the past 37 years and during all that time he never placed his wants and needs ahead of others.  He is the epitome of a servant leader.  UNC Asheville should feel blessed to have had him as a dedicated employee and representative.  Good luck to whomever fills his job title, because you are not going to fill his shoes.  They just don’t come any better than Mike.”
 – Don Munson, Director of Broadcasting, Clemson University