Ray Spenilla - Director of Athletics
No one has had a longer tenure in athletics at UVa-Wise than the Coeburn native who enters his 22nd year at the college and his 31st year in the education profession. When he arrived at the college in 1985, Spenilla was one of the college’s two full-time coaches and there were no scholarships, no trainers and no assistant coaches.
He served the college as its baseball coach for over a decade and in 1996 Spenilla accepted the institution’s offer to become the school’s associate director of athletics. In 2001, he took over the daily operations of the athletic department and since that time has guided the department to its greatest years in the history of the college. During the past few years, Spenilla has helped lead the charge for program development that has included numerous athletic facility upgrades, the creation of six new staff positions and the department’s commitment to community service. The athletic director is also a leader in the NAIA “Champions of Character” initiative which emphasizes servant leadership.
A standout baseball player at Eastern Kentucky University, Spenilla came to UVa-Wise and took over a struggling baseball program that had never had a winning season. Four years later, he guided the Cavaliers to the first NAIA Championship in any sport in the history of the college. Under his leadership, UVa-Wise baseball won two championships, recorded five district postseason playoff appearances and won over 200 games. During his UVa-Wise coaching career, Spenilla was named both NAIA District Coach of the Year and Area Small College Coach of the Year. In 1998, Spenilla received the University of Virginia’s Harrison Award for Excellence. A year later, UVa-Wise formally recognized his coaching efforts by inducting him into the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
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