| Email: | pcantrell@coastalbend.edu |
| Title: | Director of Athletics/ Head Volleyball Coach |
| Phone: | 361-354-2721 |
After spending the 2019 season focused on his administrative role, Paul Cantrell again returns to the helm of Cougar Volleyball. Cantrell brings a wealth of both athletic administrative and volleyball coaching experience to the Cougars having been involved in collegiate sports for over 25 years. Cantrell has a collegiate coaching record of 183-134 which includes coaching at the NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, USCAA and junior college levels. Additionally, he has coached at the USAV and High Schools levels. In his last collegiate stop before CBC, Cantrell was the head coach at Berea College (KY) and led the team to the program's first winning season and its most wins in a season; while taking them to the USCAA National Championship Tournament and a 5th place finish.
Cantrell was also the head coach at NCAA Division II Valdosta State University (GA) from 1994 until 2001 where he resurrected a program dormant for 15 years and amassed a 132–70 record (including 83-23 [.783] in the last three seasons). He has served as an assistant at the NCAA Division I level with Morehead State University (KY) (1991-1992) and Fairfield University (CT) (2001-2002), where the Stags captured the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Administratively, has served as the Academic Coordinator during his days at Valdosta State, served as the Assistant Director of Recreation / Director of Sport Clubs while at Fairfield University. The Fairfield Sport Club teams had the 7th largest budget per capita in the nation under his tenure. From Connecticut, Cantrell headed the athletic fund-raising efforts at Salisbury University in Maryland. While a part of the staff at Salisbury University, he was a member of the Taking Excellence to New Heights Campaign that raised more than $2,000,000 for Sea Gull Athletics. From there Cantrell took on the role of Sports Information Director at Berea College, where launched Berea’s first ever “.com” website.