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- Email:
- rmcgee@cfcc.edu
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- Title:
- Director of Athletics / Student Activities
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- Phone:
- 910-362-7010 / 7191
Bio
Robert McGee, originally from Greensboro, NC, is in his fifteenth year as the Director of Athletics at Cape Fear Community College after being named to the CFCC administration in the summer of 2000. Under McGee’s leadership and tenure, the two-year academic institution has established and developed to become a nationally recognized member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). After joining the Sea Devil family, McGee has had the privilege to oversee the growth of an athletic program as it continues to earn numerous accolades and championships. Over the last decade, Cape Fear Community College has garnered 13 Region 10 Regular Season Championships, six Region 10 Tournament Runner-Ups, 21 Region 10 Tournament Championships, eight District Runner-Ups, 12 National Tournament Appearances, 188 All-Region Players, 13 NJCAA All-American nominations, 19 Coaches of the Year, three District Coaches of the Year and 18 Players of the Year. During this time, the front office has grown from an athletic staff of one, to four full-time staff and 10 part-time coaching staff, not including trainers and physicians whom provide professional care & assistance to the Sea Devil student -athletes.
In the classroom, McGee encourages academic excellence and is fully committed to emphasizing the importance of academics. As an educational institution, the athletics department requires the student-athlete to be a student first, and athlete second. Along with CFCC faculty and staff, an academic program is designed specifically to promote academic excellence for the over 150 student-athletes. Under McGee’s leadership and yearly initiatives, it is noted that academic excellence is a priority at CFCC. It is McGee's goal to provide an overall program to challenge student-athletes both academically and athletically so that they may be successful in their future endeavors.
In coordination with the CFCC Foundation, the development of the Sea Devil Club has offered new opportunities for the CFCC student-athletes. McGee created and implemented the Sea Devil Club to serve as the financial backbone of the athletics program and to increase programmatic funding as well as generate athletic scholarships to give the College an opportunity to compete at the highest level. McGee initiated a comprehensive and revenue-producing corporate sponsorship program that promotes financial structure to the annual fundraising efforts while offering scholarships to those students in financial need. Yearly fundraising efforts have allowed the Department of Athletics to raise over 500K over the past few years in general scholarship funds, including numerous endowments, corporate sponsorships and gift-n-kind.
As director of athletics, it didn’t take McGee long to recognize the need to make athletic rebranding a priority. Overall branding, specifically related to Sea Devil Athletics, was inconsistent and unavailable to the CFCC campus and public. Incorporating a rebranding process that clearly represents Sea Devil Athletics in a consistent manner was not only a priority for McGee, but a program changer. The Cape Fear Community College athletic department formally introduced the new primary and secondary marks in the spring of 2011. The 2010-11 season marked over 11 years of athletics since its inception in 1999. To commemorate the milestone, CFCC Athletics unveiled a new, vibrant and contemporary family of logo and word marks. The logo is the third in the school's athletic history, dating back to 1970 when the students chose the Sea Devil to represent their college. This new identity system captures the newly built athletic tradition, unique characteristics and strong appeal of JUCO Athletics in the Port City. At the same time, this new visual identity system is inclusive to the College mission, fashionable and exciting.
In 1998, a generous donation from Joe and Barbara Schwartz, friends of the athletic program and College, opened the doors for a new facility to host the men and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball programs and provide the community multiple entertaining opportunities throughout the year. During the summer of 1999, the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, President, Dr. Eric McKeithan, and fellow constituents approved the construction of the $10 million athletic, physical education and multi-use facility for its student body, faculty & staff to utilize. In October 2000, Cape Fear Community College moved into its new athletic arena – The Joe and Barbara Schwartz Center. To mirror those efforts, McGee was instrumental in proposing and planning of the North Campus Sea Devil Soccer Facility which is considered one of the finest soccer facilities in the JUCO nation. The game field measures 120 by 80 yards and is a Celebration Bermuda grass surface, which allows for year round play and gives the field a "golf course" appearance. The dimensions of the field along with the top quality surface allow for ideal playing conditions and enjoyment of the game. To add flavor to the "game day" environment, McGee initiated the purchase and designed a 8’ x 25’ x 6’ wireless Daktronics Scoreboard with a 4’ x 25’ arch truss which embodies the College name and Sea Devil mascot The scoreboard includes timing and scoring capabilities, shots on goal, corner kicks, panaview LED digital technology, & sponsorship opportunities. The complex is located at the North Campus of Cape Fear Community College behind the McKeithan Building.
McGee served as head coach of the Sea Devils men’s soccer team for twelve years (1999 - 2011) and the women’s soccer program for its inaugural club season in 2005. In 2008, Coach McGee was named Region 10 Coach of the Year leading the Sea Devils to the schools best ever record (13-3-1, 10-3) and their first ever Region 10 conference tournament title. Under his guidance, the program has produced two (2) NJCAA All-Americans (Alexis Aguirre ('07) and Eddie West ('08), two (2) NSCAA All-Americans, five (5) NSCAA Division I Junior College All-South East Region members, one (1) Region 10 Player of the Year and thirty (30) All Region players. McGee has helped player’s progress to NCAA Division I, II, and III collegiate levels, as well as the professional level (27).
McGee attended East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.; where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and went on to earn a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. McGee holds the distinction of National Board Certified Counselor (NBCC), a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), serves as the Region 10 Chair of Athletic Directors (Region 10 Executive Committee) and Region 10 Men & Women’s Soccer Chair (WV, VA, NC, SC,). McGee serves on numerous committees in the Wilmington community including the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame Board and the CVB Sports Advisory Marketing Committee. McGee currently resides in Wilmington along with his beautiful wife Ashley and daughter Bella.