ASU to Rename Varsity Drive in Honor of Former Basketball Coach

Angelo State University will honor former basketball coach and retired Athletic Director Phil George during a ceremony at the Rams’ basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 6, to commemorate the renaming of Varsity Drive on the ASU campus to Phil George Drive.

The renaming of Phil George Drive was approved earlier this year by the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents on the recommendation of ASU President Brian J. May. The ceremony to honor George will take place during halftime of the Rams’ game against the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, which will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Junell Center/Stephens Arena, 2235 S. Jackson St.

The street name will serve as a permanent recognition of George, who was inducted into the ASU Athletics Hall of Honor in 2004 and into the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

“Varsity Drive runs right through the heart of our on-campus athletic facilities,” May said, “so I think it is entirely fitting that it be renamed Phil George Drive in recognition of Phil’s tremendous influence on all of our athletic programs. For nearly 40 years, Phil was a driving force behind ASU athletics, and it is with great pleasure that we honor his numerous contributions and his enduring legacy.”

As the Rams’ basketball coach, George led ASU to a 512-274 record, eight Pioneer Conference titles and the 1957 NJCAA National Championship. He also served stints as baseball coach, assistant football coach, track and field coach, and golf coach for the Rams until 1978, when he became the university’s first full-time men’s athletic director.

As athletic director, George led ASU through the transition into the Lone Star Conference in 1968 and to NCAA Division II in 1981. Also during his tenure, the Rams football team won the 1978 NAIA National Championship and the track and field team finished runner-up at the NCAA D-II national meet.

As founder of the ASU Ram Club, which provides financial support for both general university and athletic concerns, George also was instrumental in the fundraising aspects of ASU athletics. He retired as athletic director in 1986, but remains a strong and ever-present supporter of ASU and ASU athletics.

For more information about the ceremony, contact Jamie Akin, executive director of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, at 325-942-2116 or [email protected].