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University of North Carolina Athletics
Matt Clark
Matt Clark Joins Tar Heel Staff
August 15, 2017 | Men's Golf
CHAPEL HILL — Matt Clark, head men's golf coach at UNC Wilmington the last nine years, is joining the University of North Carolina men's golf program as its top assistant coach, first-year Tar Heel head coach Andrew DiBitetto announced today.
Clark has been a Division I head coach for 14 years – from 2008-17 at UNCW and 2003-08 at Georgia State. He built both programs into two of the top mid-majors in the country, winning a combined five conference championships. A collegiate golfer from 1995-97 at the University of Alabama, Clark began his coaching career as an assistant for six seasons at his alma mater, where he worked for a pair of national coaches of the year and Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Famers in Dick Spybey and Jay Seawell.
"Today is a great day for Carolina Golf as we welcome Matt Clark to the Tar Heel coaching staff," says DiBitetto. "Matt has an incredible amount of experience, including 14 years as a head coach and working at Alabama with Hall of Famers Dick Spybey and Jay Seawell. Coach Seawell is currently one of the very best coaches in our game. Matt is a fierce competitor and is excellent at helping his student-athletes reach their full potential. More importantly, he's a high character individual and a family man. He fits perfectly with our goals of developing young men on and off the course and preparing them for life. This is home run hire for our program. We are thrilled Matt, Erica, Ansley, and Graelyn are part of the Tar Heel family."
A four-time conference coach of the year (twice at UNCW and twice at Georgia State), Clark led the Seahawks to 10 team titles, including the 2016 Tar Heel Intercollegiate at UNC Finley, and a dozen individual event titles, including the 2017 Auburn Tiger and Clemson Invitationals. His student-athletes received five PING all-region honors, 20 all-conference selections, three Colonial Athletic Association Player-of-the-Year awards, two CAA Rookie-of-the-Year honors and one UNCW Male Student-Athlete of the Year award.
The Seahawks won the CAA in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and played in four NCAA Regionals as a team and had individuals qualify for regional play an additional five times. In 2016-17, the Seahawks posted the lowest team stroke average and had the lowest individual stroke average in school history.
Clark's UNCW teams also excelled in the classroom. The NCAA has awarded UNCW a public recognition award in each of the past two seasons for having Academic Progress Rates in the top 10 percent in the country. Twelve Seahawks earned Academic All-America honors, the team received All-Academic honors from the GCAA from 2011-2017 and Thomas Eldridge was the CAA's Scholar Athlete of the Year for men's golf in 2017. The men's golf team won UNCW's Team Leadership Award in 2011 and 2012 for outstanding academics, athletics and community service.
"My family and I are honored to be joining the Carolina Men's Golf Family," says Clark. "Coach DiBitetto is one of the sharpest young coaches in the game and I look forward to building something special with him in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are returning a very talented team and I look forward to competing for championships with them this season.
"I would like to thank (athletics director) Jimmy Bass and everyone at UNCW for allowing me to lead the men's golf program for the past nine seasons. So many amazing memories were created during these nine years; the Wilmington area will always be a special place for our family. I would like to wish the current squad at UNCW the best of luck and I look forward to watching you guys compete at the highest level. Thank you for the commitment and dedication to the program and most importantly the memories...you will be missed!"
Clark began his head coaching career in 2003 at Georgia State in Atlanta. Clark led the Panthers to two conference championships, six team and 10 individual event titles, and coached six All-Americas, seven all-region players and 12 all-conference selections. He had three players compete in the Palmer Cup, two were named GSU Male Student-Athletes of the Year, and had a finalist for both the Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus Awards. Two of the Panthers who played for him competed in the Open Championship.
Georgia State participated in the NCAA Regionals all five years he served as head coach and advanced to the NCAA Championship three times, finishing in the top 20 in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Panthers were ranked No. 4 in the nation in 2005.
A native of Prattville, Ala., Clark and his wife, Erica have two daughters, Ansley and Graelyn.
Clark has been a Division I head coach for 14 years – from 2008-17 at UNCW and 2003-08 at Georgia State. He built both programs into two of the top mid-majors in the country, winning a combined five conference championships. A collegiate golfer from 1995-97 at the University of Alabama, Clark began his coaching career as an assistant for six seasons at his alma mater, where he worked for a pair of national coaches of the year and Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Famers in Dick Spybey and Jay Seawell.
"Today is a great day for Carolina Golf as we welcome Matt Clark to the Tar Heel coaching staff," says DiBitetto. "Matt has an incredible amount of experience, including 14 years as a head coach and working at Alabama with Hall of Famers Dick Spybey and Jay Seawell. Coach Seawell is currently one of the very best coaches in our game. Matt is a fierce competitor and is excellent at helping his student-athletes reach their full potential. More importantly, he's a high character individual and a family man. He fits perfectly with our goals of developing young men on and off the course and preparing them for life. This is home run hire for our program. We are thrilled Matt, Erica, Ansley, and Graelyn are part of the Tar Heel family."
A four-time conference coach of the year (twice at UNCW and twice at Georgia State), Clark led the Seahawks to 10 team titles, including the 2016 Tar Heel Intercollegiate at UNC Finley, and a dozen individual event titles, including the 2017 Auburn Tiger and Clemson Invitationals. His student-athletes received five PING all-region honors, 20 all-conference selections, three Colonial Athletic Association Player-of-the-Year awards, two CAA Rookie-of-the-Year honors and one UNCW Male Student-Athlete of the Year award.
The Seahawks won the CAA in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and played in four NCAA Regionals as a team and had individuals qualify for regional play an additional five times. In 2016-17, the Seahawks posted the lowest team stroke average and had the lowest individual stroke average in school history.
Clark's UNCW teams also excelled in the classroom. The NCAA has awarded UNCW a public recognition award in each of the past two seasons for having Academic Progress Rates in the top 10 percent in the country. Twelve Seahawks earned Academic All-America honors, the team received All-Academic honors from the GCAA from 2011-2017 and Thomas Eldridge was the CAA's Scholar Athlete of the Year for men's golf in 2017. The men's golf team won UNCW's Team Leadership Award in 2011 and 2012 for outstanding academics, athletics and community service.
"My family and I are honored to be joining the Carolina Men's Golf Family," says Clark. "Coach DiBitetto is one of the sharpest young coaches in the game and I look forward to building something special with him in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are returning a very talented team and I look forward to competing for championships with them this season.
"I would like to thank (athletics director) Jimmy Bass and everyone at UNCW for allowing me to lead the men's golf program for the past nine seasons. So many amazing memories were created during these nine years; the Wilmington area will always be a special place for our family. I would like to wish the current squad at UNCW the best of luck and I look forward to watching you guys compete at the highest level. Thank you for the commitment and dedication to the program and most importantly the memories...you will be missed!"
Clark began his head coaching career in 2003 at Georgia State in Atlanta. Clark led the Panthers to two conference championships, six team and 10 individual event titles, and coached six All-Americas, seven all-region players and 12 all-conference selections. He had three players compete in the Palmer Cup, two were named GSU Male Student-Athletes of the Year, and had a finalist for both the Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus Awards. Two of the Panthers who played for him competed in the Open Championship.
Georgia State participated in the NCAA Regionals all five years he served as head coach and advanced to the NCAA Championship three times, finishing in the top 20 in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Panthers were ranked No. 4 in the nation in 2005.
A native of Prattville, Ala., Clark and his wife, Erica have two daughters, Ansley and Graelyn.
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