Hutchinson turns to Josh Gooch as next athletic director

In 2005, Josh Gooch made a list of goals — for one year, five years, even a decade out.

This week, he was able to mark one of the big ones off that list when he was hired to be the next athletic director at Hutchinson Community College.

“Becoming an athletic director in the Jayhawk Conference was one of those goals,” said Gooch, who takes over on July 1. “I’m blessed to get this opportunity, because Hutchinson is a special place to me, and to my family.”

Gooch takes over for Randy Stange, who has been Hutchinson’s athletic director since 1997 and left to take a job with the Springfield (Mo.) school district.

Gooch’s ties to the Jayhawk — and to Hutchinson — run deep.

A Wellington native, Gooch played football at Coffeyville Community College and Fort Hays State — where he was also an All-American wrestler.

Gooch coached with current Hutchinson football coach Rion Rhoades when Rhoades was the defensive coordinator at Coffeyville and Gooch was the secondary coach, and for Rhoades as the offensive coordinator/assistant head coach at Fort Scott. He was also the offensive coordinator at Hutchinson from 2007 to 2011 and again in 2013 after spending one season as the coach at Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College.

Gooch, 41, has spent the last 14 months working for a pharmaceutical company.

His only experience with administration was from 2002 to 2004 as the assistant to the athletic director at Fort Hays State, where he was also an assistant football coach at the same time.

“I think, overall, when you’re involved with athletics as a coach there’s still an administrative component,” Gooch said. “There’s a large amount of coaching staff and players you coordinate with, and I think in the Jayhawk Conference there’s a history of coaches making the transition to administration with Jeff Leiker at Coffeyville, Randy Stange (at Hutchinson) and Tom Saia at Cowley.

“I’ve learned from all of those people over the years, I’ve learned from (Hutchinson men’s basketball coach) Steve Eck. They’ve been friends and colleagues.”

Gooch takes over at a crucial time in Hutchinson’s athletic history. Voters in Hutchinson approved a sales tax increase to fund $29 million in improvements to the Sports Arena, which has hosted the NJCAA Division I Men’s Tournament for almost 70 years.

“That, to me, is about a lot more than just Hutchinson Community College,” Gooch said. “It’s about the community … we’re going to be a part of the process, but this is a collaborative effort. I feel fortunate that I’ll be a part of that process.”

Blue Dragon athletics are also peaking – Rhoades has turned the football program into a national program and is coming off of his first Jayhawk Conference title last season. Eck has the men’s team nationally-ranked on a yearly basis.

“Coach Rhoades is an unbelievable leader, he’s cutting edge and he’s put them into a spot as one of the premier programs in the country,” Gooch said. “I’m excited to be a part of that again. (Rhoades) is someone I respect, a close friend. We’ve known each other since we were both grad assistants at Fort Hays State in the late 90s.

“I grew up in Wellington reading about (Eck) in (The Eagle), and all of his success. He’s someone I’ve always gone to for advice, for just his philosophies on life and coaching.”

Gooch also inherits one potential problem – the Hutchinson women’s basketball team, NJCAA runner-ups three of the last four seasons, is under investigation by the NJCAA for improper benefits to players and an eligibility matter.

“Right now, that’s not something I’ve had an opportunity to deal with,” Gooch said. “That’s Randy’s job until the end of the month, and when I take over I’ll work with the NJCAA and our people here in Hutchinson.”

Gooch’s wife, Kandy, will start as a physical education teacher at Morgan Elementary in Hutchinson this fall. Their two daughters, A.J. and Avery, will both attend Morgan.

Gooch is Hutchinson’s fifth athletic director since 1930.

“You want the people in the community to be stakeholders in the community college, to have that investment,” Gooch said. “Those relationships are important to me.”

This story was originally published June 19, 2015 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Hutchinson turns to Josh Gooch as next athletic director."